Another Windscreen Thread

April 7

Stone chip on my Lexus CT - hopefully fixable ... unfortunately Axa insist on using Au*****ss. Refusing to source and fit a genuine Lexus part.

Local dealer (Belfast) confirmed that there is no such thing as an 'OEM equivalent quality matching Lexus spec' windscreens. And that in Lexus view, the glass must be genuine with the likes of the VIN etchings etc. Plus things like the acoustic and part structural qualities that are on the originals.

So the plan was... hopefully Au*****ss this time can fix the minor chip, avoiding the need for a replacement. Pass MOT in May (🤞). Then when the time comes, go for that Lexus Motor Insurance. Pricy, but they use genuine parts 100% of the time right? Wrong.

Their policies look good in terms of genuine parts but they specifically exclude genuine glass. What a rip.

So Lexus, on one hand, only advise genuine glass which only they can supply allegedly. But their own insurance (I know it's an underwriter / broker setup) specifically won't fit it. How does that work?

Have any of you been in a similar predicament? Did you get a genuine Lexus glass piece - through insurance or out of your own pocket? Or was an aftermarket 'ok'?

Curious if I'm missing a trick here. Or getting annoyed over nothing. What's the point in having nice car like a Lexus if it's going to be sabotaged mechanically with sub-par, no name or Chinese made parts that can't perform or stand up to the real world.. right?

Malc1 · April 7

Think you’re “ missing that trick “ …….. Lexus don’t make glass

Pilkington makes glass ….. and windscreens …… never made cars …… Aftermarket non-Lexus glass is quite ok for Lexus cars imho

I’ve had a few over the decades and always been absolutely fine …… and accepted by insurers too of course

Just have that chip repaired if it can be

Malc

VFR · April 7

Had my windscreen replaced by Autoglass last year and very satisfied (ex engineer / mechanic BTW)

As has been said Lexus “do not” make windscreens !

April 7

Thanks for the replies. I know Lexus don’t operate a glass factory anywhere. However, they do have somebody product glass with their etchings on it ordered through its part network - that’s what I’m referring to. I do understand what you mean.

from previous experience on an Avensis, the no name glass that Autoglass fitted was very poor, you could see distortions through it and it was poorly fitted (top was a centimetre too high) and condensation was occurring due to the bad fit. I genuinely believe it was the lack of quality of the part itself as from speaking to the Autoglass guy, he knew I had high expectations of the job being done.

as an apology, in that case, Axa did source me a Pilkington glass panel that had the acoustic logo mark on it and was very much ‘Toyota approved’ as the originals had Pilkington despite not having Toyota on it. Same story of Toyota not making glass, but this part coming through its network, fitted perfectly and was back to being quiet.

I can only imagine the quietness will he even worse coming from the factory windscreen on a Lexus to an aftermarket part. I totally understand that the insurance and Autoglass both are incentivised to find the cheapest parts possible that ‘do the job’. And that to most people they’d not notice or care about things as noise, or a flush fit.

but this poor experience in the past is why I’m so disappointed at the prospect of a no name panel being used. If not now, then next time a stone chip strikes and inevitably the panel needs replacing 😞

Malc1 · April 8

When a jobs done poorly or a defective part is used a responsible supplier will remedy …….. the insurer is legally bound in all sorts of ways I’m sure …… as you’ve already experienced 😄

So chill, relax and don’t overly worry about it …… life’s too short

Malc

April 8

5 hours ago, Malc1 said:

When a jobs done poorly or a defective part is used a responsible supplier will remedy …….. the insurer is legally bound in all sorts of ways I’m sure …… as you’ve already experienced 😄

So chill, relax and don’t overly worry about it …… life’s too short

Malc

I suppose. Better things in life to worry about. I am guilty of taking these things hard when it comes to the car. I suppose my biggest concern is it'll be noisy and poor quality making the car worse to live with.

I will post whatever happens next 🙂

VFR · April 8

Re read what I wrote and sorry about that as it looks a tad rude.

Anyway these are the markings on the screen fitted & I did check with Autoglass first that they had my chassis number to check what glass was fitted by Lexus ( tint etc )

Malc1 · April 8

originality of Ls400 glass ........... I have posted assorted rear screen piccs for another post on here over recent months and they all have Toyota apart from my 91 car which has both Lexus AND Toyota emblazoned thereon 😉

I haven't looked at the windscreen hieroglyphics yet even tho' I have had at least one new front screen on my 95 car !

