Hello, looking for some advice. Have a 2019 Jetta SEL (the bells & whistles) with 12k. Last week someone kicked up a split of firewood and now the windshield needs replacing. Because of the gadgets (lane assist, rain sensor, collision, adaptive cruise, etc.) there's a pretty hefty fee for "calibration" after the install. Even the dealer farms the work out to "Safelite", and other places will do the glass but not the cal.... My question is we have two OTD prices: $704 for OEE part vs. $908 for OEM. OEE is "original equipment equivalent"... Can anybody in the know recommend whether the $204 for OEM worth it or just a waste? Thanks!!!
Do you have comprehensive insurance (assuming you likely do since it's a 2019). Windshield should be covered under that, depending on your policy maybe at a reduced or zero deductible coverage. I'd go that route.
I had to replace the windshield in my wife's 2016 Jetta last year. I went with OEE for two reasons. 1. It was ~$200 cheaper & 2. There was less than 5 months left on the lease. I didn't notice any difference compared to the OEM glass it replaced and, more importantly, neither did the dealership when we turned it in.
My experience has been with Toyotas but the aftermarket glass has been decent lately. When they first started making them they were awful. The brackets for the lane keep and adaptive cruise cameras were not quite made to exact size and it caused problems for calibration. Some of the installers left a bit to be desired as well. Depending on the market your car was made for, may mean that the camera needs a heater to keep the glass fog-free. Make sure they get the right glass. If it needs a heater and doesn’t have it, the systems will not work and cause a trouble code. I think the main reason that the aftermarket doesn’t want to mess with calibrations is due to the pre-collision systems. If they get it wrong and it doesn’t work, they may open themselves to liability suits due to not having factory training. All the places near us bring them to us for re-calibration after replacement. It’s a fun job to do with lasers and punching numbers into the computer.
Safelite uses crap glass, and their techs are lazy and there are tons of horror stories of leaks after their installs. Go with a local shop, we have a few in the area who do a fine job, and use either Pilkington or PPG (I think spun-off as PGW now) glass. Both are large OEM suppliers and supply windshields to the bulk of auto mfgs.
