Aztec62 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Hello guys, I have a big problem: The windshield of my 1990 coupe is cracked and must be replaced. I want a professional do the work, the problem is to get a good windshield! I am living in Bremen, Germany. It is impossible to get any windshield for a Reatta over here. The prices for a new windshield in USA are out of reach for me, so a good used one from the USA is the way to go for me. All that saiid, I am now looking for someone who has a good used windshield for me and is willing to ship it to Germany. I can not think of anything automotive which is more difficult to ship. Has anyone here ever shipped a windshield over a long distance with success? The defective windshield blocks all work on the car: Without the windshield problem solved it makes no sense to restore this otherwise good car. Any help is very much appreciated. Henning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Ron Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 You might look on here and the internet to find a parts car. The owner might be able to have a glass shop pull the windshield. The owner could then take it to a UPS, FedEx or DHL pack and ship service and send it to you. I'll bet the shipper could do it for you and pack it so it would arrive in good shape. I have shipped items to Australia and Belgium with no problems in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted January 29, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 You might look on here and the internet to find a parts car. The owner might be able to have a glass shop pull the windshield. The owner could then take it to a UPS, FedEx or DHL pack and ship service and send it to you. I'll bet the shipper could do it for you and pack it so it would arrive in good shape. I have shipped items to Australia and Belgium with no problems in the past. Ok, so who is this brave gentleman? :) Henning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I would buy a complete 1990 car in the interior color you have with a good windshield. I would think it would be easier to ship as well as giving you not just a windshield but an entire car you can part out. There is a 1990 white with dark gray interior on craigslist Madison Wi for $1600.00 That is less then the price of a windshield and now you get a whole car with lots of parts [if that is the interior color you have]. Comes with a shop manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted January 29, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 I would buy a complete 1990 car in the interior color you have with a good windshield. I would think it would be easier to ship as well as giving you not just a windshield but an entire car you can part out. There is a 1990 white with dark gray interior on craigslist Madison Wi for $1600.00 That is less then the price of a windshield and now you get a whole car with lots of parts [if that is the interior color you have]. Comes with a shop manual. Thank you for your suggestion Dave, but this is no option for me. It will get too expensive. Henning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I'm curious... How much does it cost to ship a car to Germany? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted January 29, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 I'm curious... How much does it cost to ship a car to Germany? About 1800$ for a 500$ parts car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Jim Finn (reattas60@gmail.com) probably has a good windshield but the last I heard he wouldn't ship them due to breakage in transit. You should contact him. In this special situation he might ship if you except responsibility for any loses beyond his control. It's worth a shot. Tell him Ronnie sent you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I would go over to AACA forum and ask at the General Forum. There are guys that have shipped overseas. Maybe they have advice on shipping glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Ron Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Ok, so who is this brave gentleman? :) Henning The seller would not lose anything and neither would you if it is insured by UPS or any other shipper. The shipper would make sure it is packed well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdirk Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 I expect it would be very costly to ship a windshield from the US to Germany. Ideally, it would have to be crated to afford enough protection to be shipped internationally. And then the issue is, do you have it shipped by air (most likely, and also most costly) or by ship (which will take much longer). With size and weight restrictions imposed by UPS and FedEx (and probably DHL, though I've had no dealings with them) I'm not sure any of them would ship a windshield to begin with. This would be more in the purview of a conventional freight company. Have you checked with Pilkington (the manufacturer of the Reatta windshield)? They operate internationally, but I don't know their policy on transferring product outside its normally intended market (the US in this case). If they could supply a new one to you in Germany, the cost may come out favorably compared to shipping a used one over. Just a thought. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted January 30, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 I think Kevin is right. Shipping a windshield, be it new or used, is an item for a freight company. There are a number of companies here in my hometown which are specialized in shipping cars and parts from the USA to Europe. I will ask them if they have free space in a container for my windshield. Only I have to explain what car a Reatta is. If only the seller of my Reatta have let me know before about the broken windshield. This would have made things much easier. By the way: I got a price quote on www.glass.net for a 90 Reatta coupe windshield: 766$ fitted. You don`t even have to bring the car in, the do it at your home address at no extra cost (USA only of course). USA is cars heavens... Thank you all for your help. Henning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Ron Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Do you have any contacts at a US military base? A clerk in the personnel office could hook you up with someone who is headed to that base. You could have the guy put your windshield in the back seat of his car and cushion it with blankets and pillows for the trip. The military is already paying to have the car shipped so what would it hurt? A few Euros to these helpers might get you your windshield. I shipped a chest of goodies there in one of