Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 03:18:00 GMT From: ShazWozza <shaz_wozzanospamentspring.com> Subject: Re: Non-OEM windshields?
Johannes wrote: > > I just wonder if there is such a thing as non-OEM glass? Surely Saab don't > make the windscreen glass themselves, they probably source it from a > common supplier, e.g. Pilkington. I wouldn't worry about it provided the > windscreen is the exact specification for the model, which it has to be in > any case. I once had a windscreen fitted from AutoGlass on my 9000 and > there was absolutely no difference. There certainly is such a thing as non-OEM glass. Here in Australia (where we have a lot of windscreen damage due to stone chips and thermal cycling) the largest supplier of after market glass has their own glass source (probably China) and a mobile fitting service. I would imagine that similar companies operate in the US and other places. Their glass is cheaper, but but it doesn't have the same IR shielding. This has nothing to do with tint or a sun shield stripe. Perhaps in the higher latitudes IR shielding is not such an issue, but it sure is here. After parking a car in the sun on a normal summer's day you can get a burn from holding the steering wheel. The ritual is to open the car, start the engine without contacting the leather seats with your body, wind down the windows and run the AC for a few minutes before it is safe to get in and drive.
