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VolvoHeretic
VolvoHeretic GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
11/7/24 8:39 p.m.

My daughter who lives out of town needs a new windshield in her early 2000s Hyundai Santa Fe. I want to order it from my house, show up in her town when it shows up and take it in and have it fixed all in one day. I still need to find out exactly what year the car is.

Anybody have any good or bad stories to share? I would like to not have to research a bunch of glass shops or body shops and hope I don't have an awful experience.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
11/7/24 8:51 p.m.

I used Safelite recently on the Porsche 911. I got a rock chip on the highway while heading to breakfast.

Made the appointment via the website while waiting for my friends to get to the restaurant. It took just a few minutes. 

Appointment day: Dude showed up on time, was friendly and seemed to really care.

I realize that’s just one data point and doesn’t involve a windshield replacement, but I was happy with the experience. 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
11/7/24 8:55 p.m.

I had them install glazing on my 87 4Runner. They had clear, blue tinted, and brown tinted top options. I chose brown because 87 4Runner. They did it in 40 degree weather. Came out fine. I was satisfied.

02Pilot
02Pilot PowerDork
11/7/24 8:59 p.m.

Windshield replacement on my 09 128i last year. Tech came out, communicated clearly what he was going to do, and went about his business. As it turned out, my job was flagged for an audit/observation by a regional manager, so he showed up and helped out. Both friendly, job was done pretty efficiently from what I could see. No issues, other than the fact that the grey tint I requested has a distinct purple cast I'm not crazy about.

dean1484
dean1484 GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/7/24 9:09 p.m.

My insurance agent told me that they have bought out many of the smaller local shops and they are getting lots of complaints about poor work. She recommended I don't use them for my cars. 

Sonic
Sonic UberDork
11/7/24 9:13 p.m.

They have done most of my cars through the years, even the NSX ($2400 piece of OEM glass) and the Escalade (which had to have the modern stuff recalibrated, which their tech did).  Never had a problem.  Its who my insurance company steers me to when I make a glass claim with them, and they probably have a little leverage over them as a supplier if there is an issue later.  

GTwannaB
GTwannaB GRM+ Memberand Dork
11/7/24 9:16 p.m.

I called my insurance and they just sent me to Safelife. All good, done well. Google discount codes they are out there. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter)
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/7/24 9:16 p.m.

Safelite is Allstate's preferred supplier here in southeast michigan. In the last 18 months they replaced windshield in the Saab, the E92, and the Ody. They show up on time, communicate effectively, use good quality glass, and do the job right the first time. No complaints from me.

XLR99 (Forum Supporter)
XLR99 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
11/7/24 9:39 p.m.

My son's car is getting SafeLite'ed tmrw morning. Stay tuned, hopefully will be a good install. They're apparently giving him new wiper blades too FWIW

SV reX
SV reX MegaDork
11/7/24 9:50 p.m.

I've had 3 windshields done by Safelite.  Showed up on time, communicated clearly, did an excellent job, at a fair price.   I have no complaints at all. 
 

That reminds me... it's time for my 4th.

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
11/7/24 9:59 p.m.

In my windshield shopping thread (that I still have never actually had done) I was quick to discover an $80 Safelite discount like this one

$404.98 became $324.98  Add tax and grand total is $389.61 that is with a BS $39.99 recycle fee.

EchoTreeSix
EchoTreeSix New Reader
11/7/24 10:04 p.m.

Had two windshields installed. Polite enough and the job was done fairly well. That being said, the cost premium vs local shops wasn't worth it. Same quality glass. More expensive. I'll be going with a different installer next time. 

VolvoHeretic
VolvoHeretic GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
11/7/24 10:07 p.m.

Thanks everyone, I feel better about doing this. I'm a little car fixing shy after both of my vehicles blew their power steering hoses last February on the same day at -23 F and that I finally got the last fixed just today. The Ford Windstar after a new hose, 3 pumps, and 2 steering racks and the GMC Sierra with just a new hose.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/7/24 10:44 p.m.
GTwannaB said:

I called my insurance and they just sent me to Safelife. All good, done well. Google discount codes they are out there. 

