Windshield replacement - Safelite -- aftermarket vs OEM glass?

[rkalbiar]

Yeah, normally I would say OEM fo sho... But this glass sucks, I would definitely give aftermarket a go!

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[DayTripping]

FYI, I had safelite replace my windshield and noticed excessive wind noise afterwards. I am at the rivian service center in montreal today to have the calibration done and they informed me that it appears safelite installed the windshield crooked with a larger gap on one side leading to the wind noise i have been experiencing. So if you will need to do calibration at a service center anyway, it may be better to just have rivian do it. I know that is the route i will be going in the future.

I don't think Safelite could do worse than how mine came from the factory... As I mentioned in a wind noise thread I started, Rivian even made Tesla look amazing in terms of glass installation (windshield, pano roof, etc.).

Maybe the local SC would do better than the factory. I have actually contemplated having someone take out the glass and reset it properly, at least for the windshield. I've spent many hours over several days chasing the wind noise in my truck so I absolutely feel your pain.

 

[doit82]

I don't think Safelite could do worse than how mine came from the factory... As I mentioned in a wind noise thread I started, Rivian even made Tesla look amazing in terms of glass installation (windshield, pano roof, etc.).

Maybe the local SC would do better than the factory. I have actually contemplated having someone take out the glass and reset it properly, at least for the windshield. I've spent many hours over several days chasing the wind noise in my truck so I absolutely feel your pain.

Yeah, my plan is to bring it back to safelite and hope they will make it right. The rivian service center tech had me take pictures of what it should look like on one of the showroom vehicles so I can show that to safelite. The annoying thing is I will have to come back for another calibration after if safelite does re-install.

 

[DayTripping]

Yeah, my plan is to bring it back to safelite and hope they will make it right. The rivian service center tech had me take pictures of what it should look like on one of the showroom vehicles so I can show that to safelite. The annoying thing is I will have to come back for another calibration after if safelite does re-install.

Good luck with that. If you take those pictures, can you share them via DM? I am trying to see what Rivian considers good enough to ship out now. Mine truly is horrendous on both the windshield and pano roof. On the roof I have a gap so narrow on one side a knife blade would barely fit and on the other it is probably 8mm (.3") or so. I didn't measure but just a guesstimate. At least that one is pretty consistent gap whereas the windshield almost looks like they were trying to fit a trapezoid.

 

[RivertheRiv]

Update: Safelite replaced the glass. Took the tech about 2+hrs. He had only done one Rivian prior, but took his time to make sure he didn't snap any clips.

Impressions after 1 day: The wind noise is noticeably quieter now with the new glass and visibility is great too. I haven't had it calibrated at the SC yet, but used ADAS on a 7hr roadtrip and is working normally.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Update: Safelite replaced the glass. Took the tech about 2+hrs. He had only done one Rivian prior, but took his time to make sure he didn't snap any clips.

Impressions after 1 day: The wind noise is noticeably quieter now with the new glass and visibility is great too. I haven't had it calibrated at the SC yet, but used ADAS on a 7hr roadtrip and is working normally.

Are there any logos on the glass?

 

[RivertheRiv]

Are there any logos on the glass?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Bingo. Exactly as I suspected.

 

[mudito]

Bingo. Exactly as I suspected.

pardon my ignorance... This is NOT OEM, right?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

pardon my ignorance... This is NOT OEM, right?

Fuyao is OEM supplier. Factory glass is made by Fuyao bearing Rivian and Fuyao logos. This is OEE glass, by Fuyao, sold through Safelite at lower retail price.

Look at your windshield, passenger side lower corner. Same logo.

 

[SANZC02]

Update: Safelite replaced the glass. Took the tech about 2+hrs. He had only done one Rivian prior, but took his time to make sure he didn't snap any clips.

Impressions after 1 day: The wind noise is noticeably quieter now with the new glass and visibility is great too. I haven't had it calibrated at the SC yet, but used ADAS on a 7hr roadtrip and is working normally.

Can you share the cost of the replacement?

I’d be curious if you can provide an update for durability after a few months.

My OEM is holding up pretty well, after 36k miles. I have had a couple of cringe worthy hits on the freeway, no cracks but I do seem to get more pits on this windshield than on other vehicles. Really interested in knowing if this replacement seems more resilient to pitting.

 

[mudito]

Fuyao is OE supplier. Factory glass is made by Fuyao bearing Rivian and Fuyao logos. This is OEE glass, by Fuyao, sold through Safelite at lower cost.

hopefully is stronger than the one with Rivian logos
If that's the case, I might be willing to pay for a replacement even if I don't needed... Mine scratched WITH ICE (maybe some road dust as well) during my last trip to colorado

That was a first to me.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

hopefully is stronger than the one with Rivian logos
If that's the case, I might be willing to pay for a replacement even if I don't needed... Mine scratched WITH ICE (maybe some road dust as well) during my last trip to colorado

That was a first to me.

People assume it's stronger. But there is zero evidence to support assumption. Coming from same manufacturer and likely same exact factory in Ohio, I very much doubt it's stronger. It may very well be exactly the same, sans one logo and different profit margins.

 

[mudito]

People assume it's stronger. But there is zero evidence to support assumption. Coming from same manufacturer and likely same exact factory in Ohio, I very much doubt it's stronger. It may very well be exactly the same, sans one logo and different profit margins.

That would be my guess (that it's the same glass).

 

[doit82]

Good luck with that. If you take those pictures, can you share them via DM? I am trying to see what Rivian considers good enough to ship out now. Mine truly is horrendous on both the windshield and pano roof. On the roof I have a gap so narrow on one side a knife blade would barely fit and on the other it is probably 8mm (.3") or so. I didn't measure but just a guesstimate. At least that one is pretty consistent gap whereas the windshield almost looks like they were trying to fit a trapezoid.

So safelite came today to redo the windshield. The tech said a gap between the seal and the outer edge of the frame on either side (not the top) was likely causing excessive wind noise. He took off the windshield and redid the sealing free of charge. My auto wipers were also not working since the replacement and he said there was some trapped air in there that he would fix as well. Seems like maybe the quality for safelite is very tech dependent. Will update after driving a bit to see if the wind noise is noticeably better.

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