You may have to spend some money to purchase aftermarket glass, but it could be worth it in the long run as it will cost less than OEM glass. The new windshield will make your vehicle safer and give you peace of mind, as well as potentially save you from expensive repairs in the future.
Aftermarket windshields are more affordable than OEM car glass
. They are also easy to find and access, as aftermarket car glass is available almost anywhere, including local stores in your area.Yes, aftermarket windshields can be just as good as OEM ones. There are expert glass manufacturers and manufacturers who produce windshields with the same quality as the OEM windshields that come with the vehicle. In fact, there is a possibility that some glass manufacturers in your area are OEM suppliers of certain vehicle brands. They could be a factory car glass supplier for their car brand, but they market their products under their own brand with their own logo.
In this case, your products are called OEE or original equipment equivalents. Since the quality of original car glass is equivalent to that of original glass, the integrity of the windshield after replacement is not at risk. The new car glass will be reliable and satisfactory, and will offer optimal safety standards for your car. The car glass company manufactures windshields and windows according to the car manufacturer's strict specifications.
Aftermarket glasses are manufactured by auto glass companies that don't necessarily have contracts with specific car manufacturers. However, some suppliers offer more durable, high-quality car glass options that are better than the original windshields. OEM auto glass may or may not be made by the same company that installed the original windshield on your car. These post-installation problems can be avoided by using OEM automotive glass, while a poor-quality windshield repair will only consume more time and money, causing you a lot of frustration.
That's why, unlike original car glass, aftermarket models are reverse-engineering products: manufacturers need to do some research before determining the right measurements to make the glass fit the car. While safety regulations for glass manufacturing are regulated by the government, making it impossible to buy a replacement windshield that isn't “safe”, it's the way OEE windshields are manufactured that can make getting replacement glass that shares the same specifications as the panel being replaced a bit risky. If you plan to sell your car in the future, it is ideal to replace the damaged windshield using only OEM glass. However, there are also times when automotive aftermarket glass isn't as good as OEM windshields, especially if you buy them from manufacturers that use substandard materials for their products.
Windshield glass manufacturers will produce more replacement glass to meet demand and, although they are not produced in the same batch as the original windshields, the windshields produced in subsequent runs are practically the same since the OEM can take advantage of saved production data to exactly reproduce the original product. You can avoid post-installation problems caused by poorly adjusted car windows and take advantage of all of the aforementioned benefits with an OEM windshield replacement. If you have a damaged windshield that needs to be replaced, an OEM car glass should be your first choice. Remember that automotive glass on the aftermarket is not and can never be 100% similar to original or OEM windshields.
If my friend's broken windshield is replaced with original glass, then the new glass can match the color, durability, tint, thickness and fit of the panel being replaced.