Overall I'm unimpressed by the dealer, although haven't delt with the body shop. Make sure you demand a "Ford" part no matter which installer you use.

 

I tried to have the dealer replace my windshield but they just send it to an auto glass shop. I went with Safelite after a family friend highly recommended them. Like said above, get Ford glass, not that other crap they sell.

 

@lflouie and @Haze, thanks, I will go with Safelite and demand OEM glass.

 

Yes, the biggest thing is to ask for OEM glass no matter what installer you use. Some installers will only use what came on it because it will be cut EXACTLY like the OE. Aftermarket glass can't be cut EXACTLY the same for copyright reasons and such.

But I will say installers can be very different as well. Stay away from ones that use the flat rubber sawzall attachment to remove the glass, they can sometimes cause damage to the glass seat and cause leaks. And piano wire removal is much better but the type of wire they use can also cause damage sometimes if cheap wire is used. The installer I use in town only uses factory glass and one removes glass with special fishing wire he has custom made for him by shimano I believe. Never had a single scratch or anything on any car I've had done personally or any customer I've had it done for.

 

I have used Safelite before. They came to my house and did a great job. I would definitely recommend them. Pretty sure their work is guaranteed for life of the vehicle too.

 

I'd also recommend safelite. And depending on how bothered you are by the appearance, what you described could be "repaired" by safelite as well, rather than replacing the whole windshield. They inject some sort of clear resin into the chip crater to prevent the cracks from propagating, and provided you get it done promptly, I think they will also warranty that repair for the life of the car. It's cheaper than a glass replacement, but you'll still be able to notice the chip for sure. I think it looks a bit better after repair than before, but it's still noticeable. Just another option if warranty/insurance isn't covering this and you don't want to pay for a full replacement

 

Satellite replaced the windshield on my work truck, they were super fast, prompt, and cheaper than expected. I highly recommend using them.

Taptalkin'

 

Ehhh, not to revive an old thread, but what's the difference between an OEM and non-OEM windshield? Took a rock to the bottom drivers side corner yesterday which turned into a 10 inch crack within 10 minutes. Not happy, damn truck in the left lane. I had a car in front of me (behind the truck) and I was a solid 4 car lengths back from the car.

It's about a $200 difference at Safeflite. Actually had to get the windshield replaced on my WRX at about mile 800 and went with the cheaper option. I didn't notice a difference...

Anyway, it's scheduled to go in early next week.

 

Man....we gotta stop meeting like this. I took a rock Tuesday on the way home. Made it down the dirt road just fine...get back on the highway and a mile later...blammo. Wasn't too bad...figured I would get it taken care of this weekend. Went out this morning and it's cracked half way across. I must ask one thing though...you bought a car in Colorado and didn't get Ford's glass coverage? $200 for once a year windshield replacements...SOLD!

 

I was never offered glass insurance when I purchased. I was pushed at extended service and some wheel plan.

As others have mentioned. Avoid aftermarket windshields. Aftermarket side glass and a such is fine. But I’ve never seen an aftermarket windshield that doesn’t produce an odd wavie visual effect.

 

Experienced it first hand I made it clear it was unacceptable to have visual distortions.

 

I was offered the same as NitroBlueFTW. My now 3.5' long crack will be replaced this weekend it sounds like. Experience was super nice and no out of pocket expenses. Very nice!

Update - So while the insurance company said that it would be replaced this weekend...the person actually doing the install said that Focus RS windshields are on a national backorder without an ETA. She did say that they can only install OEM glass for the Focus RS which is nice...but now I've gotta wait forever.

 

Good to know regarding OEM windshield. I think I'll still call to double check, but in my last 20k of driving, 15k of it has been with an non-OEM windshield and I didn't notice a difference.

Want to get together and 3M our cars once our windshields are fixed?!?! I actually got hit by 2 boulders, so I also have a NASTY rock chip on the hood. Going to try a few pieces off of invisiblemask.com.

 

I got my 3M from the dealer...but I'm always down to point and laugh at fellow "local" car owners and do my best to not screw up their cars.

 

Haha, saw this after I messaged you back. I could do it in my office's garage if you want a good laugh! I'm right off of 25 at Lincoln, 20 miles (and up to an hour) closer than my apartment in Downtown Denver!
@thirdgen89gta I will call and ask to make sure it's OEM. If it's not, I'll get a quote for that, then try to ask them for discounts. Safeflite is normally super cool and throws on a discount code just for the lulz.

OEM glass is $50 more than the aftermarket glass. So went with the OEM. Glad I called and asked. They also had it in stock. Fortunately, while the RS has lots of bells and whistle, it doesn't have annoying ones like heated windshield, or rain sensing wipers.

 

Windshield got replaced this morning. While he said it came out pretty easy, every inch of that windshield had a crack when he was done.

 

This not in response to the last few posts.

Just wanted to say, my housemate has a 2017 Fusion Sport and she needed a windshield. Was a weird scenario, no traffic, going 55-60 mph on a back road, camera running, and smack/crack, windshield got hit by "something". We used Safelite, they came to our house, prepaid, very professional individual and I left him a positive review. Awesome job!

 

My wife's car needs a windshield repair and our insurance directly made the appointment with Safelite to get it replaced. The appointment was made on May 22nd and we went there Friday (June 2nd) morning at 7:30. Just as we arrived one of the young men asked me if I had not gotten his message - apparently they only ordered the windshield on the 31st and had not received it. So he called me at 7:10 to tell me not to come...
Maybe I'm getting old but this looked like very poor planning on their side - I asked why they had not called me the night before and the answer I received was that they only look at things that they need for the current day. We'll see how good of a job they end up doing next week when they should finally replace it.

 

My wife's car needs a windshield repair and our insurance directly made the appointment with Safelite to get it replaced. The appointment was made on May 22nd and we went there Friday (June 2nd) morning at 7:30. Just as we arrived one of the young men asked me if I had not gotten his message - apparently they only ordered the windshield on the 31st and had not received it. So he called me at 7:10 to tell me not to come...
Maybe I'm getting old but this looked like very poor planning on their side - I asked why they had not called me the night before and the answer I received was that they only look at things that they need for the current day. We'll see how good of a job they end up doing next week when they should finally replace it.

That stinks, people are human and can make mistakes, but you are right, that is a poor excuse... Attention to detail goes a long way, and consumers can pick up on being unorganized. It would be a turn off for me too, hopefully the install goes flawlessly.

 

I have a '16 and used Safelite. I wanted the '17 windshield which does not have big, unused black box in front of the mirror. My VIN showed a '16 to them and I had to show them that a '17 would work. Got it installed and am quite happy with the install.

 

If only we could get the heated windshields imported, cause I'd LOVE to have one of those.

 

My insurance dealt with Safelite directly and once the initial order issue (the shop delayed the order from the dealer until the very last moment so it was not there on time for the original appointment time) passed, they did excellent job. This was for a Mazda 3 but I would expect the experience to be very similar for the RS if necessary and I would definitely prefer Safelite to a dealer as these guys only do one thing while a dealer technician might not have experience with every possible scenario.

 

just got a huge crack on the windshield, is safelite still putting the 16 windshields on the 17 by default still ? what Part # should i be on the lookout for. prefer OEM, but not if the OEM has the space for the black box / lower mirror

any help would be apreciated