[DRTMGRT]

After leaving the gym today, I noticed a huge (8-9" or so) crack in my windshield. Called up the dealer's parts department. To no surprise they quoted me a new windshield at $1006 with 3-6 hours of labor. I'm going to call up the insurance. Hopefully they'll cover it with no out of pocket cost. We shall see.

Anyone have any experience getting a windshield replaced???

Thanks -J

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by DRTMGRT

After leaving the gym today, I noticed a huge (8-9" or so) crack in my windshield. Called up the dealer's parts department. To no surprise they quoted me a new windshield at $1006 with 3-6 hours of labor. I'm going to call up the insurance. Hopefully they'll cover it with no out of pocket cost. We shall see.

Anyone have any experience getting a windshield replaced???

Not on the i3, but based on my E90 experience, the quote above is not unusual for a BMW dealer. They never do the work, rather, they will park your car, and call Safelite or a similar company to come and do the installation.

The dealer will, however, use a BMW part # glass and a new BMW part # gasket. The latter is important, and inexpensive way to insure the new windshield will not leak. Most 3rd party installers skip that part and reuse the old gasket, which may, or may not, get damaged during removal. If you go with a 3rd party (Safelite, etc), you may want to insist that they source a brand new gasket.

BMW part # glass is not made by BMW (Securit or one frequent supplier, there are others). BMW dealer glass is no better than OEM equivalent, but it does come with a roundel emblem. It is not required for optical clarity or lease return compliance reasons - the glass is glass. But some people insist on having that roundel in the corner.

For some unusual applications (HUD, for example), the dealer may be the only source of glass.
I don't know if that holds true for "i3" glass, or not.

a

[DRTMGRT]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Not on the i3, but based on my E90 experience, the quote above is not unusual for a BMW dealer. They never do the work, rather, they will park your car, and call Safelite or a similar company to come and do the installation.

The dealer will, however, use a BMW part # glass and a new BMW part # gasket. The latter is important, and inexpensive way to insure the new windshield will not leak. Most 3rd party installers skip that part and reuse the old gasket, which may, or may not, get damaged during removal. If you go with a 3rd party (Safelite, etc), you may want to insist that they source a brand new gasket.

BMW part # glass is not made by BMW (Securit or one frequent supplier, there are others). BMW dealer glass is no better than OEM equivalent, but it does come with a roundel emblem. It is not required for optical clarity or lease return compliance reasons - the glass is glass. But some people insist on having that roundel in the corner.

For some unusual applications (HUD, for example), the dealer may be the only source of glass.
I don't know if that holds true for "i3" glass, or not.

a

I was more concerned with the glass having to be oem for lease turn in. Thanks for touching on that!!

After speaking with USAA (my insurance) they are charging me 500 for the deductible. When I asked about having it done at the dealer instead through safellite, they said anything over their 720 limit would be out of pocket. To add to that, that 720 is comprised of my 500 deductible and USAA's generous contribution of 220.

Being that I don't know the source of the crack (rock or other debris) is there any way it could possibly be due to the structural integrity of the glass itself or the frame it sits in?

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by DRTMGRT

After speaking with USAA (my insurance) they are charging me 500 for the deductible. When I asked about having it done at the dealer instead through safellite, they said anything over their 720 limit would be out of pocket. To add to that, that 720 is comprised of my 500 deductible and USAA's generous contribution of 220.

Depending on the state, glass claims are handled as either "comprehensive" claim (subject to deductible), or under a separate "glass" policy that may zero or some other decutible.

The $720 limit is pure USAA's BS.
I heard similar about Geico, did not know USAA went bottom feeding these days as well.

Push on them to cover full cost (net of deductible), as quoted. .
Get a formal quote from BMW dealer/Safelite, and demand that USAA covers the full cost of repair.
They will back off, eventually, and cover all of it.

Originally Posted by DRTMGRT

Being that I don't know the source of the crack (rock or other debris) is there any way it could possibly be due to the structural integrity of the glass itself or the frame it sits in?

Hard to guess.
Could be a defective sheet of glass, could be environmental influences, could be impact damage.

a