I had Safelite do replacements on my car as well as my husband's car. Of course the insurance wouldn't cover OEM (had eSurance at the time) but I heard that the aftermarket glass that Safelite uses on these cars (Pilkington I think but spelling could be wrong) is an OEM supplier for a lot of German brands. It's been a few years now and both cars aren't showing any issues with the replacement glass. We both have '11 Golf TDIs. FWIW, the replacement glass on our cars also had the tint strip along the top and mirror area in the same place as the OEM glass, you really can't tell the difference unless you look at the manufacturer's stamp.
Reviews of Pilkington parts For Business
UK
I just had to replace the windshield in my STI today actually. The installer used a windshield from Pilkington who is also the OE supplier for Subaru. The Pilkington windshield has the exact same sun deflector dot pattern at the top, between the rear view mirror and the roof and has the integrated heater lines for the wiper defroster. The only difference is that the replacement has the Pilkington logo instead of the Subaru logo.
Pilkington makes a good product, too...it matches the acoustic and heat-blocking characteristics of the OEM. No optical distortions and decent chip resistance.
VW uses the highest quality glass manufacturers out there, Sekurit, Splintex, Soliver, and Pilkington. These companies make the finest glass out there.
I have a Passat with Pilkington, which also has the sound deadener, and I have no distortions
A local one near here put in a brand new Pilkington windshield for $160 installed.
Ask for PPG or Pilkington replacement glass. OEM glass from VW/Audi is $$$ (and has to be ordered), and both PPG & Pilkington are OEM glass manufacturers. Cheaper alternatives are not any less "safe", but don't always fit as well, which can lead to stress cracks.
Conversion from glue-in to flex gasket windshield is a common modification. I recently converted my 84 Rabbit to a flex gasket/windshield and am very pleased with it. You don't need the "gator" clips and I don't like them. The glass for the flex rubber gasket has a slightly different dimension than the glue-in glass. Simply, order a windshield for a 1985 cabriolet from your glass store. My Pilkington brand with an upper tint band was about 130$ uninstalled.
The guy came out and did a fine job installing the new windshield - Pilkington glass.
I had a bad experience with a Pilkington windshield in my wife's '06 Honda Pilot. Could be the shop we used but it leaked.
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.