My local glass company can get glass from the VW dealer or glass from Fuyao. Does anyone have experience with Fuyao aftermarket replacement windshields on this car? It’s a couple hundred dollar price difference between “official” VW replacement glass and the FYG aftermarket. I have a 2017 GTI SE with rain sensor and sunroof.
7
Windshield replacement: OEM vs Fuyao
- Thread starter amsr
- Start date
Parabola
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Black hole sun
- Car(s)
- 15 GTI, 22 Tiguan
I don’t have any experience with Fuyao other than recently watching “American Factory” on Netflix...based on the way they treat their workforce I would not purchase anything from them, but then again they supply automotive glass to many automakers so who knows maybe I have Fuyao windshield already on my Golf.
7umberjackZac
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Car(s)
- Gti
I hate OEM glass from VW so cheaply made and scratches so easy
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Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Strange thing is on my 15 Golf TSI the windshield seemed perfectly fine, the one on my 18 GTI is a piece of junk. I wonder if they made cost cutting measures to them in the newer model years.
bl33dBlue21
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- new jersey
im about to get my windshield replaced, are there really better brand than oem?
ReadTheBook
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- Bay Area Smoke Hell
- Car(s)
- DVP Spektrm, MK4 R32
I don't think so... My wife's '15 Golf SE has the same POS Vitro glass my GTI had, until I replaced mine with Saint Gobain.
ReadTheBook
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- Bay Area Smoke Hell
- Car(s)
- DVP Spektrm, MK4 R32
Yes. Saint Gobain | Sekuit are an OEM supplier. They make the glass in Poiand for much of VW Europe.
My windshield replacement thread has a part numbers list with MK7 parts I found back when I needed to have my glass replaced. https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40989
The Pilkington replacements I've seen in a few GTIs around my area have been ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. Wavy glass and uneven frit (black dots around the edges). Wouldn't not recommend.
RichardCranium
Ready to race!
- Location
- Arizona
I've had a couple of them. No complaints.
I've got an S so I don't have any of the gadgets that need the special glass. YMMV.
I've got an S so I don't have any of the gadgets that need the special glass. YMMV.
StealthGTI
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Newport News, VA
- Car(s)
- 2017 GTI Sport
My $0.02,
TLDR: Get the Fuyao!
A lot of glass companies, including Fuyao, bid to make OEM glass. VW does not make the glass! The only difference between Fuyao and OEM is that Fuyao didn't win the bid to put the VW/Audi logo on their glass. Regardless, their glass is made to VW standards with a VW template. The same can be said for Pilkington and many other glass makers. For example, Pilkington may make the windshield, Fuyao the rear rolldowns, etc. These are just fictitious examples. It's all a matter of who won the contract for a given sheet of glass. It may even change each model year. We'll never know because whoever wins each contract gets to put the VW/Audi logo on their glass for that position.
My car was just seven months old when I had to replace my windshield. Insurance would not cover an OEM replacement, which was disappointing on a young car. I could have paid the difference between Fuyao and OEM, but I decided to stick with Fuyao since my choice of glass shop has a lifetime warranty that covers glass clarity (manufacturer’s defects), leaks, and wind noise (workmanship). With my three greatest concerns addressed, I decided to settle on the aftermarket windshield to save money. I was ready to be the squeaky wheel if I wasn't completely satisfied. But that day never came.
Looking back to when I bought the car new, I recalled being disappointed with the windshield. It's not like it was full of pits, but it was not perfectly clear... something I would have expected on a new car. It wasn't awful, just an observation. It's hard to describe, perhaps microscopic bubbles that barely met the standard? Fast-forward to when I rolled out of the shop with the Fuyao windshield and I could see the perfectly-clear glass that I had expected when the car was new. Could it be that VW chose the lowest bidder to provide their OEM windshield glass? Could Fuyao's glass have been more expensive due to its clarity? Who knows?
I've driven the car nearly 70,000 miles since replacing the glass. Sure, it's not perfectly clear now since, well, LIFE.
But it has stood up to several rock hits that I thought would have cracked the glass for sure. I think it probably looks as good now as my OEM glass did at 20,000 miles. I'd gladly welcome another Fuyao windshield if the day comes. Read more about my experience here.
I tried to find that answer on their website years ago, but found nothing. I suspect our glass is made in China due to the lower demand for it here, when compared to other cars that are more popular in the US. Click around on their website to see if you can find an answer today.
TLDR: Get the Fuyao!
A lot of glass companies, including Fuyao, bid to make OEM glass. VW does not make the glass! The only difference between Fuyao and OEM is that Fuyao didn't win the bid to put the VW/Audi logo on their glass. Regardless, their glass is made to VW standards with a VW template. The same can be said for Pilkington and many other glass makers. For example, Pilkington may make the windshield, Fuyao the rear rolldowns, etc. These are just fictitious examples. It's all a matter of who won the contract for a given sheet of glass. It may even change each model year. We'll never know because whoever wins each contract gets to put the VW/Audi logo on their glass for that position.
My car was just seven months old when I had to replace my windshield. Insurance would not cover an OEM replacement, which was disappointing on a young car. I could have paid the difference between Fuyao and OEM, but I decided to stick with Fuyao since my choice of glass shop has a lifetime warranty that covers glass clarity (manufacturer’s defects), leaks, and wind noise (workmanship). With my three greatest concerns addressed, I decided to settle on the aftermarket windshield to save money. I was ready to be the squeaky wheel if I wasn't completely satisfied. But that day never came.
Looking back to when I bought the car new, I recalled being disappointed with the windshield. It's not like it was full of pits, but it was not perfectly clear... something I would have expected on a new car. It wasn't awful, just an observation. It's hard to describe, perhaps microscopic bubbles that barely met the standard? Fast-forward to when I rolled out of the shop with the Fuyao windshield and I could see the perfectly-clear glass that I had expected when the car was new. Could it be that VW chose the lowest bidder to provide their OEM windshield glass? Could Fuyao's glass have been more expensive due to its clarity? Who knows?
I've driven the car nearly 70,000 miles since replacing the glass. Sure, it's not perfectly clear now since, well, LIFE.
But it has stood up to several rock hits that I thought would have cracked the glass for sure. I think it probably looks as good now as my OEM glass did at 20,000 miles. I'd gladly welcome another Fuyao windshield if the day comes. Read more about my experience here.I tried to find that answer on their website years ago, but found nothing. I suspect our glass is made in China due to the lower demand for it here, when compared to other cars that are more popular in the US. Click around on their website to see if you can find an answer today.
danvilla413
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Car(s)
- '19 SE 6MT, '04 S2K
Just out of curiosity (not that I need a new windshield) - what kind of glass would Safelite carry? I've always used them to replace windshields on my Hondas and haven't had any problems. Until this thread I hadn't even considered that one aftermarket glass co would be better than another. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
auditthxckid
Ready to race!
- Location
- skokie
I would go OEM unless you can confirm the rain sensor bracket is on the glass from the factory.
RichardCranium
Ready to race!
- Location
- Arizona
Fuyao.
sprinks
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- United States
I've had fuyao (from Safelite) for the past 3 years. It's fine. Taken a hit or two from rocks but still going. I don't have to deal with rain sensor or any other issues though.