[Guaji]

Well, today wasn't my lucky day. I had an 8:30 appt. this morning to drive the car 70 miles to a vender that installs ExoShield, a windshield protection film. Unfortunately on the highway something hit and cracked the glass. I called the installer and canceled the appointment, and went straight to the Porsche dealer that is about a mile from where I am keeping my car this summer. They have a guy that comes in Fridays to repair cracks, but I am 99% certain that I will be replacing it. Normally, since my car is registered in Florida where I live ( cracked happened in Pennsylvania) the insurance covers the cost of the replacement. The service rep. quoted me a price of $953.47 for the windscreen, Primer is $190.09, Wire is $43.68 and the big expense is 6.8 hours of labor at $1190. Total cost will be $2377.24 plus 6% tax.

My insurance Progressive balked at the labor cost. They said it should be 4.8 hours of labor at approximately $65 hour. So, I will likely have to pay about $900 myself. I think the insurance company would prefer that I replace it at an after market shop like Safelite ( can't remember the name ), but I want OEM and installed by certified Porsche techs. The dealer told me that the techs that install the glass go to Atlanta for training at the North American headquaters. And I was told that the windscreen would have to be ordered directly from the factory, so I am waiting for an Eta from the service rep. It seems like it may very well take many weeks to have it shipped from Germany. I am not sure if my GTS windscreen is different from the other 718 models. Here are some photos....cracks are next to the drivers side ( left ) A pillar.

 

[porkey]

Sorry to hear about your windshield. You did the right thing by keeping it all OEM. A couple years back, I reluctantly agreed to have my windshield replaced non OEM as my insurance would not pay 100% for OEM. They assured me not to worry. That
their glass was "identical", fit, finish etc. Yeah, right. Believe it or not, this well known chain in New England attempted it 3 times! Fit was so poor. Edges raised above roofline that you could nearly cut your fingers. 1/8 of an inch in spots! My insurance broker fought tooth and nails for me. Eventually the insurance company agreed to OEM. I'm unfamiliar with the product you described. Do you think it would have prevented such cracks? What part of wonderful PA did this occur? I was born in Philly. Undergrad at Pitt. Moved to Baltimore for Grad/Postgrad (15 years) before heading to Maine...Good luck with the repair. Sounds like you're in good hands.

 

[Viffermike]

Lord that sucks, @Guaji -- weird, weird karma on this particular episode ...

... which means I'm confident something'll happen to even the karma out.

Let us know how this gets resolved. The windshield of even the base 718 has at least one embedded antenna and design accommodations for the wipers' rain sensor and the auto-high-beam feature (if equipped), among a few other things. That's likely why it, and the installation, is so expensive -- it's essentially a piece of electronics hardware.

 

[hkginlax]

I was going to ask about the same topic, since I have the worst luck with chipped windshield. All of my cars (from SUV to sport coupe) had chipped windshield. I live in the greater LA area. Most of the freeways are not very clean. I kept all my cars for about 10 years, and I changed windshield at least once; some of them twice on each car.

Is the Cayman windshield relatively ease to chip or crack, since it is so low? Anyone one in the SoCal area seen bigger issue?

 

[Guaji]

The service advisor mentioned that the cost would have been more, but I only have rain sensing wipers. I have noticed previously that the glass had some very small chips and dings that are not easy to see. I clean my car thoroughly about once a week, so I am familiar with any imperfections that occur from road debris.

ExoShield by Alchemy is a Canadian company. I plan to install it eventually. It is supposed to be 6 times stronger than unprotected glass. Who knows if it would have prevented this. Next time I'll take backroads instead of the highway. Up here in PA I notice a lot of debris being kicked up by the tires compared to FL.
@porkey , I have the car in Newtown Square, PA. I took the car to Porsche of Mainline. They seem nice. For me Porsche dealers are on a whole other level compared to what I am used to at Ford dealers.

 

[porkey]

The service advisor mentioned that the cost would have been more, but I only have rain sensing wipers. I have noticed previously that the glass had some very small chips and dings that are not easy to see. I clean my car thoroughly about once a week, so I am familiar with any imperfections that occur from road debris.

ExoShield by Alchemy is a Canadian company. I plan to install it eventually. It is supposed to be 6 times stronger than unprotected glass. Who knows if it would have prevented this. Next time I'll take backroads instead of the highway. Up here in PA I notice a lot of debris being kicked up by the tires compared to FL.

@porkey , I have the car in Newtown Square, PA. I took the car to Porsche of Mainline. They seem nice. For me Porsche dealers are on a whole other level compared to what I am used to at Ford dealers.

....Yes...much road debris in most of Eastern PA!....including deer!!...Newtown Square...not too far from my birthplace/early childhood!

 

[Yipekiye]

I had a similar experience, my local Safelite dealer ordered the correct windshield from my nearest Porsche dealer... then scratched it during the install. They then took complete responsibility and ordered another and fixed the problem. I was only out my $500 deductible and some irritation. These must crack more easily, somebody commented that since the windshield is rimless, it is more likely to crack to the edge. That doesn’t totally make sense, though.

 

[Guaji]

I am being unreasonable not to consider Safelite? I definitely want Porsche glass. The big difference is the cost of labor. I’m willing to pay more for a better job. I would think the Porsche techs are (hopefully) better trained to work with Porsches than other places such as Safelite.

 

[wriggly]

Tire compositions these day are such that cars in front are shooting up crap at unprecedented rates compared to the past. When I'm in traffic I tend to stay pretty far back from cars in front of me. The payback so far has been front ends that are pretty devoid of stone chips. In younger more aggressive, less patient years, my cars had the hallmark chipping of a chronic tailgater. Plus I avoid large municipal areas at all cost in my toys. I reserve trips to shopping and other congested areas for my Chrysler Pacifica van. My strategy seems to be working with the van as well though. Only one tiny stone peck in the bumper cover in two years.

