Windscreen replacement +rigidity question?

I-95 road debris busted my windshield. I read somewhere that the windshield in a 996 is high-strength glued to the frame and thus becomes a structural member of the vehicle during hard cornering. Does this mean the dealer must replace the glass for many thousands? Or can I just get a stoner in a mini-pickup to pop by my house and do it for $50? What's the official story on windshield replacement? Any help/experience appreciated. GEICO will pay either way, but I'd rather not leave my car at the dealer unless I have to. It's Champion and that's always a brutal gauntlet to navigate through.

The install is like all other cars, so you won't have a problem. Dealer glass is less than $500, wholesale.

I had the windshield replaced in my 2001. $900 bucks all in, but I had glass insurance so it only cost me about $400. No big deal.

Interesting. So the article was either false or misleading. Either all cars have their windshield glued to the frame and thus the windshield adds to the structural rigidity of the vehicle, or the article was wrong and the glass is not glued to the frame? Any more input? The article was in popular auto mag. in the late 90's and was discussing the rigidity of the new 996 as being markedly improved over the outgoing 993 model. I had a 993 at the time and remember being quite impressed with all Porsche had done to improve this aspect.

The glass is glued to the frame by way of the sealant.

Glass is glued as 1999Porsche911 indicates. There is a sealant/gasket kit about $50. I had my windshield replaced by a local glass place little less than $500. They indicated at the time (18 months ago) that the there was only one manufacturer of the windshield, but that they could buy it from 3rd party vs. the dealer for significantly less. The glass is exactly the same thing the dealer sells, the only difference is the 3rd party (ppg in this case) buffs off the little triangle in the logo in the lower corner. I don't even notice it and it saved me $450+.

I can walk into the Posche dealer right now and walk out with their glass for $433.27. It is not as expensive as the BMW glass.

Thats because the BMW glass has the little Roundel logo on it, which makes it better than any other glass The local p-car dealership will not even sell the glass to bodyshops and/or local glass shops for less than $750. Normally the various car dealerships will sell OEM fatory glass on a cost+ basis to the glass shops and bodyshops. Not the local p-car delealership. Strangely they also sell BMW and MB and will discount the glass for those lines. Of course this the same place that wants to charge $32.50 for an oil filter for the 996 (needless to say I buy most of my OEM parts from Sunset). Although I will give the parts guy credit b/c when I needed wiper blades he talked me into some Audi replacement rubber blades only that are the same size and fit for $6 vs. the $45 for the whole wiper insert (minus the arm) like you have to buy from Porsche).

Wow, they really rip you off. I have developed a great relationship with a few part guys at my dealer and I get EVERYTHING wholesale price. Even then, tho, some things are still better bought elsewhere. At a wholesale price of $433 for the 996 windshield, they are still making a profit.