What OEM-equivalent
actually means

There are only a handful of companies in Europe making automotive glass, and they make it for the manufacturers and for the aftermarket on the same lines.

Who actually makes it

A main-dealer windscreen is not made by the car manufacturer. It is made by a glass company to that manufacturer's specification, and it leaves the factory with the car maker's logo printed on it.

OEM-equivalent glass is the same product from the same maker, to the same specification, without that logo. Sometimes it is literally the same run.

Specification is the thing to get right

A windscreen is not one part. The same model year routinely takes four or more different screens depending on what was optioned.

• Heated, with fine elements through the laminate and connectors at the edges.
• Rain and light sensors, which need the right gel pads and the right mounting.
• Acoustic laminate, an extra damping layer that noticeably quietens the cabin.
• Head-up display, which needs an optical wedge or the projected image ghosts.
• A camera bracket, which comes bonded to the correct glass rather than moved across.

Get any of those wrong and the car is worse than it was, regardless of whose name is on the glass. That is why we quote off the VIN and not the model name.

When branded glass is worth it

Three situations, in our experience. If the car is under a manufacturer warranty that specifies it. If your insurance policy requires it. And if you are keeping a car whose value depends on originality.

Outside those, the money is usually better spent making sure the specification is right and the fit is done properly. A perfectly matched aftermarket screen bonded correctly will outlast a branded one fitted badly, every time.

What to ask a fitter

• Which specification does my VIN call for, and does the glass you are quoting match it?
• Is it E-marked and does it meet the relevant British and European standards?
• Are new mouldings and clips included, or are you reusing mine?
• Does the quote include recalibration if my car needs it?

Any fitter worth using will answer all four without hesitating. If a quote is dramatically cheaper than the rest, the answer to one of them is usually why.