Sorry about the windshield, and don't blame you for wanting to have the Porsche windshield. If it were me I'd go that way as well.

 

[Porsche2018]

Unfortunate another endorsement for Exoshield especially for the track focused Porsches.

 

[WRTFLYR]

In Arizona you learn to live with rock damage on windshields! If we replaced them every time we get a star chip we’d be doing it every week! I normally just have the stars filled in, then have the windshield only replaced when it cracks, or the Star is straight in my vision! Most insurance policies have windshield damage replacement coverage with no or little deductible, you might ask yours!

 

[Guaji]

Today I will take it directly to the guy who does repairs for the dealer once a week and see what he says. The last time I had a cracked windshield was 2005. I parked my car inside a public garage before a Hurricane hit South FL, only to have something crack the windshield after the storm passed while driving on the FL turnpike.

 

[Guaji]

Update....I just went to the repair place and the cost for the two small cracks is $79.95 + $35.00 for the second one. This would be covered by insurance, but it may not be worth submitting a claim.

Pros are that it is a lot cheaper, keeps the factory install....since I hear people mentioning that. Also, I am not sure if it is worth the hassle of replacing since I should wait in the event that I get more cracks in the windshield.

Cons are that the crack will still be visible. It is less visible from the outside. I took a photo from the drivers seat. Does not impair visibility. thoughts??

 

[autobahn]

Nobody is making glass for these yet beside Porsche, at least that's what I've gathered on my ordeal. I had to wait a month for new windshields to make it here by boat.

 

[CaymanMatt]

I would probably say live with it until it needs to be replaced. I hate the idea of having my windshield replaced because I'm always afraid they won't do it correctly. I know it will be aesthetically kind of painful but if it can be ignored, you'll keep your original glass - at least until the next big rock finds you.

BTW, I have now had a few experiences with Safelite. I needed to have my windshield replaced on my Subaru after it got creamed by a rock off a truck while in SE Michigan. They did a great job, so good that there really is no way to know that it isn't the original glass. They have also filled a bunch of rock dings that got through to the inner membranes of various windshields and I have never had any additional issues. Granted, if I needed to replace my GTS windshield I would want the Porsche glass but if absolutely necessary I probably wouldn't be averse to Safelite doing the job!

MOO (My Opinion Only)!

 

[Guaji]

Nobody is making glass for these yet beside Porsche, at least that's what I've gathered on my ordeal. I had to wait a month for new windshields to make it here by boat.

Yes... thats what I was told. I expect at least a month before the windshield would arrive. I've decided to at least try to repair the windshield first, at the dealer, and I will see how it comes out. If I am happy with it, I would rather keep the original for now. If a have other cracks later on then I will replace it. I think it is maybe a little wasteful to throw away a decent windshield without giving a repair a chance. As mentioned above , if I replaced it for every time I get a crack...it can become rather costly.

I just have to remind myself that it is not a garage queen and that it's meant to be driven....just another "battle scar".

 

[Porsche2018]

BTW, I have now had a few experiences with Safelite. I needed to have my windshield replaced on my Subaru after it got creamed by a rock off a truck while in SE Michigan. They did a great job, so good that there really is no way to know that it isn't the original glass. They have also filled a bunch of rock dings that got through to the inner membranes of various windshields and I have never had any additional issues. Granted, if I needed to replace my GTS windshield I would want the Porsche glass but if absolutely necessary I probably wouldn't be averse to Safelite doing the job! MOO (My Opinion Only)!

+1 regarding Safelite. I would seriously consider that option. I have seen some Porsche technicians in action and Safelite is a reasonable alternative.

 

[OldJedi]

Guaji, I’m sorry to hear about the damage to your car. I would like to make a suggestion. I had a star chip in my windshield very similar to yours on my truck. I let it go for a little while to see if it would spread. It didn’t and I called the insurance company and they sent out safelite. The tech was great and when she was done I could not see where the chip was. Months later, I cannot tell where it was chipped.

I would like to suggest to have the chips filled. If it does not work to your satisfaction you can have it replaced at a Porsche dealer here in South Fla. when you get back. Meanwhile filling the chip will keep it from spreading till you get back down here. If it does work, you keep your original glass. Just my suggestion. Sorry, that this happened.

 

[Guaji]

Guaji, I’m sorry to hear about the damage to your car. I would like to make a suggestion. I had a star chip in my windshield very similar to yours on my truck. I let it go for a little while to see if it would spread. It didn’t and I called the insurance company and they sent out safelite. The tech was great and when she was done I could not see where the chip was. Months later, I cannot tell where it was chipped.

I would like to suggest to have the chips filled. If it does not work to your satisfaction you can have it replaced at a Porsche dealer here in South Fla. when you get back. Meanwhile filling the chip will keep it from spreading till you get back down here. If it does work, you keep your original glass. Just my suggestion. Sorry, that this happened.

Thanks for the info. I’ll be back in PA Friday and plan to take it to the dealer that day, since the person who does the windshield repairs will be there. The crack hasn’t spread since initial impact, hopefully it stays the same until Friday. At the moment it is in an air coditioned garage.

 

[OldJedi]

Thanks for the info. I’ll be back in PA Friday and plan to take it to the dealer that day, since the person who does the windshield repairs will be there. The crack hasn’t spread since initial impact, hopefully it stays the same until Friday. At the moment it is in an air coditioned garage.

OK, sounds good. Happy Holiday and best of luck with the repair.