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Take Care of Your Windshield!

Altieb said:
So, by way of update. I just spoke to Lucid Customer Support in Michigan who told me that the $9,000 quote sounded right to him. He says the costs he's familiar with run from $8,000-$15,000 for the full canopy glass. He said he was certain the insurance would cover it. I'm kind of busy and didn't spend time in detailed discussion of the problem with the other authorized shops, but he did say something interesting, not realizing how it sounded. He said that probably, the reason the Natick, MA dealership isn't doing glass work is that they are so overloaded with service on cars with other issues. LOL! And that's the way it is.
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This situation makes no sense to me at all for several reasons. First, Lucid SC in MI replaced my glass canopy a year and a half ago. It went through insurance and I paid my $50 deductible. But the bill was only ~$2500.

At this very moment, I'm sitting in an authorized Lucid shop (for an AC issue) and am working on having them replace it again since I have another, quite impressive crack nearly all the way across the glass well above the AS1 line. I spoke to safelite solutions and they authorized it. No issues as far as I can tell so far.

Seems like you are getting bad information. Keep digging
 
Well, I would love to keep digging, but I am extremely busy and barely had time to do what I’ve done so far. Unfortunately, if insurance pays it, I may just accept that and have the work done. They’re paying it kind of authenticate it. I have no idea why other people’s experience varies so much, but it’s possible that an independent shop charges as much as they do because it requires special skills or tooling or I don’t know what, but perhaps it’s a different cost structure than it is for a Lucid dealer. Again, my closest Lucid service center could not do it. I’m curious if anyone else has had a canopy windshield replaced by an independent body shop.
 
For anyone that installed a protective film, is it affecting the HUD image at all?
 
lns't his is a Gravity?
The cost is high because Lucid keeps a tight control on parts sales and treats service training as a profit center. When I needed an Air windshield (metal top car) the authorized repair center wanted ~$3000. Lucid did it for under $2000.
 
Pragmatic said:
lns't his is a Gravity?
The cost is high because Lucid keeps a tight control on parts sales and treats service training as a profit center. When I needed an Air windshield (metal top car) the authorized repair center wanted ~$3000. Lucid did it for under $2000.
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Yes, but there's a difference of a $1000 premium vs someone charging triple what Lucid would.
 
VLumina said:
I'm curious about this too. Also, does it affect the windshield wipers in any way?
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Yep, that too. I've been watching some YouTube videos and it sounds like even the good films (there are some really bad ones to avoid) need to be replaced every 2 years or so because they scratch, largely from wiper use. Varies a lot by conditions though. As makes sense, a dry, dusty wipe can leave scratches. Many say to minimize your wiper use. A good film has inherent hydrophobic properties (repels/beads water), so less wiping may be needed.

Sounds like they all create at least a little distortion in visibility, although good ones like Xpel and ExoShield are minimal. Need to make sure the detailer is really using the product you've chosen, not just some cheaper film. Here's a few videos that people posted, one with a bad film and the other good, and then one mostly good:



 
gaskiller said:
Get exoshield. Never use safelite.

I declined windshield coverage. They raise your premiums and get the money back.
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exoshield .... I used this on a Rivian I had.... Screwed up lane guidance. USE WITH CAUTION.

You can get external glass coverage policies. There are several companies. Usually around 2k for a policy for 5 years.
 
Or m
Altieb said:
Well, I would love to keep digging, but I am extremely busy and barely had time to do what I’ve done so far. Unfortunately, if insurance pays it, I may just accept that and have the work done. They’re paying it kind of authenticate it. I have no idea why other people’s experience varies so much, but it’s possible that an independent shop charges as much as they do because it requires special skills or tooling or I don’t know what, but perhaps it’s a different cost structure than it is for a Lucid dealer. Again, my closest Lucid service center could not do it. I’m curious if anyone else has had a canopy windshield replaced by an independent body shop.
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Maybe they just don’t want to do it but if you’re willing to pony up…
 
dbsb3233 said:
Yep, that too. I've been watching some YouTube videos and it sounds like even the good films (there are some really bad ones to avoid) need to be replaced every 2 years or so because they scratch, largely from wiper use. Varies a lot by conditions though. As makes sense, a dry, dusty wipe can leave scratches. Many say to minimize your wiper use. A good film has inherent hydrophobic properties (repels/beads water), so less wiping may be needed.

Sounds like they all create at least a little distortion in visibility, although good ones like Xpel and ExoShield are minimal. Need to make sure the detailer is really using the product you've chosen, not just some cheaper film. Here's a few videos that people posted, one with a bad film and the other good, and then one mostly good:



Click to expand...
I would imagine that the durability of the film will vary greatly depending on the environment and how frequently the car is exposed to various elements. I live in the dessert where it rarely rains although I have used my wipers on rare occasion with no adverse effects. I’m not sure how the film would handle snow and ice.

I also periodically treat my film with a ceramic spray wax (Griot’s). The ceramic wax reduces friction on the film making it easier to clean. This maintenance regiment was recommended by the installer who does high end commercial window tinting and coatings. My recollection is that the film should last about 4 years. But I suspect that varies greatly on circumstances.

I bought the film specifically to prevent rock chips and cracking which is prevalent in the dessert. I lived in the Midwest for 40 years and never had a damaged windshield. I replaced two within 24 months of moving to the dessert. And while both replacements were partially covered by insurance, I’ve more than paid back the cost of those claim recoveries through higher premiums.
 
Northpointe said:
I would imagine that the durability of the film will vary greatly depending on the environment and how frequently the car is exposed to various elements. I live in the dessert where it rarely rains although I have used my wipers on rare occasion with no adverse effects. I’m not sure how the film would handle snow and ice.