Malc

Barry A · April 8

After 60 years of motoring I had my first experience of having a damaged windscreen en route home from holiday. I thought it might be repairable, but the crack was in direct line of driver vision and was considered to be a potential hazard. I had no difficulty getting Lexus approved windscreen last year. Initial visit from fitter said that the Insurance company would probably not meet the cost and advised me to check with the insurers before proceeding. I did as he asked, and the insurers agreed straight away. Perhaps because I happened to be insured by Toyota?

April 8

5 minutes ago, Barry A said:

After 60 years of motoring I had my first experience of having a damaged windscreen en route home from holiday. I thought it might be repairable, but the crack was in direct line of driver vision and was considered to be a potential hazard. I had no difficulty getting Lexus approved windscreen last year. Initial visit from fitter said that the Insurance company would probably not meet the cost and advised me to check with the insurers before proceeding. I did as he asked, and the insurers agreed straight away. Perhaps because I happened to be insured by Toyota?

Must be because you’re through Toyota.

so, I called Lexus Motors Insurance today. They told me yes, it excludes ‘genuine glass parts’. HOWEVER, for an excess of £200, they WILL fit genuine glass.

question is … should I go from £600 a year to £1500 a year. Theoretically, in any accident, it’d pay for itself since a genuine Lexus repair job of any scale would likely be in the thousands. Thinking .. panels, wiring, modules, sensors, painting … etc.

even one windscreen must be near £1,000 to buy from Lexus since they etch the vin number into them etc, so one of them every two years might make it worth it. At least to people with my mindset, who cares about such details (maybe a little too much)

I have until July to decide.

Autoglass are coming out to ‘repair’ tomorrow. If they can’t.. I might strengthen it myself and hold off until potentially having Lexus insurance come late 2024… pay the excess for a proper part.

Malc1 · April 11

SB hi, how did the repair go ?

Malc

April 12

20 hours ago, Malc1 said:

SB hi, how did the repair go ?

Malc

An AutoGlass guy came out to repair it. He was quite friendly and we were chatting as he fixed it. He gave me a bit more faith in the brand / its work. He also confirmed as my car doesn't have the ADAS stuff that my old Avensis had, even a replacement wouldn't mean I need to take it to their centre - which is a plus. He told me what to look out for in terms of a lousy job - not removing the wipers, the scuttle trim etc which he reckons is a corner they'd never cut. He also basically said that because of their guarantee, if they were fitting 'crap' glass, it would only end up accumulating as a cost to them in terms of constantly replacing and re-doing the jobs so he thinks that their part quality is going to be high quality.

He said he understood my want to keep the car 100% manufacturer parts, even at my own expense, as the stuff procured by the car makers is always the highest quality / most stringently quality controlled panels produced. Then, the rest will go to the various aftermarket brands. To me, it sounded like how computer processors are made, where the slightly more perfectly formed chips can perform better than the outer ones, though the outer ones still are fine, just becoming the more mid-spec ones.

But he gave me the thought that, even if I paid out of pocket today for a Lexus windscreen and had it fitted perfectly, there is quite a high chance (certainly no guarantee or way to 'avoid') another chip or crack happening the next day, the next week... even say, the next year. And with windscreens that is incredibly common, hence why it's such a well thought out / cheap excess (if not free to repair) on every insurance policy these days. So even if I could pay more, I could end up being out of pocket more often than I'd like. It's not really like a premium tyre, which I'm sure can be reinforced and less likely to puncture by design, and then repaired multiple times before ever truly 'losing' that investment completely. Whereas even a good quality glass panel is as susceptible to a chip or crack caused by driving in the real world as such.

So basically.... if I ever need a replacement. I'll probably not be so annoyed at Autoglass. And unlike in the past this guy proved to me that they're not all condescending know-it-all's that do a crap job and assert that their panels are 'better' than OEM. He was pretty rational and fair about it, and I believe what he said.

Essentially, if I'm not happy with the fit, noise qualities, any condensation or even damage to the side trim (only on my Lexus not on previous cars I had) he said they'll cover it, do it again etc. If one aftermarket panel truly is crap, and causes issues, complaining (he said) is likely to just result in them doing it again. Apparently with the size and volume of work and the costs they've got it down to, they don't have to get too stingy with repairs or further replacements. I hope that is something I could, in theory, depend on should I have issues.

