I agree with the OE recommendation for replacement. I also recommend
verifying certification of the installer and OE approved adhesives. The
urethane used must meet specific tensile and lap shear strengths for that
vehicle per manufacturer specs. Depending at what time of year you have the
replacement done can change the urethane they will use. In the winter many
glass shops use a urethane that 'cures' faster in colder temperatures so
that after they install the glass they then park the car outside in cold
temperatures. Also, the time of day the car is dropped off can cause a
different urethane to be used. Some less expensive urethanes that have good
specs cure better over longer periods of time.

Making sure the installer working on your car has more than just a couple of
years experience is also good. Using the "national chain" for glass
replacement on less expensive glass can be more costly in the end. Mobile
work can be very chancy. Many glass shops that specialize in mobile jobs
push their installers to do as many jobs a day as possible. Scheduling a
person to put in eight windshields a day and having them travel around to do
so means they have to cut corners and sometimes do bad installs. And some of
the chains make their own glass (Safelite) or order the least expensive
glass that meets the minimum standards (Triumph).

I believe that Audi made some of the bodies of the A4 out of aluminum. There
was a specific urethane used that you may have to contact your dealership to
find out about.
The part number you will probably be looking for is FW2262 GYN and the
corresponding top molding is WFTF823. Specify "premium" when requesting
this. DO NOT LET YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY DICTATE WHERE TO GO FOR THE
INSTALL!!!!!! They may try the following tricks such as offering to schedule
for you or they can't guarantee the work of such and such place, etc. You
may find that the person answering your phone call actually works for a
national chain that has contracted with your insurance carrier to handle
auto glass claims for a minimum charge. Ask them directly...what company is
this, not who do you answer the call for but what company are they employed
with.

PPG and Pilkington are both OE manufacturers in the autoglass industry. I
work for one of them (sorry...can't say which). The factories are highly
automated with state of the art computers and software used for creation and
the monitoring of the process for defects. My Audi A6 also has a Pilkington
windshield in it. I live in a far northern state with very cold winters,
lots of sand and salt on the roads, and trips to visit relatives hours away.
No problems so far.

--
Give a man a match, and he'll be warm for a minute. Set him on fire, and
he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

"Steve Sears" > wrote in message
. ..
Tull,
I've had some bad experiences with windshield repair with my 5ktq - took it
to a dealer a fair distance away because I was told (somewhat misleadingly)
that the glass repair was done in-house, whereas the local dealer sent it to
the local Standard Autoglass franchise shop to have it done. It turned out
that the "in-house" work was done "in the parking lot" of the dealership by
a mobile glass installer. I figured that out as the car was in the exact
same place I had left it when I picked it up, and there were little glass
fragments on the asphalt all around it. The Bentley Manual shows a special
tool (VW - go figure...) that attaches to the inside of the windscreen and
carefully cuts the glass off the car. From the amount of vacuuming that had
been done inside the car, I figured that they had smashed the glass and then
cut it off. The following winter was a warm one, but the one after was
brutally cold. One -15C morning I got into the car and fired it up, turning
on the defrost (which began as a frigid breeze) I heard a huge bang about 5
minutes later as a crack travelled from the passenger side lower corner to
mid-screen. That was a PPG 'shield - it seemed to be susceptible to nicks
and chips and cracked after a rock impact just before replacement. It also
whistled at highway speed which was probably an installer error.
For the replacement, I went to the shop used by the local dealer (so they
could do it inside), and demanded OE Glass - which was still available. The
shop owner moaned and griped about how the glass is no different, the PPG
probably cracked from frame rust (!!????), that they'd have to charge me
extra (including the deductible which they normally covered), etc. etc. etc.
I had ordered the glass myself from the dealer, which they in turn sold to
the shop at _my_ cost (not "suggested list"), and then I paid the deductible
and difference between Sekurit and PPG. They put in the shield and I picked
the car up with tape on the corners of the screen when they closed. I
noticed:
- Damage to the dash, A-pillar covers, and headliner strip from cutting
tools
- Scratches in the A-pillar paint
- Glass "dust" blew out from the defrost vents when I turned them on the
next day
I wrote a letter of complaint to the head office of the chain and to the
local dealer, I never did hear from either of them.
This past fall I was having the car painted. While it was in the booth
bathed with light, I noticed a crack across the driver's side top corner
(about a half inch from the corner). Although I cannot vouch for it's
presence when I picked the car up (tape on corners), I'll bet it happened
when they were installing it. The shop is closed now, I'm sure they've gone
all-mobile by now. As I never heard back from their head office I continue
to dissuade people from using that company.
The Sekurit windshield has been very resistant to pits and chips (it has one
nick from rock from a concrete truck on the highway that I have to fix), but
there's an optical distortion on the passenger side - it's weird, and a
friend of mine returned his (pre-install) to Audi because of the same thing.

I don't notice it while driving, though.
<sorry for the long rant, I've posted this before>
In your case, the crack will most certainly grow over time it will grow with
temperature changes and vibration until it reaches an edge. I'm happy with
the Sekurit glass I have, aberration and all. I have found that the PPG
shield got significantly more pits than the Sekurit in a similar amount of
mileage. If I were to do the replacement again, I would take a photo record
of the car (dash, pillar covers, headliner edge strip, paint on hood,
pillars and roof), and inform whomever is replacing the glass that damage to
anything but the old windshield is unacceptable and I would ask for
replacements for damage to upholstery (I got replacement pillar covers and
headliner edge from my friendly local wrecker for about $20, but an A4 will
be waaaaay more) and paint repairs done per Audi manual recommendations.
Make sure that they don't hack the old adhesive out, as they'd damage the
galvanizing doing that. That all said, getting a dealer to do it, and not
send you out to someone else, may be the way to go.
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 Audi 5kTQ
1980 Audi 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes
(SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)



"tull" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> About a month back i noticed a 8" vertical crack on the windshield of
> my 2001 A4, meandering up from the place where the windshield viper
> ends, . I cant feel the crack on the surface from inside or outside,
> and hasnt travelled (lengthened) in the past month.
>
> 1. The dealer recommended guy who will put an "Audi certified, &
> stamped' glass on is asking for ~$600/- for the replacement.
> 2. scouting around some other replacement companies quote ~$450 for and
> Audi stamped, ~$300 for superior quality (claimed to be the same
> windshield minus the logo, brands being named : PPG, Pilkington) , and
> ~$200 for safelite.
>
> I am looking for views on what the difference of quality between
> 'safelite' vs Superior quality vs Audi logoed glasses.
> In some forums, I've read some horror stories about 'badly installed
> windshield'. People have gone to the extent of recommending not to
> change windshield if the crack/damage is not increasing .
> Thoughts, suggestions, experiences....
>
>
> Thanks
>