My identical experience. Did the replacement at my office. That part of it went well. I talked to the technician, he was obviously experienced, and even though I told him there was no chance of getting a claim approved, he took the time to try to get my insurance to pay for it. I suspect that might also have been because maybe the insurance jobs pay more.

Zero complaints about the install. Like I said, guy definitely knew what he was doing.

The replacement windshield isn't perfect. It has an opacity that's visible in the mornings when driving east. I can see well enough that it doesn't affect my driving, and I didn't want to deal with another install, so I ignore it.

dj06482 (Forum Supporter)
dj06482 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UberDork
11/8/24 1:37 a.m.

They've probably done around 7 or 8 for me over the last 20 years, some in shop, but mostly mobile. Knock on wood, I've had pretty good experiences with all of them.

OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
11/8/24 6:32 a.m.

Used Safelite for an in-home windshield replacement on my Mazda6 in Sept 2024. The tech had the new glass finished but had a problem removing the robotic arm and then broke the new glass. Had to wait five more days so the urethane could mostly cure to avoid a super messy mess. Fortunately no ticket in between.

Second attempt went as planned. 

DeadSkunk  (Warren)
DeadSkunk (Warren) MegaDork
11/8/24 7:39 a.m.

I ordered a windshield for a Miata from them. Everything happened as expected except the tech had the wrong glass. I ordered a plain one and he showed up with the one with the sun shade across the top. I told him I wasn't paying the extra for the sun shade, so he makes a phone call. I got the plain glass price, plus no disposal fee, plus a discount! The whole thing cost me $189, and since this was my Challenge car I was pretty happy. I've had them replace atleast two other windshields over the years and always had good service.

pinchvalve (Forum Supporter)
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/8/24 8:32 a.m.

Replaced with Safelite once at my office, once at my house, and once at a local shop. (My Saab does not have comprehensive, so I was out of pocket, and that option was cheaper).  The first two were 100% awesome, no issues at all. The shop one had a small hiccup with overbilling, but the customer service team got it straightened out pretty quickly. 

No Time
No Time UberDork
11/8/24 8:37 a.m.

I've had good luck with them on multiple makes and models. 

The only issue was with the Kia Sedona, and that was with the wrong glass being sent that was missing the heater for the wiper area (I think that was the reason).

They reordered the right one, and due to weather I ended up dropping it at their shop. While not as convenient as the parking lot at work, they paid the Uber to get me to work and then back to pick up the van. 

CyberEric
CyberEric SuperDork
11/8/24 9:31 a.m.

I've found that in some areas, they are literally the only option. So I'm glad to hear about the positive experiences.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn MegaDork
11/8/24 9:36 a.m.

What are the insurance regulations where she lives?  In my state there's no deductible and you can demand OEM glass replacement.

VolvoHeretic
VolvoHeretic GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
11/8/24 9:44 a.m.

In reply to stuart in mn :

I have no idea, but it's ND. Just liability coverage and it's a 2005 Hyundai Tuscon I just learned.

67LS1
67LS1 Reader
11/8/24 10:06 a.m.

I've used Safelite multiple times all with zero issues. They really are the class operation in their industry. They did not have a product for my 66 Chevelle so I used another local person and also had no issues.

golfduke
golfduke Dork
11/8/24 11:48 a.m.

My back hatch on my audi blew out due to personal stupidity, and Safelite was the only company that had it readily available.  They did a good job and he even gave me a discount at the end without asking for one, which was nice... I have zero complaints. 

 

rb92673
rb92673 New Reader
11/8/24 12:22 p.m.

I have used them a couple of times.  The last time was for a 2016 4Runner.  A few weeks after the install, we noticed some water leaking into the cabin.  Safelite came out, found the problem, and replaced the windshield without any friction or charge.

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