my Army unit's trucks that went by ship from New Jersey to Rotterdam. We met up with the ship after we flew there and then drove the trucks through Belgium to Haam where we were stationed for a month back in the mid 80s. The trucks were checked by customs and they said nothing about my stuff as it was just normal camping-type supplies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted January 31, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Do you have any contacts at a US military base? A clerk in the personnel office could hook you up with someone who is headed to that base. You could have the guy put your windshield in the back seat of his car and cushion it with blankets and pillows for the trip. The military is already paying to have the car shipped so what would it hurt? A few Euros to these helpers might get you your windshield. I shipped a chest of goodies there in one of my Army unit's trucks that went by ship from New Jersey to Rotterdam. We met up with the ship after we flew there and then drove the trucks through Belgium to Haam where we were stationed for a month back in the mid 80s. The trucks were checked by customs and they said nothing about my stuff as it was just normal camping-type supplies. Ron, sounds like a nice idea, but there are no US military bases anymore where I live. Back in the mid 80s there were plenty and the US troops could do whatever they wanted here. I got in touch with Pilkington as well. They say they are unable to help. A windshield for a Aston Martin DB5? No problem, but not for a Buick Reatta. Henning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted January 31, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Hello all, I thought I give it a try and ask a company here which is specialized in car glass and operates nationwide. Believe it or not, they have a new Reatta windshield! Good news, but here comes the not so good news: The windshield is tinted green and has a grey sun strip. I do not know for shure what colours the windshield of my Reatta has. I would have to drive to my workshop to have a look. Not possible, I am on a business trip in Spain right now. My Reatta is white (original colour) and the interior is red. I do not think a green tinted windshield was fitted to such a colour combination. Does anybody know what colours the windshields were? The price is OK, they want 750 Euro (Euro-Dollar is 1:1 more or less right now). But they want another 600 Euro to install it and that is a little too expensive I think. But then, 1350 Euro for a new windshield fitted, there is no cheaper way. I am not going to try this myself. All the best Henning Bremen, Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogware Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 It's probably not as green as you think, most of the cars windshields have a slight blue, bronze, or green tint. As for your tint with a red interior I am not sure what was the original tint color, maybe someone here with a red interior can verify that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 ... but here comes the not so good news: The windshield is tinted green and has a grey sun strip. I do not know for shure what colours the windshield of my Reatta has. Considering how hard Reatta windshields are to get where you live, you shouldn't be too concerned about the color of the tint on a white car. It seems to me you were very lucky just to find one available over there. By the way: I got a price quote on http://www.glass.net for a 90 Reatta coupe windshield: 766$ fitted. You don`t even have to bring the car in, the do it at your home address at no extra cost (USA only of course). USA is cars heavens... That is a cheap price quoted for a Reatta windshield. I'm afraid it is too cheap. They appear to be just a referral service for auto glass installers. I doubt you could really get just the windshield without installation for that price but it might be be worth checking on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 It will be like Christmas in Wisconsin Green, Red and White. Seriously I agree with Ronnie and Frogware, glad you found one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdirk Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Good that you found one, even better that it is new. I'm a bit surprised it has the green tint, all Reatta glass I've seen has been LOF (predecessor to Pilkington) Soft-Ray glass. Didn't even know they ever offered green tint glass for the Reatta. Since the Reatta was never offered for export sale - excepting Canada - they wouldn't have made green tint glass specifically for the European market. So, I can't explain the existence of such a variant on the windshield. That said, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The green tint on auto glass is typically very subtle. It may look slightly different than the side glass by contrast when installed, but I wouldn't expect a large difference in appearance. I'd also add that is an excellent price for a Reatta windshield by any measure. New retail cost in the US runs somewhere in the range of $2000 USD without installation. Insurance covered replacement is usually billed out at a lower amount, but that is by contractual agreement between the insurer and the glass supplier. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztec62 Posted February 1, 2017 Topic Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Good that you found one, even better that it is new. I'm a bit surprised it has the green tint, all Reatta glass I've seen has been LOF (predecessor to Pilkington) Soft-Ray glass. Didn't even know they ever offered green tint glass for the Reatta. Since the Reatta was never offered for export sale - excepting Canada - they wouldn't have made green tint glass specifically for the European market. So, I can't explain the existence of such a variant on the windshield. That said, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The green tint on auto glass is typically very subtle. It may look slightly different than the side glass by contrast when installed, but I wouldn't expect a large difference in appearance. I'd also add that is an excellent price for a Reatta windshield by any measure. New retail cost in the US runs somewhere in the range of $2000 USD without installation. Insurance covered replacement is usually billed out at a lower amount, but that is by contractual agreement between the insurer and the glass supplier. Kevin Kevin, you right (again). I will go with the offer I got here. Thanks all for the help,, it is very much appreciated. Henning Bremen, Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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