Windshield replacement feedback

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by basora

It's all in the installation procedure - do your homework, ask questions and you'll find out that there is a significant difference between the installation method BMW uses and the one most after market autoglass installers use. I had my BMW windshield glass installed by my dealer several years ago and the BMW procedure required that they kept the car overnight (12 hrs), with two straps and foam blocks holding the windshield in place against the frame, because the bond between the glass and the adhesives used needed to "set" (slow curing). All in the name of safety and quality! Unlike the fast curing epoxies most aftermarket installers use. Using fast curing epoxies invariably leads to leaks over time (6 to 12 months down the road). Try having water damaged electronics covered by your insurance ...

I have had two aftermarket windshields installed in my e36 over 10 years of ownership and have never had a leak.

[PAX5]

Read the following story posted by an M5 owner on Roadfly.com:

Windshield Replacement – Wind noise solved – 2002 BMW M5

Below is a solution to wind noise that you may hear on the top of your windshield if you have your windshield glass replaced.

I had my windshield replaced and the wind noise on the top edge was loud. I took it back several times and the installer attempted to correct the problem by back filling the top seam with epoxy. It did not work. I was able to make the noise go away by putting racing tape along the entire top edge of the windshield and the noise was silent.

The installer had no idea how to fix it, as it looked cosmetically correct. So I did some research and found that others on roadfly.com (Roadfly.com Car Community. Featuring car reviews, new car prices, used auto parts, and the world's largest automotive forum.) have had similar problems and they pointed me to a special alignment gauge that may be needed. I called my local dealer and asked about buying the gauge and my parts guy printed out the windshield replacement directions. This document showed the exact procedure and several special tools that are needed to properly install the windshield.

I suspected that the installer did not have these directions, and to confirm this I ordered one of the tools to check if my glass was in spec. The tool ($7) is a small plastic gauge that measures the difference in distance between the outside top of the glass and the roof of the car. I found that the glass had just been set in place and it did not meet spec. I took the tool to measure some of the existing new 5ers at the dealer and it fit exactly on those newcars.

The glass is supposed to be depressed several mm below the top of the roof to “prevent wind noise” per the instructions. The windshield needs to be “pre-tensioned” along the top of the glass and measured with this tool before the adhesive sets. The pre-tensioning is done by taping three special BMW tools (3 foam blocks) to the top of the windshield. The foam blocks are then strapped down with a lot of pressure by running tape across the entire top of the glass and locking it in place in the door jams.

My installer had never seen these directions and agreed to reinstall the windshield per the instructions. He ended up breaking the glass getting it out as the epoxy glued it in there too well. He put a new windshield in per the directions and no more noise.

Get your dealer to print out the instructions (12 pages) if you have this problem or if you ever need to have this work done. I can scan in the directions and put it in a .tif file if anyone is interested in reading these. If so, email me.

Below is what I presented my the installer:

BMW M5 Windshield Noise

1. Do you have a copy of the BMW Technical Service Instructions for the Windshield installation?

2. Did you use BMW tool 51 3 130 (pretension support tool)?

3. Did you use BMW tool 51 3 120 to measure proper alignment?

4. Did you pretension the top of the windshield?

5. Did you use new BMW spacer buffers prior to installing the windshield? Were they placed in the correct locations? Did you use expanding foam tape at the base of the windshield per the BMW instructions?

6. Do you use a pneumatic or electric cartridge gun to apply the adhesive bead?

7. Did you cut the nozzle on the tip of the adhesive cartridge with an 8 mm by 11 mm slot per BMW spec?


BMW Parts List:

Windshield 51 31 7 059 697 List $325 Cost $276.25

Sealer Tape 51 48 8 224 782 List $8.40, Cost $7.14

Molding 51 318 159 784 List $32.25, Cost $27.41

Spacer Buffers, qty 3, .48 each

Subtotal $312.24


BMW Tools Needed:

51 3 130 Pretension Tool $13.00

51 3 210 Alignment Tool $7.00

My insurance was charged $995.

[FSETH]

That is pretty thorough, but I would be curious to know how many dealer subcontracted installers acutally follow these instructions to a "T". Did that guy ever mention what company the installer was with? Was it a well known establishment or a mom and pop glass shop?

[PAX5]

No sorry, I don't know, but feel free to search Roadfly.com

My experience here in the northeast is that BMW dealers use their own factory trained techs. My tech was thoroughly familiar with the procedure and took his time explaining to me how it was going to be done. It helped of course that I only had a $100 deductible and insisted on OEM glass from my insurance company ...

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by basora

My experience here in the northeast is that BMW dealers use their own factory trained techs. My tech was thoroughly familiar with the procedure and took his time explaining to me how it was going to be done. It helped of course that I only had a $100 deductible and insisted on OEM glass from my insurance company ...

It sounds like you found a good tech and yes, a $100 deductible makes all the difference in the world.

At the end of the day, you are probably right. I am sure there are some differences in the workmanship and the glass quality between companies like SafeLite and the BMW dealer (if they are doing it in-house with a trained tech). Otherwise, I would not use BMW as a contractor so to speak for glass repair. If they are going to call in a glass specialist to do the job, I would rather go to that guy direcly and cut BMW out of the mix. No need to utilize the BMW dealers as a middle man, imo.

[FSETH]

GoVols!,

I came across this thread discussing PPG and other brands of glass. One of the posters seems to be very knowledgeable in the subject.

"Glass Doctor" any good? - Toyota Tundra Forums : Tundra Solutions Forum

[ard]

There is nothing wrong with not using the dealer. IN FACT, I do not recommend a dealer to do a windshield!

Most farm it out to a glass company anyway.... the trick is to find the shop that does all the BMW jobs for the dealer!!

I recommend using a vendor that uses the BMW urethane kit, the BMW dams and spacers and seals, and has the BMW jigs and such to align the glass. My personal experience is limited to E39s.... I have a crack in the E70 but have not had it done yet. I might guess that the E70 is not as exacting as the E39?


There is no black and white on this- except Safelite simply has their own method they use on all cars and it is not necessarily equivalent to what the MFG recommends. there is no guarantee that a dealer will do it right, and no guarantee an indy will do it wrong.

I have no doubt that many people are over the moon with their safelite experiences...many people think BMWs paint has no orange peel...individual experiences vary. I am not going to say their experience is invalid.

But a windshield is not a brake pad.

Oh, didn't BMW have a X5 recall because they didn't apply the glue properly to the windshield? The glass is part of the safety system, and push comes to shove safelite cannot state their install methods do not impact the safety certification of the car itself. They will cite glass certifications, but it is the overall car that requires factory methods to retain the cert.

A

PS Just saw the M5 post...yes, that is the problems that E39s have had.

PPS Interesting link to Tundra forums. WTF do I know, huh?

[GoVols!]

Thanks to everyone for their help.