I also periodically treat my film with a ceramic spray wax (Griot’s). The ceramic wax reduces friction on the film making it easier to clean. This maintenance regiment was recommended by the installer who does high end commercial window tinting and coatings. My recollection is that the film should last about 4 years. But I suspect that varies greatly on circumstances.

I bought the film specifically to prevent rock chips and cracking which is prevalent in the dessert. I lived in the Midwest for 40 years and never had a damaged windshield. I replaced two within 24 months of moving to the dessert. And while both replacements were partially covered by insurance, I’ve more than paid back the cost of those claim recoveries through higher premiums.
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Mine does have some distortion but I got accustomed to it. Doesn’t bother me anymore.
 
dbsb3233 said:
Roughly how much does ExoShield costs on a huge windshield the size of the Gravity? And does it need a kit specific for the Gravity, or it is just a generic roll they can cut and apply?

We road trip a ton and inevitably get a rock flying up from a truck we're passing. Went through 4 windshields in the Mach-E in 5 years.
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For my Air it was $950. I bumped my deductible to $2000 and no glass coverage. That itself paid for exoshield and the $1500 extra deductible after 18 months.

Now I’m ahead, even if I pay $2000 deductible vs $500.
 
Northpointe said:
I would imagine that the durability of the film will vary greatly depending on the environment and how frequently the car is exposed to various elements. I live in the dessert where it rarely rains although I have used my wipers on rare occasion with no adverse effects. I’m not sure how the film would handle snow and ice.

I also periodically treat my film with a ceramic spray wax (Griot’s). The ceramic wax reduces friction on the film making it easier to clean. This maintenance regiment was recommended by the installer who does high end commercial window tinting and coatings. My recollection is that the film should last about 4 years. But I suspect that varies greatly on circumstances.

I bought the film specifically to prevent rock chips and cracking which is prevalent in the dessert. I lived in the Midwest for 40 years and never had a damaged windshield. I replaced two within 24 months of moving to the dessert. And while both replacements were partially covered by insurance, I’ve more than paid back the cost of those claim recoveries through higher premiums.
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Yeah, that's while I'll probably get it too. Our (previous) Mach-E went through 4 windshields, and our (previous) Bronco two this decade. Our current Porsche Macan got a starburst crack that lucky repaired OK. This part of the country (CO in particular) is awful for highway rocks.

My insurance in CO doesn't offer special windshield coverage. It's just a normal comprehensive deductable ($1000), which wasn't worth bothering with in the prior vehicles. It would be in the Gravity though, which makes it worth getting the film. The Gravity is mostly a road-tripper for us, and stays in the garage otherwise, so should be a good candidate for film. I think I'll go with XPEL based on the research I've been doing.

I did wonder if the Gravity wipers might catch the edge of the film though, since they park slightly below the glass (or at least mine do).
 
gaskiller said:
For my Air it was $950. I bumped my deductible to $2000 and no glass coverage. That itself paid for exoshield and the $1500 extra deductible after 18 months.

Now I’m ahead, even if I pay $2000 deductible vs $500.
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Ooh, $950 is about double the many $500 references I've seen. I figured it would probably be a little above $500 now (those videos were often a year old) but hoped for close. $950 is getting up there a little. Probably still worth it, but adds up if done every 2-3 years. I'll call around and get a few quotes.
 
Altieb said:
So, by way of update. I just spoke to Lucid Customer Support in Michigan who told me that the $9,000 quote sounded right to him. He says the costs he's familiar with run from $8,000-$15,000 for the full canopy glass. He said he was certain the insurance would cover it. I'm kind of busy and didn't spend time in detailed discussion of the problem with the other authorized shops, but he did say something interesting, not realizing how it sounded. He said that probably, the reason the Natick, MA dealership isn't doing glass work is that they are so overloaded with service on cars with other issues. LOL! And that's the way it is.
Click to expand...
$15K is flat out crazy! Imagine buying a Gravity Touring and being asked to pay 18% of the entire vehicle cost just to replace the windshield! It makes me think they might want $30K to repair a minor fender bender.
 
Altieb said:
So, by way of update. I just spoke to Lucid Customer Support in Michigan who told me that the $9,000 quote sounded right to him. He says the costs he's familiar with run from $8,000-$15,000 for the full canopy glass. He said he was certain the insurance would cover it. I'm kind of busy and didn't spend time in detailed discussion of the problem with the other authorized shops, but he did say something interesting, not realizing how it sounded. He said that probably, the reason the Natick, MA dealership isn't doing glass work is that they are so overloaded with service on cars with other issues. LOL! And that's the way it is.
Click to expand...
FWIW, Lucid Vaughan quoted similar prices, but in CAD. I declined the windshield coverage option anyway.
 
TahoeMichael said:
$15K is flat out crazy! Imagine buying a Gravity Touring and being asked to pay 18% of the entire vehicle cost just to replace the windshield! It makes me think they might want $30K to repair a minor fender bender.
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they do!
 
Just got a quote for $700 for the XPEL from one local detailer. I'll check one more, then go for it.
 
Halodde said:
This situation makes no sense to me at all for several reasons. First, Lucid SC in MI replaced my glass canopy a year and a half ago. It went through insurance and I paid my $50 deductible. But the bill was only ~$2500.

At this very moment, I'm sitting in an authorized Lucid shop (for an AC issue) and am working on having them replace it again since I have another, quite impressive crack nearly all the way across the glass well above the AS1 line. I spoke to safelite solutions and they authorized it. No issues as far as I can tell so far.

Seems like you are getting bad information. Keep digging
Click to expand...
I missed the fact that you were referring to your Gravity. My experience was/is with my Air. Sorry about that. My information may or may not be useful.
 
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