The next time it chips, I think it will be a replacement in any case.

It was a big U-turn in my thinking, and a positive one. On top of that, glad to hear that you guys all had good experiences for the most part too.

wharfhouse · April 12

I've had two replacement screens in my IS 300h - one was Pilkington and the other Fuyao. Both were marked up as acoustic glass and other then the name on the glass I couldn't see or hear any difference between OEM and either of these. Both were fitted by Autoglass - I took the car to their centre to be done as it was within walking distance of where I live. I did notice after the last one was fitted that the passenger windscreen wiper was in a higher park position than before and so I removed and repositioned the wiper arm myself. May be worth taking a photo of where your wipers park now so you know they are put back in the same place.

The fitter is right in that windscreens are cracked regularly, especially on today's potholed roads throwing up more stones. It's also one of those "probability" issues - for example on a previous car I had gone for many years with no problems and then had three replacement windscreens in nearly as many weeks...! On my IS 300h, I've had the current Fuyao windscreen in for a few years now but in the first year after it was fitted picked up two small bullseye marks near the rear view mirror. Fortunately these have got no worse and I've received no more (large) stone chips and none are a MoT failure. I don't see much sense in doing anything about stone chips as I know one day something will hit the windscreen necessitating another replacement.

Tickedon · April 12

1 hour ago, wharfhouse said:

On my IS 300h, I've had the current Fuyao windscreen in for a few years now but in the first year after it was fitted picked up two small bullseye marks near the rear view mirror. Fortunately these have got no worse and I've received no more (large) stone chips and none are a MoT failure. I don't see much sense in doing anything about stone chips as I know one day something will hit the windscreen necessitating another replacement.

This was my view…. but on my old car I eventually ended up with about 20 small chips (I used to drive 20k+ miles a year) and decided it was probably time to replace it… (never was a MOT failure or advisory though).

April 18

In the past, Axa did honour a 'genuine' part for my Avensis after Autoglass messed up the aftermarket replacement. Whether this was the technicians fault or a bad quality part I can't say for sure. But should that happen on the CT, I suppose I could ask for the same solution

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · April 18

On 4/7/2024 at 9:56 PM, Malc1 said:

Think you’re “ missing that trick “ …….. Lexus don’t make glass

Pilkington makes glass ….. and windscreens …… never made cars …… Aftermarket non-Lexus glass is quite ok for Lexus cars imho

I’ve had a few over the decades and always been absolutely fine …… and accepted by insurers too of course

Just have that chip repaired if it can be

Malc

Spot On As Usual Malcombe

SteL · April 18

Hopefully, someone can assist.

I’ve recently had the windscreen of my 2007 Lexus IS250 replaced due to a crack.

My old windscreen, as seen in the image, was the original and had some kind of what appears to be heating elements around the outside, the new one doesn’t.

I would appreciate knowing whether the correct windscreen has been fitted or whether I should complain to the fitting company.

Malc1 · April 18

Steve hi. Why don’t you ask the suppliers / fitters that Q ? Before you complain ?? about …….. what ???

Malc

April 22

On 4/18/2024 at 4:29 PM, SteL said:

Hopefully, someone can assist.

I’ve recently had the windscreen of my 2007 Lexus IS250 replaced due to a crack.

My old windscreen, as seen in the image, was the original and had some kind of what appears to be heating elements around the outside, the new one doesn’t.

I would appreciate knowing whether the correct windscreen has been fitted or whether I should complain to the fitting company.

I would definitely call them and tell them the fitted part is missing a detail. If they tell you 'some of them look like that', first, ask their name (full name) and ask them to put that in writing. If they refuse, ask for their complaints contact info.

Was it recent? And if so, did you pay by credit card? If so, go to the bank if they don't play ball (if they fail to respond to you within two weeks, is reasonable). Sadly, even in the first world, we still have to put up with crap parts, crap service and failures.

Malc1 · April 22

can you identify any actual " failure " before you go off on one ranting and raving and making yourself look an absolute Tos--er and wasting everyone's time ? 🤣

Malc

SteL · April 25

Thanks for the advice and comments. I’ll call into my local-ish Lexus dealer next time I’m passing to find out if they’re heating elements or not and take it from there.