TheMAN
08-04-2010, 07:48 PM
I've been meaning to post this for a while but got lazy...
I had my windshield replaced a few months ago, but like usual, the insurance company low balled and wanted me to buy some crappy $30 chinese windshield. No thanks!
Ideally, I wanted to get an OEM glass but seeing as how much I had to pay out of my own pocket to do this, this was unfeasible. So I had to figure out another way of getting a QUALITY aftermarket glass.
I knew Saint-Gobain Sekurit is the maker of the original glass, and I saw on their European website that they sell aftermarket replacement glass (ARG). Knowing this, I had to figure out how to get one here in North America. I finally found the US subsidiary Saint-Gobain Autover USA, which handles automotive ARG sales. I called them and determined that an ARG for the Mazda3 was available and got the NAGS part numbers:
FW2464 GTY... 04-09 windshield w/rain sensor
FW2461 GTY... 04-09 windshield w/o rain sensor
the "GTY" is actually the glass colour, this is particularly important when you want to have the exact same colour tint as the original glass and have it match the rest of the windows in your car. This also means that it is exactly the same as the original... no stupid blue visor band on the top! I hate those!
Once I knew a "Sekurit" ARG was available, I called around major glass companies in my area and told them exactly what I wanted. I told them also I wasn't in a hurry because my windshield wasn't in pieces. A lot of them have never heard of this brand before, despite the fact that Saint-Gobain is the 2nd largest glazing company in the world (After Nippon Sheet Glass/Pilkington Group)! It was obvious that they preferred to deal with cheap glass or the popular American brands such as PPG, Carlex, etc. Finally after what seemed like a dozen phone calls I gave up, and told my body shop the info and have them call their glass guys to figure this out. This was fine since I didn't need to drive the car anyway as I was leaving town for a few weeks.
After I got back, I checked on the body shop and to my dismay they weren't able to get it. So I said fine, just get me a Pilkington glass so I could get my car back. Finally, a couple of days later, the body shop called me and told me that the glass dude showed up with the exact glass I originally wanted! :headbang I stopped by to look and it looked EXACTLY like my original glass! It even came with a new moulding! All of this for more than 2/3 less than the OEM glass!
The optics are perfect, the colour exactly the same as the original, the frit looked just like the original, and the little VIN window was in the right spot unlike other ARG Mazda3 windshields I've seen. The only downside? The markings on the driver's side corner isn't the same because it comes from Saint-Gobain's factory in Colombia (yes, of all places) instead of the Central Glass factory in Japan. Is this a big deal? Not really. If I were to sell the car now, people won't be able to tell it's an aftermarket glass because the branding matches the rest of the windows on the car, which I feel better about.
Is the quality exactly the same as the original glass? I can't really say because ARGs are typically made to a lower standard than OEM glass... that's why they're so much cheaper! The ARG also doesn't have certification markings for Japan, Europe, and China, which also brings costs down. But knowing that Saint-Gobain is a reputable "Grade A" glass company in the world, I trust their products. Nothing wrong with the big American brands, but I like to get something that "matches" my car.
This whitepaper states that ARG are not the same as OEM: http://www.ultrabond.com/whywindshields.pdf
It also says most windshield replacements are unnecessary. Unfortunately, my original windshield had cracks more than 12" long :(
So, comparison pics...
ORIGINAL (not my car):
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_XtiJCLQ560k/TFn75vmVGyI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/arDy8N91YrA/s800/sekuritoem.jpg
AFTERMARKET:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XtiJCLQ560k/TFn75-HJsoI/AAAAAAAAAOU/w7BelSE4e0w/s800/sekuritarg.jpg
interesting trivia:
according to the DOT numbers printed on the windows, they are made in Thailand. That's right... all the windows, but the windshield are made in Thailand! Only the original windshield was made in Japan by Central Glass (under joint venture with Saint-Gobain Sekurit)
I had my windshield replaced a few months ago, but like usual, the insurance company low balled and wanted me to buy some crappy $30 chinese windshield. No thanks!
Ideally, I wanted to get an OEM glass but seeing as how much I had to pay out of my own pocket to do this, this was unfeasible. So I had to figure out another way of getting a QUALITY aftermarket glass.
I knew Saint-Gobain Sekurit is the maker of the original glass, and I saw on their European website that they sell aftermarket replacement glass (ARG). Knowing this, I had to figure out how to get one here in North America. I finally found the US subsidiary Saint-Gobain Autover USA, which handles automotive ARG sales. I called them and determined that an ARG for the Mazda3 was available and got the NAGS part numbers:
FW2464 GTY... 04-09 windshield w/rain sensor
FW2461 GTY... 04-09 windshield w/o rain sensor
the "GTY" is actually the glass colour, this is particularly important when you want to have the exact same colour tint as the original glass and have it match the rest of the windows in your car. This also means that it is exactly the same as the original... no stupid blue visor band on the top! I hate those!
Once I knew a "Sekurit" ARG was available, I called around major glass companies in my area and told them exactly what I wanted. I told them also I wasn't in a hurry because my windshield wasn't in pieces. A lot of them have never heard of this brand before, despite the fact that Saint-Gobain is the 2nd largest glazing company in the world (After Nippon Sheet Glass/Pilkington Group)! It was obvious that they preferred to deal with cheap glass or the popular American brands such as PPG, Carlex, etc. Finally after what seemed like a dozen phone calls I gave up, and told my body shop the info and have them call their glass guys to figure this out. This was fine since I didn't need to drive the car anyway as I was leaving town for a few weeks.
After I got back, I checked on the body shop and to my dismay they weren't able to get it. So I said fine, just get me a Pilkington glass so I could get my car back. Finally, a couple of days later, the body shop called me and told me that the glass dude showed up with the exact glass I originally wanted! :headbang I stopped by to look and it looked EXACTLY like my original glass! It even came with a new moulding! All of this for more than 2/3 less than the OEM glass!
The optics are perfect, the colour exactly the same as the original, the frit looked just like the original, and the little VIN window was in the right spot unlike other ARG Mazda3 windshields I've seen. The only downside? The markings on the driver's side corner isn't the same because it comes from Saint-Gobain's factory in Colombia (yes, of all places) instead of the Central Glass factory in Japan. Is this a big deal? Not really. If I were to sell the car now, people won't be able to tell it's an aftermarket glass because the branding matches the rest of the windows on the car, which I feel better about.
Is the quality exactly the same as the original glass? I can't really say because ARGs are typically made to a lower standard than OEM glass... that's why they're so much cheaper! The ARG also doesn't have certification markings for Japan, Europe, and China, which also brings costs down. But knowing that Saint-Gobain is a reputable "Grade A" glass company in the world, I trust their products. Nothing wrong with the big American brands, but I like to get something that "matches" my car.
This whitepaper states that ARG are not the same as OEM: http://www.ultrabond.com/whywindshields.pdf
It also says most windshield replacements are unnecessary. Unfortunately, my original windshield had cracks more than 12" long :(
So, comparison pics...
ORIGINAL (not my car):
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_XtiJCLQ560k/TFn75vmVGyI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/arDy8N91YrA/s800/sekuritoem.jpg
AFTERMARKET:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XtiJCLQ560k/TFn75-HJsoI/AAAAAAAAAOU/w7BelSE4e0w/s800/sekuritarg.jpg
interesting trivia:
according to the DOT numbers printed on the windows, they are made in Thailand. That's right... all the windows, but the windshield are made in Thailand! Only the original windshield was made in Japan by Central Glass (under joint venture with Saint-Gobain Sekurit)