Crack in Windshield! Add tint?

[c4cruiser]

Picked up a crack in the windshield of my '08 Silverado a couple weeks ago and I'm going to start the insurance paperwork to get a replacement this week.

 

What I have never figured out is why the truck never had a built-in tint at the top of the glass. Seems like this was prety much a standard thing for years and years. And I would have thought the LTZ trim would have included a tinted windshield.

 

Has anyone ever had to replace the windshield on a GMT900 truck and found glass with a built-in tint? Is aftermarket tint the only way to go?? I don't think I would want much more than 3-4 inches of the top of the glas tinted.

[holty]

did you buy your truck new? maybe the windshield was previously replaced with an aftermarket glass company that cheaped out and installed non-tinted (cheaper) windshield?

[c4cruiser]

Bought it brand new. Windshield is OEM.

 

I never really looked at other GMT900 trucks to see if there was a tinted windshield as standard or optional. The window sticker mentions "Solar-Ray Deep Tinted Glass" but that's for the rear door windows. The LTZ package doesn't show anything about tinted windshield.

 

Anyone know if there is a specific RPO code for a tinted windshield?? I have my build sheet.

[Big Whiskey]

They quit putting that tinted strip at the top quite a few years back. Just have it done aftermarket....it will look better anyway.

[Wolfmanjohn]

Wow, never noticed it wasn't there 'till now on my '11. In any event, look down from the top of the windshield ~ 4-5 inches on the left and right sides; you will see a small line with "A(down arrow)S1" written below it. My understanding is that no tint can go below this line; don't know if that's DOT or vehicle code, but it is what I have read.

[Morgan1986]

I had to replace my window last year to many cracks and lines in it from rocks hitting it from mountain passes. It was cheaper for me to pay for a new window $200 bucks then take a deductible on my insurance. My window has a 4 to 5 inch blue tint strip on the top right now . I like it .

 

It did not come OEM with tint . The back window is tinted all the way to a nice dark from factory .

[tesnoboy]

Wow, never noticed it wasn't there 'till now on my '11. In any event, look down from the top of the windshield ~ 4-5 inches on the left and right sides; you will see a small line with "A(down arrow)S1" written below it. My understanding is that no tint can go below this line; don't know if that's DOT or vehicle code, but it is what I have read.

 

Man they are taking out a lot of things on these newer trucks. Now they can't even tint the top of the windshield? Geez!!! It is against the law to tint more than that upper 4-5 inches on a windshield.

[waumo1]

There are still some tint band windshields out there but in general the technology to do the gradient fade tint band was lost or "cheapened" out with cost cutting all the rage.

[nickvrebel]

I just replaced my windshield about a month ago. My replacement windshield has a light tint on the top (unlike my factory one). Just ask the company replacing it for a windshield with the tint built in. If you want darker than that you can always have it done aftermarket.