Yet another cracked windshield.

[subscience]

Add me to the list of people who've cracked their windshield.

After washing and drying my car on Sunday, I went to wipe down the engine. A few moments after opening the hood, I hear a loud "crack". I instantly knew what caused that sound and my heart sank: I had left the wiper blades up and opened the hood, causing the hood to lean on the blade arm which in turn transferred the pressure to the windshield. Two intertwining cracks about 5" each ran up from where the blade arm met the windshield. My neighbors probably heard the cacophony of four-letter words I was yelling.

Bah. And the worst part is I knew about this "feature" and told myself I'd always double check to make sure the wiper blades were down.

--

To all of those who've been unfortunate enough to be in this situation, what prices were you given for the part and labor? Santa Monica BMW said $425 for the windshield, but that seems way lower than anything I've read on the board ($1200+).

I'll probably call around BMW Service Centers to see windshield prices. Am I correct in assuming that all BMW Service Centers will charge the exact same amount of hours for labor?

Any other advice on this would be appreciated.

[MikeVictor]

I can empathise with you on this mate. I had a motorcycle tear past me near my favourite mountain roads, and being italian it chucked a bolt in hit the screen of my Subaru in February.

4 days before I'm due to sell same said car last week I had a stone hit me from 50 meters away, and overnight the crack appeared so I had to fix it again.

Thankfully insurance covered me at no cost. Still an awful feeling, but I imagine it's better than copping a stone on the bonnet and having the paint gouged out!

[Night1]

I got a small crack in my windshield two weeks after I got my car!

You gotta think about that......The damn thing came from another country, sails across the ocean, all without a bump.....and then it happens. :bangdesk:

[3toM]

I think another poster on here about 1 month ago or so broke his windshield the same exact way (wiper blades). Sorry to hear it.

[hbiscuit]

425 for windshield sounds right, not incl. labor

[The One]

This doesn't sound right to me...

How can a design flaw like this not be mentioned by anybody at the dealer.

Or a warning sticker somewhere on the car...
they have a warning sticker to cover there Butt's regarding ANY non BMW mod will void warrranty.

Just doesn't seem right

[KeithLM]

There's a warning in the manual about this. There's also a thread where four or five of us unlucky folks posted about this already.

$425 may be right for the glass, but for some reason they have to replace some sensors also. I had mine replaced by Safelite as requested by USAA. They got what they needed from the dealer and came to my office to do the work. I only had to pay my deductible.

[JTdrivin1]

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10468

the guy who replaced mine said the windschield costs about $350. i have full glass coverage on my insurance so i don't know what the final cost was.

[135iPSU]

will be sure to def not do this, sorry you had to be one of those unlucky ones, i cant imagine the feeling to hear that sound and to look up thinking i really hope its not what i think it was...

[syenisch]

Wow sorry to hear that man... I'm glad I normally don't pop my hood when washing my car. Normally I do exterior --> interior --> engine bay (rarely), so I don't have much risk of popping the hood w/ the wiper arms up.

[EspressoBoy]

I think this totally sucks! I guess it's everyone's fault who does it... but still... It can be anyone of us!!! Any chance you could take a pic of it broken to be used as a sticky for newbies! We really should have a list of 10 commandments for this car! (then keep adding suggestions)

I think this is number 1!!!!

I posted before about this and windows being installed by businesses who go cheap! I highly suggest you do the ground work yourself.

Get the quote, shop around window shops. Do not use just the cheapest ones. SEE their work etc. Make sure they do higher end cars.

I had a Corolla and I didn't know sqwat about windows, I just assumed when they said it would be done correctly, it would. Boy was I wrong!

They used cheap Chinese glass. They re-used the rubber seal, and they scratched the paint. They also made ripples in the seal as they had re-used it. I didn't know how to go about complaining, so I didn't. Well when I had a smash and grab, I went all out to find good glass. I also went to 5 shops. In the end, I got the dealer to do it, but regretted it in the end. They would tell me oh it has to have this marking to be true OEM, then after I waited 4 hours, it didn't have what they had just told me it was going to have. Boy was I mad. Anyway, because the car was 7 years old, and I was going to sell it, I let it go. But on this car!!! I would go all out.

So those of you, please shop around. Do not assume dealership is always the best. Most if not all, just have their own glass people, they are not actually part of the dealership. Most already know this... but those who don't, ask lots of questions and get prices etc.

Over all, it's best to control and know everything yourself. Over and over I see the same thing..."Oh Mr... blah blah, we only do the best...because we are the dealership..." Well, I have yet to see that. I think there is nothing better than talking to the person who actually does the work!

