Thread: Cracked windshield

We are missing some vital info......Do you have HUD or not, and where are you located....

I just had my HUD windshield replaced and it was about 280.00

I also have a non HUD windshield quote for 120.00

both prices include install, and make sure they use a GM gasket

webracin

well not that it will make that much difference since the dollar is par with the loonie, but a windshield replacement should be less than $150.00. The only way a repair will work is if the crack is less than the size of a quarter.

webracin

Originally Posted by webracin

well not that it will make that much difference since the dollar is par with the loonie, but a windshield replacement should be less than $150.00. The only way a repair will work is if the crack is less than the size of a quarter.

webracin

Let me just say that $150 is ridiculously cheap (for almost any car or truck). My shop charges approx. $200 for the non-HUD and approx. $280 for the HUD. The windshield replacement in any car is a vital piece of the safety and well being of you and your passengers in the event of an accident. Cheapest is not always better in this case. This is something that HAS to be done correctly. Here's a great website for reference, AGRSS™ - Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards Council Specifically the ANSI Standard in the e-Library.

If you shop around, shop for a location that uses NGA Certified Autoglass Technicians. Ask, that's all you gotta do. Another tip is ask them how long after the install you can safely drive the car. If they tell you as soon as they are finished, go somewhere else. I use the fastest curing windshield adhesive on the market and if equipped with a passenger side airbag, the car can not be driven for a minimum of 1-2 hours after the new windshield is put in. If they tell you any different, they obviously don't care about you and probably won't care too much about the quality of the install.

Gasket Smasket. The molding around the windshield of a Grand Prix (and most cars now a days) is for asthetic value only and hides the edge of the glass and covers the gap between the glass and the outer body surface. It does absolutely nothing as a seal. You could not have it at all, and it would not affect the seal or performance of the glass in any way. The seal is actually a urethane adhesive that bond the glass to the metal pinchweld. It is located directly below the black frit band all the way around the outer perimeter of the glass. Now, that being said, some moldings fit better than others. Obviously and actual GM part would probably be the best, but usually not readily available. I use Precision moldings as they are the largest manufacturer of repacement moldings and they are an exact fit and match to the original. Take a look at the new GM models sometime (Malibu and Impala come to mind), the edge of the glass is exposed with no molding covering it at all. Instead they just have a small rubber fin under the glass to hide the adhesive.

I plan on doing a long drawn out post in the future about non-HUD vs. HUD glass on the Grand Prix. There is a difference, but would you notice? Not likely. My HUD equipped GP has a non-HUD windshield in it. No problems what so ever. About the only way to F up the HUD is to push the new windshield down too close to the pinchweld or set it too far from the pinchweld. It needs to be set at the correct hieight to allow the HUD unit to focus properly. I will get into all of this in a future post (with pics). It's not so much of an issue anymore since the HUD windshields can be had for a lot cheaper than they used to be. There was a time when they cost nearly twice as much as a non-HUD.

BTW.... I'm an NGA Master Certified Autoglass Tech with over 15 years experience under my belt.