I had mine put in recently and I figure I'll share what I learned for the archives.

- OEM glass has a greyish top tint to it. If you agree to aftermarket glass, it can come in other tints. Check on that if you care.
- I'm told OEM and aftermarket glass is identical in thickness, shape, etc. Had I known that I would have agreed to use aftermarket glass and save the 3 weeks wait for OEM. The repair shop will probably make better profit on the aftermarket glass, so that's their preference.
- There aren't many OEM windshields in stock. The only one in the regional warehouse broke during shipment to me, and it was almost another 2 weeks until the second (unbroken) glass arrived from the west coast.
- OEM glass comes with the mirror base already attached. If you're tall like me, now is the perfect time to look into getting an aftermarket glass without the mount and having them mount your rearview mirror higher and out of your field of vision. I wish my repair shop could have honored that option, but he couldn't get glass without the mount.

Dave

 

That's some good info Dave. My only question would be quality of aftermarket glass. Will an aftermarket windshield have flaws? Visual distortion? I don't know?

 

I think mine leaks...and soaks the passenger side (under carpet)...and my a/c vent hose isn't draining under the carpet.

 

Good info.

I seem to pick up alot of chips in my (stock) glass, even though I hardly ever drive it; is the stock glass softer than aftermarket glass?

 

What about the rubber seal around the windshield?

Did they change that or use new ones.

My friend had his windshield changed and they used a thicker one , I rather the look of the original one.

Anthony

 

I install auto glass for a living. OEM glass is always the better way to go if you can. The difference between OEM glass and aftermarket glass is not the glass composition it self. Glass is glass, there is no better or worse glass. The main difference in the aftermarket glass is the tolerances on the bends. I have installed an aftermarket windshield before that was so bad that when I set the windshield in the glue I could actually push down on one corner of the shield and the other side would come up. Very bad bend. The other difference is the quality control on the laminating process. You windshield is actually two thin pieces of glass with a clear piece of laminate, that has a tinted portion at the top for the shade, in the center. After the two pieces of glass are put together the windshield is put into a large compression tank and all of the air is pressed out from between the glass. If this process is not done properly you will get a distortion, especially when looking through the windshield at an angle, like from outside the car. All windshields will have that distortion but some aftermarket shields will be worse. However not all aftermarket shields are bad. Just like some aftermarket car parts are ok and some are total junk, but once again, an OEM carpet is going to fit 1000x better than an aftermarket. Just be cautious of what aftermarket brand you use and you will be fine, and ALWAYS use an OEM molding. The wide molding someone was talking about is a universal molding and was probably also used on the GEO Metro the guy put a windshield in just before yours....

 

The molding was something I wondered about. It fit ok and looked the same, and he didn't remove the wiper fascia because the molding stops 1/4" above it. If I get some OEM molding, I can put it in myself, right?

This shop is very well regarded in my area, so I trust that he would have bought a good quality aftermarket glass, and he assured me it was the same manufacturer that made the OEM. However, what you said donny makes sense - the manufacturer sells the cream of the crop as OEM glass and the rest goes to aftermkt, so my glass guy might not know about it (or claim it makes no big difference, as many regular repair types tend to think).

Thanks

Dave

 

the molding on the windshield goes on the glass before it is installed, so to replace the molding you need to remove the windshield. It is nearly impossible to remove the windshield without breaking it.

 

Darn. Actually maybe what I'm thinking of is the outside trim - which I think I've pulled up partway before.

The glass guy said that he couldn't remove the mirror base to move it up - because the heating would crack the glass. Is this true? Are there any shops with equipment that can do this safely? I'm getting tired of not seeing around right hand turns.

Dave

 

How much was the OEM glass? I need mine replaced very soon and was wondering about what to do...
Also, where do you order it from? Malloy or Mazdaformance ok?

*btw, i thought I read somewhere that the FD's oem glass was thinner & lighter, hence the common cracking problem among owners. Is there any truth to it?

 

The FD glass is thinner, to save weight. That was a priority when they designed the car.

 

When my windshield broke (softball sized rock from a truck) I had it replaced with an aftermarket unit. The fit was fine, but I got stuck with a blue tint. The factory glass was the only one available in gray, and there was a bronze available that I probably should have loooked at (for my VR car). As I remember though, the cost of the factory glass was like $700 or something. The "glass man comes to you" special was under $200.

 

I have a leak in my windshield it's near the top drivers corner.
I can hear air coming in from it when crusing down the street. I also get water dripping in if I drive the car in the rain.
I tried pulling the seal back (the black frame around the glass sealing it to te metal of the car) and it didn't want to come out.
any idea how I can seal the leaK?
I was thinking just buy window weld from the auto store and hope to get lucky just pulling the seal back the best I can and squirting some in.
Is there a better/ cleaner way to do this

 

My glass guy assured me the aftermarket glass he was considering was the same thickness, produced from the same mold, same manufacturer. He said if it was thicker it wouldn't fit correctly.

OEM is usually marked up a bit, but the extra cost difference I would guess is b/c of the tighter finished tolerances.

I don't know the cost - it was all handled by insurance and only cost me the $100 deductible. I gave my glass guy the contact info for Malloy, but I don't think he used it.

Dave

 

I put in windshields for a living also, if you want to fix that leak buy some primerless urethane at napa, and pump a small bead from the inside under the headliner and spread it to make sure it's sealed. make sure it's all dry first though you can water check it in like an hour, moisture just makes urethane harden quicker. I wouldn't mess with the outside reveal molding they can be a pain to get back on the edge of the glass right. Oh yeah GLASS IS GLASS. some aftermarket windshields dont fit as good as oem and some I think fit better than oem.

 

exactly what i was going to say, thats how we do it. if that doesnt fix it, and if the customer is a total ***, then we will pull the windshield, but squirting urethane in the joint from the inside usually works. My guess is the installer didnt tool the glue joints together or did a quick set. I have never had a windshield leak that I installed. Knock on wood.... I probably will now