Will a car be worth less if the windshield is replaced by someone other than the dealer?

Answer 1

No, your car will not be worth less if you get a windshield from someone other then the dealer. The only thing different is that many dealerships will give you a warranty. Many places don't offer that. The only thing that I am not sure on is a classic. I don't see how that would make a difference. Every day car, no, won't affect the value at all. Often times the dealer will charge more, take longer and have no better quality than an reputable independent glass installer. In fact many independents will often warranty their work and the glass. There's no magic in dealer parts either. They are not made by the auto manufacturer. Rather they are sourced from a number of different parts manufacturers who put them in a factory box. Most auto glass will come from PPG, LOF or some other provider. Even the glass that may say Ford or Toyota will be made by an outsourced manufacturer. It's also rare to get a warranty on a dealer part purchased over the counter other than a major component such as an engine or transmission. A classic is a different story however. Depending on what category of "classic" you go by the originality could be more or less of a factor in value. All factory window glass will have a specific brand and a date code on it representing who made it and when. If the vehicle is considered rare having original glass with matching date codes can have a more prononunced effect. It has less to do with the glass than the originality of the car however. Little details like this can help to substantiate claims of originality especially when trying to verify authenticty and condition. In other words its not really the glass itself that creates the value, it's the fact that it's still there intact after many years. Where I live most people have to replace their windshield at least once per year. On a 40 year old car driven regularly that could be 40 windshields! Of course few people drive a vehicle that old with any regularity and that kind of use would be obvious even with a casual inspection. In the case of glass the assumption is that original intact glass in say a 50 year old car probably means it wasn't driven much. That would help to support claims of being a low mileage original vehicle. Kind of like the old "original air in the tires" joke.