A windshield is a very important safety component in your car. Whenever your auto glass needs replacement, you should very carefully select a new car windshield. So many car glass brands have come up that make glass for all kinds and models of cars. But not all windshields are the same. This is an even more important topic for consideration if you have a luxury car or any premium sports car. When it comes to the windshield, you have two options. You can either go for the original or OEM windshield or you can go for an aftermarket brand. But it is always better to opt for an OEM windshield in case you go for an auto glass replacement in Tulsa, OK.
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Special features of OEM windshields
Here are why OEM windshields are so special-
- Special color tints- Most car windshields are green in the shade, but luxury and premium cars have unique tints like blue, grey, brown, etc. These shades are used for controlling the car cabin temperature without restricting light.
- Good windshields have defrosting and heating elements for wipers- Nowadays, premium cars have windshields that come with heating elements for defrosting in winter and during rainy seasons. The golden defogging lines in the car’s rear windshield indicate this feature. These heating elements are placed at the lower side of the auto glass where the wipers are placed. If you go for a Non-OEM windshield, it may or may not have a defrosting element.
- Soundproof windshields- To give you a premium and wonderful driving pleasure, the car brands offer acoustic windshields in luxury and sports cars. This feature helps in decreasing the cabin noise level to a great extent. A Non-OEM windshield doesn’t have this feature.
- Quality standards- Luxury car manufacturers need to follow very high-quality standards and all car part suppliers need to comply with these standards. When you choose a windshield for your car, you need to check with the manufacturer if all quality checkpoints have complied before the glass is fitted in your car.
- Fully heated auto glass- All the top cars have a heating element embedded in the complete windshield. These windshields avoid any kind of mist and snow on the windshield and also offer a great view. By going for an aftermarket windshield, you will miss out on this feature because the heating technologies are limited to only the OEM car glass manufacturers. So, in case you have to get into the auto glass replacement in Tulsa, OK, make sure that your car windshield has the necessary characteristics as suggested by your car manufacturer.
- ADAS sensors- The basic car models have only rain and light sensors, but a luxury car windscreen has many other mounted sensors that support your car’s ADAS system. These sensors have a lane-keeping camera system, lane-departure system, de-vapor sensor, IR and Infrared forward-looking cameras, and more. Since these sensors are OEM products, they are available with OEM manufacturers only. Don’t go for an aftermarket windscreen brand because then the technician will have to use an old sensor mount. There is a very high probability that if the sensor brackets are not fixed properly, the ADAS system of your car will get negatively affected.
Few things to know before you get your auto glass replaced
Here are a few things that you should know before you get your auto glass replaced-
- All the auto glasses are not created equal. There is a difference between OEM specifications and aftermarket glasses.
- The cost of auto glass replacement is covered under the insurance premium.
- Always use high-quality urethane adhesive to install the new glass.
- Check for the specifications of the auto glass company before you hand over your car to it.
- Once the replacement is done, does the company offer warranty for its services?
To Sum It Up
When the glass of your windshield cracks and needs a replacement, you need to make the final call about the type of windshield you will choose for your car. If you have a luxury car or a sports car, you should go for an aftermarket windshield brand. If the windscreen that you have chosen doesn’t have your car brand logo, don’t go for it. This means that it is not an OEM or original part, and you should avoid it for your own safety. You can take your car manufacturer in confidence and ask him for the OEM windshield part number and use the same for replacement purposes. Always remember that auto glass replacement in Tulsa, OK is a comfortable affair, but if you choose the wrong glass, your entire car will suffer the consequences. So, choose the best glass for your car and enjoy the same drive as before.