Guest Richard D Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I got tired of looking at the small crack to the left of the wiped section drivers side so yesterday I stopped bt my State Farm agent. It was amazing, I expected things like, it is not in the wiped section of the glass so it is not covered, we are sorry but a new windshield is worth more than 75% of the car or something like that. Just the opposite, the agent looked at it, said what a neat car and called Safelite and set up the appointment for today. The technician arrived on time and installed the new windshield in about an hour. I noticed that the new one had a Pilkington sticker on it and when I got the receipt it shows the list price as $908.45, selling price $1,545.84, labor $100.00, kit $20.00, tax $116.61, total $1,782.45. Holy $hit I paid $1,800.00 for the car plus about $900.00 for body work and a paint job. How can a company sell windshield for so much money? $650 over list price? What does that mean? And I wonder why insurance is so expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 The topic of windshields have been touched on in the forum a number of times. The reason the windshields sell for so much money, is the fact that there are so few left. Once the current supply is used up, there are no more. For whatever the reason, repro windshields are not made for the Reatta. It appears doubtful that they ever will. Perhaps it's because of the encapsulated weatherstrip. As an aside, I have owned for almost 30 years a 1956 Continental Mark II. Only slightly more than 3000 were built between 1956 and 1957. If I need one, I can easily get a windshield for it and not pay the kind of price it costs for a Reatta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booreatta Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I would think that you are lucky that you ins company covered the cost, I have heard that some companys want to decline to repair or simply total the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 The agent is everything. BTW in Florida there is a law that mandates no deductable for Windshields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Suttleone Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I hope I don't break mine, the original "Okay To Ship" sticker is still on the upper left corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard D Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I would think that you are lucky that you ins company covered the cost, I have heard that some companys want to decline to repair or simply total the carI am extremely pleased with State Farm and my agent who instantly made the call to Safelite and had it installed the next day and never attemped to fudge their way out of the claim. The last time I made claim was after Hurricane Andrew and they had set up several mobile office's (motorhomes) to handle all the claims. I had to find a body shop in FT. Lauderdale that had power and was accepting work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Some years ago, the list price on a replacement windshield for my '61 Invicta convertible was over $1900...sigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 1988 Triple Blue no sunroof found in U-Pull & Pay Orlando, damage to rear but taillight intact (chrome lettering missing) and passenger fender torn. All glass appears intact. 16 way seats but both torn. Teves there but resovoir cap missing. Black/silver steering wheel center (902484). Just too hot to spend much time in sun & took almost a hour to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillOutThere Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 There are multiple sources of collector car glass. Many old windshields that were "obsolete" have been reproduced. I just put a new reproduction w590 in my '60 Chrysler. Those went obso prior to 1970.! Got it from Vic Phillips Classic Auto Glass in Poplar Bluff, MO. Vic has something like 60,000 pieces of original NOS glass in his warehouse! And, he is a good guy! Home I didn't pay anywhere NEAR the money you are talking in your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawja Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Mike of Reattadudes fame says that the windshields are still being made, just in really small, expensive lots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard D Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Mike of Reattadudes fame says that the windshields are still being made, just in really small, expensive lots.I think you are correct, the rubber gasket that is bonded around the Reatta windshield looked brand new and the white Pilkington sticker was shiny white, had not yellowed. I also noticed that he had to drill holes in the bottom corners of the rubber surround (gasket) It also had the rearview mirror mount glued in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSource Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Ok here is the scoop. Thoughgt I would chime in. We probably sold more new Reatta windshields when we owned Lo-Can Glass than almost anyone, aside from Log/ Pilkington Classics Glass. The reason they are so expensive is the tooling costs/ low production numbers and the fact that they can charge what they decide they need for a return on investment.To have these windshields run off in a production of 100 units and pay for the encapsulatiion is something in the vicinity of $40,000 which prevents anyone from manufacturing this besides the OEM manufacturer.If it was worthwhile Fuyao Glass (FYG) of China would reproduce it. They are the leading aftermarket manufacturer, now OEM on several vehicles. Every major glass wholesaler carries their product. They are as good as anyone out there.The Lincoln MK II windshields are made by AGP (Peru). They are far from the best but quite reasonable. AGP could probably make the Reatta windshields because they make encapsulated windshields for some newer vehicles but the initial tooling costs will prevent that from happening.We know where there are some new Reatta windshields in Europe which we are trying to bring over with other glass. If we make the deal, I will post here. We should be able to sell for less than the current LOF/Pilkinton price. