[Renaud]

Yesterday, I had the following experience: driving on a straight, flat road, 30 degrees outside temperature, Airco on "Max" ( just started the car which had been standing in the sun for a couple of hours). A few seconds after moving to the left lane to overtake another car, I hear a loud crack and then discover a 5 cm crack in the windscreen starting from the bottom left corner and which is getting longer. There is no visible impact of a stone or similar object.

The car is 15 months old and has 16,000 Kms. It is equipped with the "Climate Confort Windscreen" and a "Windscreen with a Grey Shade Band" options (as well as the rain sensor).

Did anyone of you have similar experiences? What could be the causes? Thanks a lot.

[Teemo Panda]

I don't think e dealer would replace it for free unless you bought their insurance.

I would suggest you go talk to your car insurance, usually they would replace it with no deductible depending on the state you live~

[pokerface]

A car body naturally flexes, and the windshield may have cracked due to the maneuver
I haven't read about something like this happens in before though. Perhaps the glass was defective or there was a problem with the way the original glass was mounted?

[KrisNL]

Lucky glass insurance is standard in my country... temp changes can make a window crack too

[NordicBMW]

But if there are no visible marks indicating that the windscreen has been hit by something before it cracked it should be a warranty issue?

I have replaced my windscreen twice during my 40' KM but at both occasions there were visible though small damages indicating where the crack started. Last time the crack appeared a day after a small stone hit the windscreen. Lucky for me it was covered by the insurance since a new windscreen would have set me back 1000 Euros.

[Renaud]

Thank you all for your replies. The insurance willl cover it, so now worries about that. I will still check the warranty option, but this may be "problematic" in this part of the world. I've also been told that it would take 25-30 days to get a new windscreen, due to problems at BMW (new IT programs for spare part management which would not function appropriately?)

[NordicBMW]

Originally Posted by Renaud

Thank you all for your replies. The insurance willl cover it, so now worries about that. I will still check the warranty option, but this may be "problematic" in this part of the world. I've also been told that it would take 25-30 days to get a new windscreen, due to problems at BMW (new IT programs for spare part management which would not function appropriately?)

In fact getting a new windscreen wasn't straightforward. Here it usually takes about 3-4 days but for the X3 it took 2 weeks due to logistic challenges with BMW.

Not to mention that I have to replace my AC radiator, lead time for that part has been 9 weeks. And I live 12hrs drive from Germany where this particular part is manufactured. So it seems that BMW still has some tuning to do wrt replacement part logistics.

[pokerface]

for what its worth, the E90 3 series body had an issue with exploding sunroofs back in the day...

[X3Bernie]

Originally Posted by Renaud

Thank you all for your replies. The insurance willl cover it, so now worries about that. I will still check the warranty option, but this may be "problematic" in this part of the world. I've also been told that it would take 25-30 days to get a new windscreen, due to problems at BMW (new IT programs for spare part management which would not function appropriately?)

Thought I'd chime in, you will probably have a bit of a wait for parts, there is a serious logistics issue with bmw parts. I've been waiting about 25 days for a part that usually takes 3 days to arrive. Here is some info I was sent from my dealer:

(Reuters) - Cost cuts at Germany's BMW (BMWG.DE) have led to a shortage of spare parts at dealers, prolonging delivery times and frustrating customers, Automobilwoche reported on Sunday, citing the luxury carmaker's top labor representative.

BMW dealers have been grappling with disrupted component supplies for about a month, caused by a switch at the automaker's central logistics system, the magazine reported, quoting works council chief Manfred Schoch.

"1,200 cars are grounded at dealerships and cannot be repaired," Automobilwoche quoted Schoch as saying, blaming the carmaker's management. "We're having a massive loss in sales and profit contribution."

A spokesman for Munich-based BMW confirmed the backlog but said the situation is improving. No more than 5 percent of all part supplies to Germany-based dealers are still delayed, the spokesman said.

[MrFargo13]

[Quote = Here is some info I was sent from my dealer:

(Reuters) - .......

"1,200 cars are grounded at dealerships and cannot be repaired," Automobilwoche quoted Schoch as saying, blaming the carmaker's management. "We're having a massive loss in sales and profit contribution."

A spokesman for Munich-based BMW confirmed the backlog but said the situation is improving. No more than 5 percent of all part supplies to Germany-based dealers are still delayed, the spokesman said.[/QUOTE]

I thought BMW was experiencing record sales?

[mrjaydub]

Just thought I'd add, as this happened to me just this morning.

Walked out of the house to find the rear window completely shattered on my 2014 X3 and like you, no immediate sign of impact. Thought maybe it was the heat? I'm in KY, USA and it's been 90+ degrees here the past week.

But right before pushing in all the broken glass to cover it up with plastic, looking closer it appeared it may have generated from beneath the wiper blade - but not certain. Strangest thing.

It's Sunday here so I have to wait until tomorrow to take it into the dealership. Right now it's just sitting there, covered in plastic and I'm praying it doesn't rain.