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Can’t you just go to one of the dozens of windshield replacement businesses in your area? You drive it there and they plop in a new windshield for very reasona

Can’t you just go to one of the dozens of windshield replacement businesses in your area? You drive it there and they plop in a new windshield for very reasonable rates. They will often even come to you to fix it.

raverbashing 7y ago
Right?! Six months for a windshield replacement is ridiculous, especially for such a name brand
jedberg 7y ago
Most likely if the dealer is replacing it, it's a manufacturing defect. In which case you can't go to a third party if you want OEM glass and/or have Toyota pay for the replacement, not to mention possibly voiding the warranty.
Infernal 7y ago
I have wondered about this between my 2008 Honda and my 2019 Honda. The 2008, I have had the windshield replaced twice, no sweat, once due to a rock from the road and once due to a hailstone. On the 2019, there is a suite of sensors behind the rearview mirror that (I presume) handle lane detection and object avoidance (emergency braking) duties. I don't know what assumptions those sensors (or the software behind them) might make about the properties of the glass they're looking through, but I wouldn't blindly have the shop on the corner replace the 2019 windshield like I would on my 2008.
- leesalminen 7y ago
  Pretty much. Same deal on the Corolla. Just out of curiosity I checked safelite.com and they don’t even offer a replace option on this year/make/model. Only repair, and this crack is well beyond the repair limit.
  - redis_mlc 7y ago
    In aviation, we stop-drill the ends of cracks in aluminum to stop propagation by diffusing the stress point. If you need to wait 6 months, you might want to investigate doing that.
    - hinkley 7y ago
      Honey I’m going out to drill some holes in your windshield. ... okay?
    - greglindahl 7y ago
      That's what the "repair limit" is.
    - fludlight 7y ago
      Drilling specialty tempered glass is not advisable.
  - lostgame 7y ago
    Return the Corolla while you still can. This is hot garbage.
    - jsight 7y ago
      Because part availability isn't 100% just yet, it is "hot garbage"? That seems like a stretch. TBH, this kind of thing happens pretty regularly with various parts. Usually the delay doesn't end up being 6 months, but often those kinds of estimates are on the pessimistic side. It isn't unusual for places like Safelite to be dependent upon the manufacturer's glass, especially on newer cars.
- adrianN 7y ago
  Those sensors need to be recalibrated after replacing the windshield. That should be in the fine print somewhere.
- Sileem 7y ago
  Similarly, I recently had to replace the windshield in my 2016 Acura. Safelite threw in aftermarket glass and every sensor in the car went haywire. For the next two weeks I was driving around with constant beeping reminding me that the sensors I had turned off aren’t working.
  - Infernal 7y ago
    What ended up being the resolution?
- dsfyu404ed 7y ago
  >I don't know what assumptions those sensors (or the software behind them) might make about the properties of the glass they're looking through, but I wouldn't blindly have the shop on the corner replace the 2019 windshield like I would on my 2008. Figuring that stuff out is the glass manufacturer's job. The dealer doesn't have some glass guy who's magically better than the glass shop's glass guy. Many smaller dealers actually sub out glass (along with body work, frame pulling and other things they aren't big enough for it to be worth the overhead to do in house).
rkangel 7y ago
Where are they getting there windshields from? If they're just a customer for manufacturer made windshields then you'd have the same issue.
pixelbath 7y ago
Not if you want it replaced under warranty for free.
auiya 7y ago
Which sounds great until you realize the windshield you need requires automatic rain sensors, or has an antenna built in, and none of the cheap Chinese replacements are equitable drop-in swaps. Also, those "very reasonable rates" end up translating to shit-poor work in many cases. Anecdotally I've been through 3 windshields at one of these places. Each time it was improperly sealed, leading to water incursion damage. Eventually I did the right thing and went to a dealer who actually knows what they're doing. The cheap place ended up being the most expensive route I could have possibly taken. Maybe those trained monkeys can ham-fistedly install an older Ford F-series pickup truck's windshield and it's fine, but for modern cars I won't take chances anymore.

raverbashing 7y ago

Right?! Six months for a windshield replacement is ridiculous, especially for such a name brand

jedberg 7y ago

Most likely if the dealer is replacing it, it's a manufacturing defect. In which case you can't go to a third party if you want OEM glass and/or have Toyota pay for the replacement, not to mention possibly voiding the warranty.

Infernal 7y ago

I have wondered about this between my 2008 Honda and my 2019 Honda. The 2008, I have had the windshield replaced twice, no sweat, once due to a rock from the road and once due to a hailstone. On the 2019, there is a suite of sensors behind the rearview mirror that (I presume) handle lane detection and object avoidance (emergency braking) duties. I don't know what assumptions those sensors (or the software behind them) might make about the properties of the glass they're looking through, but I wouldn't blindly have the shop on the corner replace the 2019 windshield like I would on my 2008.

leesalminen 7y ago
Pretty much. Same deal on the Corolla. Just out of curiosity I checked safelite.com and they don’t even offer a replace option on this year/make/model. Only repair, and this crack is well beyond the repair limit.
- redis_mlc 7y ago
  In aviation, we stop-drill the ends of cracks in aluminum to stop propagation by diffusing the stress point. If you need to wait 6 months, you might want to investigate doing that.
  - hinkley 7y ago
    Honey I’m going out to drill some holes in your windshield. ... okay?
  - greglindahl 7y ago
    That's what the "repair limit" is.
  - fludlight 7y ago
    Drilling specialty tempered glass is not advisable.
- lostgame 7y ago
  Return the Corolla while you still can. This is hot garbage.
  - jsight 7y ago
    Because part availability isn't 100% just yet, it is "hot garbage"? That seems like a stretch. TBH, this kind of thing happens pretty regularly with various parts. Usually the delay doesn't end up being 6 months, but often those kinds of estimates are on the pessimistic side. It isn't unusual for places like Safelite to be dependent upon the manufacturer's glass, especially on newer cars.
adrianN 7y ago
Those sensors need to be recalibrated after replacing the windshield. That should be in the fine print somewhere.
Sileem 7y ago
Similarly, I recently had to replace the windshield in my 2016 Acura. Safelite threw in aftermarket glass and every sensor in the car went haywire. For the next two weeks I was driving around with constant beeping reminding me that the sensors I had turned off aren’t working.
- Infernal 7y ago
  What ended up being the resolution?
dsfyu404ed 7y ago
>I don't know what assumptions those sensors (or the software behind them) might make about the properties of the glass they're looking through, but I wouldn't blindly have the shop on the corner replace the 2019 windshield like I would on my 2008. Figuring that stuff out is the glass manufacturer's job. The dealer doesn't have some glass guy who's magically better than the glass shop's glass guy. Many smaller dealers actually sub out glass (along with body work, frame pulling and other things they aren't big enough for it to be worth the overhead to do in house).

rkangel 7y ago

Where are they getting there windshields from? If they're just a customer for manufacturer made windshields then you'd have the same issue.

pixelbath 7y ago

Not if you want it replaced under warranty for free.

auiya 7y ago

Which sounds great until you realize the windshield you need requires automatic rain sensors, or has an antenna built in, and none of the cheap Chinese replacements are equitable drop-in swaps. Also, those "very reasonable rates" end up translating to shit-poor work in many cases. Anecdotally I've been through 3 windshields at one of these places. Each time it was improperly sealed, leading to water incursion damage. Eventually I did the right thing and went to a dealer who actually knows what they're doing. The cheap place ended up being the most expensive route I could have possibly taken. Maybe those trained monkeys can ham-fistedly install an older Ford F-series pickup truck's windshield and it's fine, but for modern cars I won't take chances anymore.