I have a 2024 Kia EV9 and 2024 MB EQB300 that both have a cracked windshield due to rock chips expanding with this winter freeze.
Does anyone know if I need to use OEM glass or will whatever safelite uses be good enough to not be dinged during lease return?
How bad? If not,
Pay the lease fee, unless you like paying more in cash or taking an insurance hit.
Safelite can install OEM glass. They just have to get your insurance company to agree. Any premium carrier will happily approve. If it’s one of the mass market carriers, they will likely pushback on OEM glass.
You should also be able to pay the difference as well between the knockoff and OEM.
Another tactic is that your windshield may actually require OEM glass for driver’s aids, etc. and your insurer may reconsider the denial if that is the case and if informed of this due to liability and warranty purposes.
Easy way to avoid this: have the glass covered under comprehensive or on a cheap rider with a small deductible, and/or have an OEM parts rider.
We went OEM through Safelite and insurance on our Volvo. I was concerned about issues with cameras and sensors on an aftermarket windshield. Insurance was GEICO and they covered it without any pushback.
If the car is reasonably new, they generally won’t fight you.
I doubt they’ll require OEM vs OEE. I’ve got rock chips in both my Lyriq and EQE350 that’ll require full replacements soon and I have no intention to go OEM. I also would ditch Safelite unless you’re filing an insurance claim — they’re terribly expensive.
I’m paying out of pocket since my deductible is $1k but truthfully I wouldn’t file a claim either way since I don’t need to give Geico a reason to rate hike me.
On my lease return process, I don’t think they check if glass is OEM or not. However, DailyDriven said is right, certain driver’s aids, HUD needs OEM glass to function well.
Back in 2021 my etron needed a new windshield, made a claim with Geico via Safelite and they installed oem glass with no out of pocket cost. Car was under a year old. I know for collision this is a requirement and oem part must be used if car is under 12 months old. Over a year they can go aftermarket.
There’s three levels of windshield replacement
OEM - identical from delivery
OEE - identical from delivery but no manufacturer logo (PPG or Pilkington logo for example) and cheaper than OEM
Aftermarket - lower quality
if you replace, either of the top two are fine with the manufacturer as long as the specs are the same. I guess maybe if you find a lazy inspector, aftermarket will pass but at least in trade ins you get dinged for aftermarket glass
I’m getting the sense from this forum that it’s easier and cheaper to just pay the damage fees to the manufacturer than going through the trouble and cost of fixing things in general. Plus say you get it fixed there’s always a chance in the week or so in between it gets damaged again before grounding it.
This happened to me on my Cayenne GTS.
At first, Geico said no OEM glass.
Turns out there is no aftermarket glass for a car with HUD and ACC, and on top of that I had the Thermally and Noise Insulated Glass, so I was essentially needing a thicker, UV insulated glass that was also HUD and ACC compatible. They approved OEM glass.
Geico was always good to me. I’d take them over Progressive 100/100 times. Went to NJM who was solid too. Recently switched to Cincinnati. You pay for them, but they don’t flinch at any claim and even insisted on OEM glass for me most recently. Pros and cons to every one of them!
Most lease returns don’t require OEM glass as long as the windshield fits correctly, has the right tint and sensor cutouts, and there are no leaks or defects. Safelite OEE is usually fine, just make sure any cameras or sensors are handled properly and keep the invoice for return.
When is your lease return date for EQE?
I have the same problem with my GLC.
I would love to hear back from you how that will end up.
GLC350e crack.
I was told by Safelite that after the windshield replacement the camera needs to be recalibrated at the dealership service.
Is this necessary?
Had the same situation but a different car, and it was with Progressive. I dropped it off at the Porsche dealer and they said they’d handle it. Insurance advised that I’d have to pay the difference out of pocket as I was demanding OEM. I received OEM glass straight from overseas and didn’t pay extra.