[Tishers]

It is interesting when you see a Safelite truck sitting near the service area of your dealership.

Those people do glass replacement all the time. They can do it quicker and have the trucks to carry those big pieces of glass. I would not expect that BMW has a fleet of glass-carrying-trucks that are all running back to Spartanburg to get windshields. Also, the quality of glass installation is going to be entirely dependent upon the skill of that service tech. I would trust Safelite to do a better job.

Windshields are not "one size fits all". On a premium brand auto where there is also a US manufacturer and tier 3 suppliers all within a few hundred miles of that plant, they will buy the glass from the exact same place as the auto plant.

You will not find a mom and pop shop that melts down old glass Coke bottles to make new windshields; Also the tolerances for all of the different curvatures of the glass would need to be set up on machines. Maybe if you were buying glass for a 1952 Aston-Martin it would be custom-made, but in the other way, if it was for a 2010 Toyota Corolla they are probably making those like kolache cookies (Polish cookie, eat them as fast as you make them).

[X3-30E]

Originally Posted by kamek

Not entirely sure how it happened, but I returned to my car and found a huge crack in my windshield.

I have full glass coverage through insurance, but they don't cover the cost of an OEM windshield — it would be an extra $637 to replace with OEM glass. Does anyone have insight if OEM is the only way to go, or if an aftermarket replacement from Safelite would be comparable? I have HUD and lane departure etc.

Thanks!

It looks like my windshield cracked just like yours. I did not feel that I was hit by anything. not can I see where is was hit either. I found a 6 inch crack one morning when backing out of my garage. It grown to more than two feet long in a few days. Could this be the quality of the glass or the installation of the windshield? The car was driven less than 3k at the time.

[AlteBMW]

Originally Posted by mreg376

No insurance company guarantees replacement of OEM glass.

Not so. Chubb allows OEM glass. The only issue with Chubb I had was that they would not pay the dealer directly; I had to pony up up front (fine with me; I got my airline miles), but would have paid Safelite directly (for OEM glass). I decided I wanted to dealer to do the necessary calibration and not Safelite.

[FredBa]

I’m insured by USAA and on their website it says this:

“You have the right to use the shop of your choice to repair or replace your glass. We're prohibited by law from requiring that repairs be done at a specific shop, and your policy will help cover the reasonable costs of repairing or replacing your glass no matter where you have repairs made.
Here are some benefits of using the USAA Auto Glass Network:
Lifetime warranty on parts and labor
Mobile service
Highly regarded replacement and repair technology
Trained, certified auto glass replacement technicians
Old windshields recycled, keeping more than 107 tons out of landfills
24/7 Twenty-four seven scheduling online and live representatives available 365 days a year”

So they praise their own service but the part of it being prohibited by law to force their own network on you is interesting. I wonder if they use them as a basis to estimate what is “reasonable” though, and those recycled windshields do not inspire confidence in that case.

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by FredBa

I’m insured by USAA and on their website it says this:

“You have the right to use the shop of your choice to repair or replace your glass. We're prohibited by law from requiring that repairs be done at a specific shop, and your policy will help cover the reasonable costs of repairing or replacing your glass no matter where you have repairs made.
Here are some benefits of using the USAA Auto Glass Network:
Lifetime warranty on parts and labor
Mobile service
Highly regarded replacement and repair technology
Trained, certified auto glass replacement technicians
Old windshields recycled, keeping more than 107 tons out of landfills
24/7 Twenty-four seven scheduling online and live representatives available 365 days a year”

So they praise their own service but the part of it being prohibited by law to force their own network on you is interesting. I wonder if they use them as a basis to estimate what is “reasonable” though, and those recycled windshields do not inspire confidence in that case.

I have USAA as well; have used them since 1967. I suppose sometime I should explore other options. Anyway, one thing that I have learned over the last few years of retired-guy road trips: if at all possible it is a good practice to get your window repaired instead of waiting for the damage to spread and require a full replacement. I have delayed more than once, and it cost me. The other interesting thing is the effect of a sealed up car in the desert heat when you have a simple, repairable ding in the windshield. More than once I have returned to the car to find it was no longer of the repairable size. But that happens with driving and road vibrations too.

[frankherman]

I have also recently pay from my pocket for OEM windshield, which empty my pockets

[robertcruz]

That's very interesting. May I know where we can find these dealers?

[snareman]

Also, not sure if this was mentioned anywhere - if you are leasing you have to turn the car in with OEM glass.

How long are they telling you the replacement will take to get? My friend had to wait months for his X3 window.

[keithguido]

We have Farmers here in AZ and we got a BMW windshield put into our X3 by Safelite-No issue and its covered here!

[theleg]

I have had 3 screen in mine the OEM just work .
I had a replica fitted and they had to change it twice as the HUD was all fuzzy and made you feel sick