donbrew

In Virginia the only legal spot on the windshield to place the State Inspection sticker is right above the light dome. It catches "ambient" light, not direct light. So don't agonize over that point.

Anyway, the photo you posted clearly shows an installation error. The glass is supposed to have an even reveal all around, your pic shows a definite slippage on one side, not even talking about the sloppy job with the butyl.

What would you expect a competitor to say about a different brand? The one I sell is the best quality on the planet, and all others are second rate.

I think that They should R&R the windshield. And in the future you should go to a glass shop for tires.

All windshields have to pass the same safety equipment testing in order to get the DOT label, making them "functionally" equivalent.

I keep seeing more in this post. If the insurance company paid for the job you have no legal standing.

whopper

Good luck with that. Ok, they screwed up - you now need to give them a chance to rectify that.

Mount and balance 4 new tires? Not at all reasonable in my opinion - demanding that will definitely not make them happy to work with you to resolve what is actually a pretty easy situation to resolve.

bman4775

Whopper can you resize the second batch of photos that I added... you will see that there is gouging of the paint that needs to be repaired.

They were careless, rude, and cover up artists... no I'm not going simply roll over and let them install the PGW windshield without any punishment and reimbursement for the headache. I hope there are others agree with me.

The glass is flush at top center and equally off at the top corners. The Chevy dealer and 2 glass shops all stated it is cheap quality glass from XYG (not due to slippage).

whopper

Your pics are already 600x480 - the max size is 640x480 - so you are already at the max size without distorting the pictures.

re: "punishing" them - remember 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar' - most reputable shops will work with you when approached with the right attitude. Walking in with attitude will likely get you nowhere, unless you then expect to retain a lawyer.

re: " I think I will email the Belle Tire representative a link to this forum thread." - please leave us out of it.

843de

The paint is not only gouged, but look closely at the second image in post #10, they did some sheet metal damage too. The roof is distorted and buckled a touch.

Snoopy

After reading all that transpired, I can't help but wonder why the car was taken to Belle Tire for a windshield replacement. Do they normally do this type of work? Was it suggested by your Insurer? Was it your idea?

Honestly, the quality and workmanship of the windshield install appears to be the effort of a "tire jockey", not an experienced glass replacement professional.

Good luck with your efforts.

bman4775

Thank you to whoever resized the photos. It was actually my Chevy dealer that told me to take it to Belle Tire. The dealer doesn’t do windshield replacement.

I surely like to carry a positive attitude when working with others for services, but it’s hard to maintain positive after you’ve been screwed over. I tried to resolve the issue with store management when I picked up the car and was only bombarded with deceit and statements from multiple staff members like “what does it matter who makes the glass?" It was the store assistant manager that came up with the story about “XYG” being the logo for that solar tint and flashed a PGW shipping order in front me saying it was PGW windshield as specified.

I just believe that if there are no consequences for such business practices, then they are just going to continue status quo. At the very least I expect them to pay to have the damage repaired and either reimburse for the cheap XYG windshield or install the PGW made windshield like they were suppose to do. And if I was managing customer affairs at Belle Tire I would also throw in a couple tires or something to apologize and appease the customer for such an episode.

The purpose for posting this thread was to help me through this ordeal and to inform others, not to portray Belle Tire in a negative manner. This was my first time as a customer with Belle Tire. I assume most of the services they provide are good.

donbrew

I just don't understand why your big problem is with the brand of glass. If somebody dented and scratched and smeared my car while installing a gold plated windshield that would be my problem.

I lost track, did you specify in your work order from the installer a brand of glass? If you have a piece of paper that you signed stating a brand other than what was installed, that would make a difference.

But then, if an insurance company was billed for it, that is their problem not yours. Insurance companies usually specify "Like Kind & Quality". in other words if has a DOT label on it it is good enough. Different story if you walked in and paid out of your pocket.

I am definitely not defending anybody here, just trying to explain why you are getting the "So what" responses.

bman4775

Obviously I’m not happy with the damage done by the poor installation but it’s not the purpose of this thread to rant and rave about that. Yes, the agreement Belle Tire made with me was to install PPG glass, and I confirmed that with the store the day before install. I paid $100 of the cost. If the insurance company told them to install the cheap XYG glass, then they should have brought it to my attention. I don’t think that’s the case, because the message left by the Belle Tire representative a week later stated that they indeed installed the wrong glass.

If you are comfortable putting the cheapest glass in your car then that’s fine, I am not. You would think otherwise if you saw it in person. It would not fit good in any HHR with the most experience installer doing the work, and the glass also has ugly jagged edges. It is simply poorly manufactured. Industry regulation/ certification does not mean equal quality. The tire industry has plenty quality control as well, and we are all aware of the defects and recalls that come about there.

If I was to install additional glass for the HHR, I would go with one of the following manufacturers: Crinamex (original glass manufacturer for HHR), PGW, and possibly Pilkington. Haven’t seen Pilkington glass in an HHR yet but it was recommended by multiple glass shops. Be aware that PGW (possibly the others manufactures as well) also supply glass shops with cheaper glass such as XYG (glass manufactured by PGW has the PGW logo).

843de

Correct reinstallation would be my main concern, along with properly repairing the paint and sheet metal damage to prevent future corrosion issues.

Because the windshield becomes a structural component when bonded in, screwing the job up compromises the integrity of the bodyshell in the event of a collision.