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Windshield replacement

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42K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  blueumbrella  
R
#1 ·
My 2016 Limited Hybrid has a 2 foot long crack in the windshield from a rock being kicked. Would anyone have any concerns if a glass shop replaced the windshield vs Toyota? According to the manual there is a camera mounted on the windshield, so I am wondering if that would need to be recalibrated. All I could find in the manual was the following: "Replace the windshield if it is damaged or cracked.
If the windshield needs to be replaced, contact your Toyota dealer."
The camera is a big part of the safety system, so I am hoping that my insurance company would not make me go to a place that could not handle the installation and recalibration of the camera.
 
#3 ·
You didn't complete your profile so your location is unknown. In the U.S. at least some states give the insurance claimant the discretion to choose the repair provider, rather than allowing the insurance company to mandate where the vehicle must be taken. Suggest that you contact your insurer and discuss he matter with them.
 
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J
#7 ·
Windshield Replacement in a Hybrid Rav4 Limited without Tech Package



Unfortunately, my Rav was hit with a rock on the lower middle of the windshield. I was sick. I tried to put super glue in the 1/2 inch star, but it still cracked almost the entire length of window on both sides of the star. I have never seen a windshield crack so much and so quickly before. My insurance sent me to a couple of glass firms in my area. There was no OEM windshield available. They told me that it had to be replaced with the Toyota product because of special sensors. The windshield cost over $1000.
 
R
#9 ·
The radar for the adaptive cruise control is behind the Toyota logo. The camera up by the the rear view mirror is for the lane control. It's mentioned in the manual but I can think of what page. I believe it's in with the TSS information.

FYI, there's another small camera in the front grill of some models for the birds eye view but you don't have that.
 
R
#11 ·
Here is an update on where I am with the broken windshield. The insurance company said I could go anywhere, so I chose the local Toyota dealer. However, they just use a local company, which does volumes of business for all the local Toyota dealers. The glass company came out and removed the old windshield and then they noticed that the mount for the camera on the old windshield was bigger than the new one he had brought. Perhaps on my Hybrid Limited model with the Tech package it has a bigger, wider --different camera than in other non hybrid models. He went back to the shop and found that there is no OEM windshield in the area for my car, so he came back and installed the old one. He actually had to look up the part number using my VIN and found that my car is so new that Toyota does not stock them yet. The new windshield will be here in 7 days. They must be making it from very rare sand! They told me that the price for my windshield is 389.00 if I did not have insurance. My old windshield now has 4 more cracks to deal with for the next week or so. In addition, the rubber trim around the glass was not reinstalled, because it was destroyed in the removal process. I guess the lesson here is to make sure the camera mounts are the same before the glass is removed. Also, the glass they came with was wired for electric heat at the bottom, because according to them if you have heated seats, then the windshield is heated. I have heated seats, but the windshield was not heated. They thought that to be very strange. The whole process is strange so far. Will let you know what other surprises surface when the glass comes in.
 
#12 ·
Sorry for your issues. That sucks!! I go to get mine in tomorrow on the non tech package limited hybrid.
Are you sure you don't have the wiper heaters though? It's the switch next to the usb port. Maybe it's regional since I am in frigid canada. I would have thought it would be on the top trim with tech in the US too. Had it on our 2014 xle as well.
 

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#13 ·
Sorry for your troubles, but definitely think you made the right move, going to the Toyota recommended installer. I think parts for the RAV4 Hybrid, in general are hard to come by this first year, since they are mostly going to make new vehicles, because of the great demand. I found this to be true, when my radio head needed to be replaced.
 
#17 ·
Well, same result for me. Fortunately they hadn't pulled the old windshield yet so I'm still ok to drive it. Apparently there is no rain sensing wiper sensor on older ravs? Either way, they didn't have the right windshield for the rain sensing wipers and said it was because it was a hybrid, and so new and they were having trouble sourcing it or even finding a correct part number. So I'm going to try the dealer and wherever they send it in the hopes that at least I get the right one.
Bummer.
 
R
#21 ·
I am getting jealous of the Canadian models. I have a loaded 2017 Limited and heated and rain sensing wipers as well as heated windshields were not even an option on the hybrid model (maybe they are on Platinum?). My experience of dealer windshield installation was on my 01 Highlander, which was the first year they were produced. Two days after getting it a rock cracked the windshield. I took it to the dealer who just had another glass company come to fix it. They did a lousy job and years later when another one was replaced the installer (not Toyota) told me the prior installation was done so poorly that the metal holding the glass in place was rotting. Cost me a few hundred on the next glass installation (lot of road work and hence rocks in New England) to fix the rot, but was told it would come back. Final replacement was last year and the installer said he probably shouldn't have even put the new one in because the metal was so bad, it was not repairable, and definitely could not take another replacement. That's one of the reasons I traded it in for the RAV. Dealer used a crappy company, probably because they bid low, and I had problems for the life of the vehicle.
 
K
#19 ·
It seems the Hybrid isn't the only one in which the Windshield is difficult to replace...
I have a 2016 RAV4 Limited that has the little clear triangle for the lane departure directly behind my review mirror in the middle of the windshield instead of off-set like all the windshields we looked at... I even went to his Glass supplier but none of the shields had the correct position for the Lane Departure.. The AutoGlass Tech does all the repairs/replacements for the local dealership so we may just have no choice but to order through the dealership at this point..

I figured I'd post in case it would help anyone in their search...

Thanks,
Kevin
 

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D
#20 ·
We had to have our windshield replaced on 2017 Rav 4 Limited by Safelite. The issue was the Limited has TSS with Lane Departure and the housing bracket around the mirror and sensor is different. The windshield still fits correctly but the cover over the bracket is slightly different. Safelite then had to order a different windshield from Toyota and again replace the windshield. The issue I now have is the Lane Departure must be re-calibrated at our expense to the tune of 3 hours labor. It stopped working after 2000 miles from windshield replacement. Since the re calibration takes so long we have to schedule a week in advance which is proving to be an issue for us. We do not have an issue with Safelite and would use them again. Safelite also issued a memo about the issue to their installers.
 
#22 ·
That is a crazy story. I read that not completely removing all adhesive on the metal frame, before installation, can lead to the windshield slightly protruding out, which causes noticeable more wind noise.
Your situation sounds like an extreme example, and likely involved more than just no properly cleaning adhesive from the windshield frame.
 
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