Winshield chips/cracks

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by badbimmer

This is unbelievable. My windshield just cracked from a small pebble. 2017 m3 7000 miles. BMW is no longer using St. Gobain glass. They switched to a cheaper glass made by pilkington. My e92 used St. Gobain.

Why should we have to put "protective" shields on our windshields. An 80k car shouldn't have windshields that crack, chip, pit from the slightest debris. You should be furious.

I am really starting to believe bmw has watered down the quality to a point where I will no longer buy another bmw.

What makes you say the Pilkington glass is cheaper? They invented float glass manufacture and know what they are doing.

It'll be the spec BMW have given them that's the issue and was in my experience with St. Gobain as well.

All my M cars have had sugar glass windscreens whether St. Gobain or Pilkingtons.

[CPWINCH]

Originally Posted by CPWINCH

I have had my car for 6 months and have had two separate windshields crack

Update: just cracked my 3rd windshield AT 22k miles. Not sure what to do anymore. If I paid dealership pricing I would be down 7,500 bucks right now because of windshields

[AtlantisF80]

definitely don't drive too close to cars/trucks, no tail gating and drive slower

[1SlowSi]

I don't post often but I think it's time to share my experience on this subject. Brand new M2, first drive on the highway (17 miles on the car) and bam, a rock hits the right side of the windshield and produces a foot long crack.

Replaced the windshield with BMW OEM glass. I kid you not, 300 miles later, hop on the same highway and bam, tiny pebble hits the bottom and chips the damn windshield. You've got to be kidding me!!! I agree, this is cheap/thin glass. Absolutely ridiculous!!!

[BimmerKay]

M4 with chips on my windshield, I also have a front windshield tint but I doubt that protects me any better...

[damageprone]

Originally Posted by kevu_m4

M4 with chips on my windshield, I also have a front windshield tint but I doubt that protects me any better...

You have tint on the outside of your window?

[BimmerKay]

Originally Posted by damageprone

You have tint on the outside of your window?

No, that would be a bad tint job , I just read the earlier replies and someone mentioned if it could help.

[jdgamble]

I have like 10 rock chips at ~15K miles. Granted I drive on a fast freeway with lots of trucks, but it’s still frustrating. I cringe every time I hear impact. The other day I saw one coming it was so big. I wasn’t even that close to a car at the time... flying rocks have range.

[G4BR13L]

After 90k kilometers still no cracked windshield.

[Clark_Kent]

Might make sense to look into Clearplex or a similar product.

https://clearplex.com/product/

[Wanted_M]

I currently have ExoShield installed, typical charge is around $500-600 and well worth it. They will replace windshield if it cracks with their product installed for the first 2 years or 30k miles. I went to Elite AF in the Bay (San Jose).

https://www.getexoshield.com/windshield-protection-film

[Nettles]

After being in f30’s for about five years I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought the BMW glass quality is far worse than prior generations. My windshield is a mess

[sterns]

I’m getting ready to trade my F83 and have this chip on the windshield, which is the size of a dime or less. My dealer says I should have it fixed before I trade it in and suggested safelite. Looking at their website online it seems this can be repaired instead of replacing the windshield, for those that have done something similar, do you recommend their repair process? Will you be able to tell the chip was there before?

[Yuille36]

I think that the windshield chips and cracked are endemic to BMW using lighter weight glass to reduce the overall weight of these vehicles. Granted any windshield will crack, chip or shatter if hit hard enough.

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by sterns

I’m getting ready to trade my F83 and have this chip on the windshield, which is the size of a dime or less. My dealer says I should have it fixed before I trade it in and suggested safelite. Looking at their website online it seems this can be repaired instead of replacing the windshield, for those that have done something similar, do you recommend their repair process? Will you be able to tell the chip was there before?

I highly doubt it will be totally invisible after the repair. The wider/deeper portion of it (screen left) may disappear, but I suspect the thinner whiter part on the right will still be visible

[Yuille36]

A little story about Safelite, 5 years ago I traveled to Wilmington NC to pick up my X5M, and on the way back to Northern Virginia I get a chip in the windshield. So, I take it to Safelite for their resin repair and they have you sign documentation, in the fine print it states that Safelite isn't responsible for the windshield in the case it cracks during repair. And they cracked it, I was mad as hell, my insurance covered it, but I still had to pay my deductible $500. Now you tell me, how can someone clean out the chip with cleaners, then place their suction device to inject the resin and still crack a windshield. I think those a** holes did it on purpose, and I told them that. I was mad as hell, so read the fine print, and tell them if they f**k this up, their paying for it.

[dawei213]

Originally Posted by Yuille36

I think that the windshield chips and cracked are endemic to BMW using lighter weight glass to reduce the overall weight of these vehicles. Granted any windshield will crack, chip or shatter if hit hard enough.

Yes, this BMW glass is the worse. I've had to replaced my windshield 3 times in the last 3 years, and I work mostly from home and don't travel much (only 5k per year).

Meanwhile, I've had 3 other vehicles over the course of 20 years (over 200k miles total), prior to this M3, and never had any windshield issues or replacement.

[Issa.M]

Originally Posted by Gstone

Is there something we can put on the glass to protect it?

No chips yet but, not a daily driven car.

Yup! There is a PPF designed for windshields. A clear film that goes over the glass to pretect it.
In most situations it only lasts a year and then has to be replaced because of wipers, rocks, etc.
Definitely cheaper than replacing the windshield.

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by Issa.M

Yup! There is a PPF designed for windshields. A clear film that goes over the glass to pretect it.
In most situations it only lasts a year and then has to be replaced because of wipers, rocks, etc.
Definitely cheaper than replacing the windshield.

It depends. lol. It's only worth it if you're replacing windshields like every year. In my area it costs about $600 to get it done for ClearPlex. A new BMW windshield is about $570 before labor. Add in another hour of labor of $200 an hour and it's like almost $800 for a windshield or more.

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...w2LWdhcw%3D%3D