OEM Glass vs. 3rd party (Windshield)

[Monkey Throttle]

I just had an experience and thought I would share it with the forum.

The short answer is, only replace with OEM GLASS

The longer story - When I took ownership of my car, it had a crack in the windshield from transport. Carmax said they would pay to have it replaced if it got worse in 90 days. I pushed the issue and they agreed to change it out using Safelite however they would only pay for 3rd party.

I figured I would give the 3rd party a try since it was free rather than paying $455 for the upgrade to OEM. Safelite did the install and it looked great/fine until I drove at night. Suddenly the windshield looked cloudy, reflective, horrible. I couldn't notice any imperfections at first glance but after a long inspection with a flashlight found a galaxy of tiny spots all over the windshield.

I fought long and hard with Safelite and had to escalate to corporate. Finally they agreed to replace so I bit the bullet and paid for OEM instead of wasting more of my time.

OEM glass looks WAY better. Here is the funny thing though, both the OEM and the "aftermarket glass" are both made by the same company "Pilkington" but they don't seem to be the same quality. Maybe the "lesser" quality ones become non-oem? Or they have different quality thresholds?

Anyway, if you're agonizing on the question if you should go OEM and spend the extra money, my answer is a definitive YES. They might be the same glass from the same company. But they are not the same.

my .02

[Keca10]

I haven’t had experience with this, but that sounds like a defective part. No windshield replacement should have tiny spots that diffuse the light. That’s bananas

[Monkey Throttle]

Originally Posted by Keca10

I haven’t had experience with this, but that sounds like a defective part. No windshield replacement should have tiny spots that diffuse the light. That’s bananas

It was really hard to see it until we got all up in it with flashlights, etc.
At first Safelite was accusing me of damaging the windshield and said it was on the outside of the window..
So obviously I escalated it and they came and inspected it and agreed with me the window was crunk.

What made it a little obfuscated was, after they originally inspected the window, I did a track day and the windshield got further damage. So they tried to suggest that I did the damage and it was installed properly and had been quality controlled.

I had to remind them that I brought the window back to them 3 days after install and two days before I went to the track. It was a whole thing.

[alex2364]

I’ve had a windshield replaced with OE (not OEM) Pilkington windshield by a high quality glass shop and it was the exact same glass with same part number. Only difference was the missing BMW logo. Everything worked perfectly fine and much cheaper than the same windshield with BMW logo.

[robbo mcs]

My wifes M4 came with a bad windshield when delivered. Looked ok externally, but when you were driving you could see slight distortions in certain spots, was worse at night with lights etc.

Took a bit of persistence to get it replaced under warranty. At first they said nothing was wrong, then tried to "polish" the imperfections out. Eventually they replaced it, and has been fine since then.

[M3SQRD]

Don’t have experience with OEM vs OE on BMWs but I do have first hand experience on one of my S2000s. Had both OEM and OE replacement windshields and there was visible no difference except for the missing Honda logo. Surprised to hear about the issues you encountered. Like others have stated, seems like you got a defective windshield. Glad it all worked out in the end.

[G-Ram]

Never had an aftermarket windshield with any imperfections in that regard. Where I DO question them though, is they certainly seem to pit/chip easier than OEM up here in BC, where sand/rocks on the roads during winter ruin all nice things.

[GoMannGo]

Due to an unfortunate event with my passenger seat sliding forward I cracked my windshield. I just opted for the OEM glass. Cost me an extra $550 but with all of the cameras and heads up display it was not an option for me. The third-party glass would have been free with my insurance. Safelite did the glass for me and I haven’t had any issues. It’s the exact same glass. I took pictures of the cracked one before it was replaced. Clarity is great.

[Tangent]

For what it's worth the only visible difference between the OEM glass and the aftermarket one I have now is the lack of "Connected Drive" text at the top center. No cloudiness, spots, reflections, etc. I worked for an auto glass wholesaler years ago and you'd occasionally get defective windshields both aftermarket and OEM; sounds like you were unlucky enough to get one of those.

[kinghenryiiv]

I agree on going OEM. I had my windshield replaced with aftermarket by Safelite because of crack and rock chip, and the difference is astronomical. The aftermarket one is incredibly hard to clean, and the quality is night and day. Maybe I'm unlucky, but regardless I will be replacing it soon.

[zamboni]

Your M3 deserves OEM windshield why settle for3rd party product? That's my 2 cents.

[Boznien]

Not sure if this applies to F chassis cars but the HUD on G chassis cars can get distorted which makes it uncomfortable to read.

+1 for OEM windshield.

[Monkey Throttle]

Originally Posted by zamboni

Your M3 deserves OEM windshield why settle for3rd party product? That's my 2 cents.

Cause the replacement glass comes from the same manufacturer Plinkington.
So you would think it’s the same glass just without the BMW crest on it.
But I dont think it is. The other one chipped so easily. One day at the track and it was mangled.

Buy once cry once.

[zamboni]

Originally Posted by Monkey Throttle

Cause the replacement glass comes from the same manufacturer Plinkington.
So you would think it’s the same glass just without the BMW crest on it.
But I dont think it is. The other one chipped so easily. One day at the track and it was mangled.

Buy once cry once.

I had my F30 windshield replaced with OEM version along with the sensor, HUD work fine. These days insurance don't want to pay out for higher cost replacements and you should demand for OEM parts.

[drreid3]

I had my 2016 M3 and 2003 S2000 both windshields replaced with non-branded ones. No issues and cheaper. Read about the differences between OE, OEM and branded (genuine) parts.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/oe-academy

[Breilly217]

I have a '24 G80 and my issue stems from the unavailability of the OEM glass. It's a bit of a boring story, but two failed attempts to get one shipped over from Germany and I'm left unsure what to do. It's been cracked for a couple of months now. Admittedly, this is a "first world problem", but I don't want a new M3 with an aftermarket windshield potentially having issues with the self drive cameras, etc.

Anyone know of a miracle place to get OEM glass? I'm not hearing anyone else mention unavailability.

[phyzzo]

Aftermarket glass out here (Vancouver BC) is usually thicker, wavy, and sometimes has a subtle, white, cloudiness that looks like it's dirty, but can't be washed off. They also seem to diffract light more at night, creating bigger halos. If available, I would pay extra for OEM glass. And if not available, I would inspect the new windshield very closely before accepting the work.

[MathewM4]

OEM all the way.

This is why it is important to check your insurance policy. I left Geico after a claim on my M3 a few years back.

[Breilly217]

Originally Posted by MathewM4

OEM all the way.

This is why it is important to check your insurance policy. I left Geico after a claim on my M3 a few years back.

I get it. The problem is that they don't exist. As in, the world does not have them, currently. I have four companies trying to get one (2 dealerships and 2 "white glove" specialty car shops). It's been 2.5 months with no real prospects of one arriving. I can only vouch for the white glove shops truly trying to get one. I can't speak to the tenacity of the dealerships.

At some point, the "not having a big crack on my new car" will overwhelm the "I don't want an aftermarket windshield.", if that makes sense.

[WhiteFox]

All depends on who the glass is made by. For example for Tesla cars OEM and non OEM is made by pilkington just one is stamped Tesla and other is pilkington. Hence there is a markup difference only.

My personal opinion having gone through several windshields is go OEM if the above is not true or ask who it’s manufactured by as if the above the glass will be good as OEM.