What Are the Types of Replacement Glass?

Types of Glass


If you wish to get your windshield replaced, you may attempt to understand the types of auto glass available to you. You can choose among Dealer manufactured, Original Equipment Manufactured (OEM), Aftermarket manufactured, or Used auto glass.

Dealer Auto Glass

Purchase your windshield from your dealer if you wish to have auto glass authorized by the vehicle manufacturer and from the same distributor that originally manufactured your auto glass. Doing so will allow you to have the same logo on the windshield as you had on your older one.

OEE Vs. OEM

Getting your auto glass from the OEM distributor rather than the dealer ensures that your glass will have the same specifications--such as tint or shape--as the glass from the dealer.

Aftermarket auto glass or Original Equipment Equivalent (OEE), such as Safelite, is much more affordable than OEM and dealer glass.

Since aftermarket auto glass is made by glass companies that have never contracted with vehicle manufacturers, licensing and copyright laws prohibit them from making auto glass to the same specifications as OEM distributors. Aftermarket companies thus manufacture glass which have quite different designs than the originals.

Both OEM and aftermarket glass comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

However, OEM replacement windshields are superior since they have the same look and secure fit as your original windshield, and are also more functional than OEE glass, as OEM manufacturers spend more time analyzing the engineering aspects required by vehicular structures with the manufacturers of vehicles.

Avoid Used Auto Glass


Installing used auto glass may initially save you money. However, though it may look like it is still intact and of high quality it may actually crack or chip more easily with years of wear. For safety precautions, you should purchase a new windshield.

The prices for windshield installation vary from company to company. This is a result of the historical lack of competition. However, in recent years, the industry has grown quickly with new auto glass shops. In response, companies have been cutting prices while others have been reluctant or too slow in cutting down their prices.

Windshield installation expenses are high as a result of the difficulty of manufacturing auto glass, the required skill of trained and certified technicians, and the use of special materials.