All the best, and let us know what it looks like when the job is done. In my opinion if you can tell it has been changed, it is not a good job!

EspressoBoy

[JTdrivin1]

Originally Posted by EspressoBoy

Any chance you could take a pic of it broken to be used as a sticky for newbies!

there's a pic of my windshield in the thread referenced above...

[Perfect128]

Subscience - I was one of those on the original thread who broke my windshield. BMW dealer gave me a ~$1200 quote. I got it done from a local reputable shop using BMW glass for just under $600. East Bay area in Northern CA.

[subscience]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. I'm in the process of calling around and receiving quotes for part & labor. I'll let you guys know what they give me. I'll also try to snap a pic of the crack tonight.

I'm still pretty bummed over it!

[LA2DC]

Lyrics of the song 99 broken windshields on the wall...

99 broken windshields on the wall, 99 broken windshields on the wall.
Take one down and place it on the ground, 98 broken windshields off the wall.
98 broken windshields on the wall, 98 broken windhsields.
Take one down and place it on the ground, 97 broken windshields of the wall.
97 broken windshields on the wall, 97 broken windshields.
Take one down and place it on the ground, 96 broken windshields on the wall...

I can't do it anymore. Only 3 days old. 09' 135 White on bread, I mean red.

Picked it up on Saturday night, stormed for the next three days. Left it parked in my garage. Then decided to wash it myself. If I took it too a car wash it probably would've never happened. But then again I worked hard for the car and like to get the most of it. Well at least not another WINDSHIELD too the list.

The car was simply perfect, went to grab the camera and I noticed a slight water mark coming from the hood, I went and popped the hood and walked to the front of the car.

I HAD NO intention of fully opening the hood. I wanted to just wipe the outer trim. I unlocked the safety latch, and the look on my face was &^%%#@ PRICELESS when I heard the sound of the entire windshield cracking and spidering.

I must say that yes the wipers were up but the force of the hydro arms on the hood were absolutely too powerful. If your wimpy muscles can't lift the hood of your car then how the hell can you turn your steering wheel.

For those who opted for power ass steering you should of gotten a 5series.
I dont care about the sunroof, nav, etc.. weight saving shit because this is not a race car, but a car I enjoy driving to work, grocery, etc.

Point made I'm alittle butt hurt.
Lets start a pole on surveymonkey.com
thanks

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by LA2DC

I must say that yes the wipers were up but the force of the hydro arms on the hood were absolutely too powerful. If your wimpy muscles can't lift the hood of your car then how the hell can you turn your steering wheel.

I can sympathize with your pain as I've done this too. But I do question what happened. I checked my hood today after I washed the car and it doesn't get away from me at all. I have to raised the hood to about 20" before it rises on its own. At anything below 16" it drops down on its own with a decent amount of force. Yours may be set differently, but I'd be surprised if releasing the latch was all it took for the hood to rise on its own.

Also, it takes very little force to break the windshield in this instance. I'm fairly certain I was guiding the hood up, that I didn't just let it go, when mine broke. I seem to recall feeling the resistance and then I heard a pop. Because of the shape of the windshield wiper arm it pierces the glass, and if the point is sharp enough it'll pop that glass easily. If they made that arm a square tube instead of U shaped, that might actually make a difference in which part breaks.

[LA2DC]

I was at the dealership and they gave me the old, "you should of had your wipers down". (no shit) But we noticed how in fact that for everyone to be aware that the hood will press against the 'U joint' on the bottom of the center wiper. That is what transfers the pressure. Gee wiz, a sticker would of been great.

Sorry, that new little bitch just got me so excited. haha

[BSM 135i]

not recent but maybe 2-3 months ago driving down the freeway and i hear this LOUD bang and this ugly bastard was looking right at me. it's only chipped, sorry phone pics but can this be patched up?

[KeithLM]

Typically if the chip is less than the size of a quarter or thereabouts it can be repaired. The sooner you get it done the better. If you wait to long a crack can form and then it has to be replaced.

[Year1of1]

why dont u call ur insurance company?

i had a rock hit my 1er a the first week i had it and they fixed it for free

[Xin1120]

i had the same rock chip. Got it fixed at Crack Dr. for free. They said there was some new recent law that will allow insurance companies to fix it and not raise your rates.

[penny]

Hey, I knew about it too and I still forgot to put my blades down. My insurance covered everything.

If you're gonna pay out of pocket: I called up a local dealer and asked them to repair it. They then forwarded me to the body shop. The body shop said if it's just windshield repair they contract that out. So I asked who they contract with... after some hesitation he told me. It was around $500 I think for OEM glass and installation. I forgot. No more than $1,000.