I wanted to share my experience in case it helps another EV9 owner. I spent a lot of time searching Reddit before going through this, and there weren't many detailed posts about the process.

Vehicle: 2024 EV9 GT-Line (ADAS equipped)

A rock cracked my windshield on a road trip, and I was determined to replace it with genuine Kia OEM glass (the windshield with the Kia logo), not OEM-manufacturer or aftermarket glass.

Quotes I received (Las Vegas)

• Safelite (OEM): $1,916.54 out the door (included ADAS calibration)
• Galaxy Auto Glass (OEM): $2,727 out the door (included ADAS calibration)
• Findlay Kia: Doesn't replace windshields in-house—they outsource the work to a local glass company.

OEM Glass

I was probably more obsessive than most people 😅, but I specifically wanted genuine Kia logo glass, not just "OEM" or "OEM-equivalent" and confirmed multiple times that my replacement would be genuine Kia glass. I had read that after-market glass can really mess with the HUD and cameras, so I was a bit insistent!

USAA Insurance

This was the part that took the most research because the cash quote was well over my deductible, but if they denied the OEM glass then I would have essentially had to pay almost the entire cash price anyway AND have a claim on my record.

I did end up taking the chance and filing a comprehensive claim with USAA, and the initial OEM request was denied.

After reading a few Reddit posts, I called Safelite back. The representative told me that, in her experience, the initial OEM request is often denied and that the local shop should submit a follow-up OEM request.

The local shop manager submitted that request, and a few days later I received confirmation that USAA approved the OEM Kia windshield.

So if you have USAA and are initially denied, don't automatically assume that's the end of the process. Ask the shop if they can submit a follow-up OEM request.

Hopefully this helps the next EV9 owner searching for windshield replacement information. If anyone has questions about the process, I'm happy to answer them while it's still fresh in my mind.

Posting this as a data point and to share my experience because I couldn't find too many posts describing what happened after the initial OEM denial.

Vehicle: 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line (ADAS equipped)

I only wanted genuine Kia OEM glass (the windshield with the Kia logo), not OEM-manufacturer glass or aftermarket glass.

Timeline

• I got a quote from Safelite for genuine Kia OEM glass with ADAS calibration (it was double my deductible).
• I filed a comprehensive claim with USAA.
• USAA initially denied the OEM glass request stating that my policy did not allow for OEM glass if there was another viable option available.
• After reading several Reddit posts suggesting not to give up after the initial denial, I called Safelite back.
• The Safelite representative told me that, in her experience, the initial OEM request is often denied, and that the local shop needs to submit a follow-up OEM request for the OEM glass.
• She contacted my local shop while I was on the phone, and the shop manager submitted the OEM request.
• A few days later, I called the shop back, and they confirmed that USAA had approved the OEM glass and that it had already arrived for my appointment the following day.

So if you're initially denied, don't automatically assume that's the final answer. Ask the shop if they can submit a follow-up OEM request on your behalf. In my case, that's what got it approved.

A couple other things I learned

• My Kia dealer doesn't replace windshields in-house. They outsource them to a local auto glass company, so for me there wasn't really an advantage to having the dealer handle the windshield itself.
• I was very specific that I wanted genuine Kia logo glass, not just "OEM" or "OEM-equivalent." Safelite eventually confirmed that my replacement would be the logo glass (genuine Kia glass).
• If you're paying cash, keep your original retail quote. My insurance estimate was higher than my cash quote, and I made it clear that if insurance ultimately didn't approve OEM, I expected to pay the original quoted retail price—not the higher insurance estimate.

One frustrating thing

I had a surprisingly difficult time getting answers from Safelite. The local number and the national number both kept routing me to an automated system that said all scheduling had to be done online and then disconnected the call before I could speak to anyone.

I eventually found a phone number online that got me to a representative, and I also used Safelite's text chat to confirm that my order was for genuine Kia logo glass.

Hopefully this helps someone else. This process was much more confusing than I expected, and the biggest takeaway for me was that an initial OEM denial from USAA wasn't the final answer and having the shop submit the second request allowed me to only have to pay my deductible.