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Originally Posted by David Fermani Usually if your vehicle is older than 1 year and has more than 15,000 miles, you don't have a choice what kind of glass they choose to use. They reserve the right to use the cheapest one they can locate. You may be left with the only option of paying the difference between OEM and Aftermarket. Could be several $100 bucks.
Can you explain how your windshield serves as the "backing plate to your airbags"? I don't think that a windshield serves any relationship with an airbag restraint system. There isn't any sensors in it and your bags won't blow if your windshield breaks and vise versa. |
Every glass policy I've seen states that it will be replaced with "like kind".
Good source :
http://www.ultrabond.com/safetyreport.pdf.
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The Motor Vehicle Act, Section 1397 (a2a) states "No...dealer...or repair business shall knowingly render inoperative, in whole or in part, any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle."
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If you bring this up to your insurance company I'm sure they will agree to OEM glass. All you need to say is that the glass must meet the FMVSS requirements for safety and must be installed properly.
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Windshield replacements per the Independent Glass Association, National Glass Association, and ABC’s 20/20 and Fox News are known to be done incorrectly 70% of the time
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That's a pretty strong reason to consider a repair over a replacement if at all possible.
Your windshield serves several purposes. If a passenger side airbag deploys, the windshield glass serves as the backing plate for that bag. If there is no windshield there bacause the stress of the impact causes the glass to fail, the bag is useless and won't provide protection to the passenger. A windshield also provides 30-70% of your roof's support in case you wind up rolling over.
Aftermarket glass is made fast and cheap. The faster it can be made the cheaper it is. It lacks the same strength as OEM due to the fact that it is not slow annealed. OEM glass is more expensive because it takes longer to make and is subsequently stronger. The federal government requires that new car glass meet FMVSS stress tests. Car manufacturers use OEM glass, even though it costs more because it is safer and meets these Federal requirements. They don't use aftermarket glass because it doesn't meet these FMVSS requirements.
I doubt that your insurer will argue the issue of OEM glass if you press them about it.