Front windshield availability in 2019?

[BarrettN]

Are there still reliable sources of front windshields today? I've found some older threads here that made me think as recently as 2015 that getting a replacement windshield wasn't too difficult, but it looks like maybe that's changed. Any good sources? Or is getting a decent quality one from a salvage yard and stashing it away the best bet?

 

Barrett

[coloincaalpine RIP 2021]

Pilkington Brand.   They are about $110.

[1936spyder]

Pilkington and Nordglass as well.

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[Simeon]

Pretty common. All of the above plus the massive Chinese manufacturers Fuyao. 

[Mike Self]

What might be difficult is a clear glass windshield (and backlight) as used on the early cars (pre about mid 1970 on US cars).  They were getting difficult fifteen years ago; hopefully they're more plentiful now...

 

mike

[Conserv]

You can also purchase Pilkington windshields through BMW. There was some speculation on this forum that the quality of the Pilkington product sold through BMW — surprise, the more expensive Pilkington — was better, but I believe that is conjecture at this point.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[Doug Riparetti]

Factory green tint from BMW here in the USA, I got one a few weeks back....

[DrA76]

I bought my windshield 3 months back from BMW dealer. Original part. I paid 560USD.

[Simeon]

1 hour ago, Icecube76 said:

I bought my windshield 3 months back from BMW dealer. Original part. I paid 560USD.

 

Whoa! What marking did it have? Just BMW?

 

You can almost be certain it would be made by either Fuyao or Pilkington.

 

Not many manufacturers actually left now. 

[DrA76]

I didn't check. It has the BMW sticker and part number. I'll  post a picture tomorrow.

[Stevenc22]

https://koolkatzautoglass.com/products/1967-1976-bmw-1602-2002-2002a-2002tii-2-dr-sedan-windshield-oem-brand-new

[bmw_e30]

15 hours ago, Simeon said:

Pretty common. All of the above plus the massive Chinese manufacturers Fuyao. 

 

fuyao makes most of their glass for the us market in the usa

[BarrettN]

Thanks for all the replies on this - it made it a lot easier to let a friend have my parts car's windshield when he cracked his getting ready for the mid-am.

[PaulTWinterton]

13 hours ago, Icecube76 said:

I bought my windshield 3 months back from BMW dealer. Original part. I paid 560USD.

 

My glass guy showed me the catalogs of Mfger's in South Africa.  Pilkington, PPG, etc.  They all offer 02 windshields at 1/3 of the OEM price and at least one of them has been the supplier to BMW.  Only the logo is different.

 

Some might say the quality of glass is different.  Opinions and facts?

 

That was a few years ago, so I'm not surprised China has become a major supplier since then.

 

 

[Mike Self]

6 hours ago, PaulTWinterton said:

so I'm not surprised China has become a major supplier since then.

Actually Fuyao's largest auto glass plant (and the world's largest) is here in Dayton, OH--they bought the old GM assembly plant that built S10 pickup trucks and the SUVs based on 'em when GM went through their bankruptcy.  

 

mike