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greg Ross Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I brought Betsy Blue out here to "gravel country"(Alberta) this Spring. The reference to "gravel" is what they use on the roads in lieu of salt in the Winter, well, maybe not quite gravel but certainly not "Sand"It's what you'd call aggregate chips, perfectly sized to be picked up in the tire treads and flung, consequently I think you'd have to go to third World countries to see more cracked/ fractured windshields on the Road. Glass insurance is cost prohibitive and the constabulary do not issue tickets for cracked windshields? I believe most anywhere else the windshield is considered a structural element in a uni-body car.So, prior to leaving the East Coast on the cross country road trip I checked in with my Insurance Agent at home (I had a small fracture started by a stone hitting the very edge/ encapsulation, it extended out beyond the black band by say 2") I was intending to just have the info recorded and have it replace in the future when the crack extended into the wiper area-that's the normal measure. But the Agent said to get the Windshield replaced.After arrival in Calgary it took several attempts to get a Glass Company to go to the trouble to source and price the replacement. This even after I provided Prosources' contact info. Eventually got it quoted and approved, $1800. and change Canadian I was told.In the meantime I had to have what's called the "Out of Province Vehicle Inspection" performed. It's Alberta law that any vehicle brought in from another jurisdiction, even as-new are required to have this 200 point saferty inspection/ cost, approximately $175.00. Basically a "make-work" scheme for the garages that are licensed to perform it. As I recall the only things recorded beyond columns of "yes/ no" check marks was actual measurments of the rotor thickness and thickness of brake linings. Strikes you as totally unreasonable that they subject anyone new to the province with this requirement while you see Alberta residents driving around in Junk with rusted out fenders flopping/ mufflers dragging and running on bald tires.To get mine thru that inspection I had the windshield repaired-technically not permitted but they will do it. There's a repair process for surface chips that via vaccuum process, draws super glue thru any small star cluster cracks and generally stops them from spreading. In my case they repeated that sequentially along the length of the crack. Also drilled the crack in several places as well as drilling just beyond the end of the crack to stop it's progerss. Filled with the adhesive process it's almost impossible to see and has progressed no further. A winter would tell the real tale, defroster heat on a cold windshield is what usually finishes them off in this climate.So, the long and short, I have a new winshield sitting here in stock for when I'm ready to head back east. In the meantime In the meantime I'll just have to take my lumps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard D Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Anybody know or care to guess how many Reattae are on the road in 2009? I would guess at least 5,000 out of the approxamite 19,000 built, yes? If 5 percent of 5,000 windshields need replacement that is 250 and seems like a wothwhile number to justify making replacements. Of course I am doing a best guess on my numbers so I may be completely wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ekvh Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Hey Greg, I drive mine in Manitoba and run into the same "sand" problems. In Minnesota, I have two glass chips in 30 years of driving there. In Manitoba, I have three chips in my Reatta, at least in just the past year. I also had one take out the windshield of my Goldwing. The roads here are terrible! I have designs on moving here but I faint at the amount of work that is legislated to owners of just about everything. I have observed the mark up and price gouging through the province run insurance and it is rife with abuse.I cannot continue to justify driving mine here when I get my windshield fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 evkh - Try insuring 5 old cars, a truck, and 3 trailers with MPI...it isn't pretty. Actually, the biggest problem isn't insuring the cars...it's trying to agree if a claim is made.If you do move here, let me know - I'm looking at putting together a BCA chapter. If you are just hanging out, let me know...I could show you some of the collection. Last name is Thille and I'm in the phone book in Winnipeg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kitskaboodle Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Personally, I think the best way out is to keep on checking those junkyards for good/used windshields. Car-parts.com can help you locate one hopefully somewhere in your vicinity.I, unfortunately had to drive quite far due to no Reatta windshields being available in my area. (Silicon Valley) I ended up spending $130 in gas on a $100 windshield driving almost to Mexico. (Chula Vista, just past San Diego) About 9 hours one way......... Then another $150 to install it when I got home. So, $380 and a day's worth of driving for a used windshield is still better than $1500 for a new one!Kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSource Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Now I know why we sell so much glass in western canada. we deal daily with the wholesale operations of the Speedy/ standard/ Novus/Apple Glass chains.I will keep all posted if I can get the windshields in here safely maybe in Sept or Oct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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