Windshield replacement: OEM vs Fuyao
TLDR: Get the Fuyao!
bl33dBlue21 said:
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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 .
amsr said:
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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 to see if you can find an answer today.
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, leaks, and wind noise. 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 experienceI 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 onto see if you can find an answer today.
