Heloha

When mine was replaced a few months ago, the mobile repair company replaced with a windshield that has both the UV coating and BMW logos. Since it was replaced though my toll road transmitter doesn't work??? I notice there is a clearer opening near the rear view mirror which I suppose is for the garage opener signal but even when I mount the transpoder there, It only works less than half the time...battery maybe???

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...cked+windshield

BlueMajik

I am going through this now. I have talked to Crevier BMW, Long Beach BMW, All Star Glass (near LBBMW) and Sunset Collision(they used to be onsite at LBBMW and were there Body shop). All ranged in prices installed from 685.00 to 1700.00 dollars.

My 530i MY05 had a pevious stress crack and windshield replaced last year (before I owned it). It is still under warranty. I did tell the SA at Nick's a rock hit the glass over the weekend. He said they would check for stress crack anyway. I guess he was being nice. Well I decided to go with Nick Alexander since they replaced the previous windshield and I don't have any noise.

The one think that was different from all of the shops was some (Crevier and LBBMW) said that the car had to "cure" or not move for 14 hours or so. This seemed to make sense to me being a woodworker, I know glue setup time is important. Sunset Collision who used to be onsite at LBBMW said the same cure time was needed. Nick Alexander BMW said his guy only needed 2 hours of glue time because he uses fast setting glue. I asked him about this and told him what the other dealers were saying about the glue time and he said it doesn't need to wait that long.

Anyone have any experience in this area. Also PM me and I'll share who has what prices. I think they all are ok (save for All star, buddy at the office had his Volvo done and it leaks).

TrevX

Stoley,

I live in the bay area and had the windshield on my X5 replaced due to a large heat/stress crack. I asked BMW of Mountain View how much to replace and they said $1200, but since I'm cool with my SA, he advised me to use SafeLite Autoglass, since BMW MV uses them for windshield replacement.

I called them up and they replaced with windshield for $400. Wasn't OEM, but fit perfectly and I didn't need to replace my rain sensor. They did a really good job, no noise, replaced my windshield molding, reattached rain sensor (works perfectly). I'm not trying to advertise for them, but rather just giving you an option to look at based on my previous experience. I used the safelite in redwood city so I can't say for sure about the quality of work at any of the other locations.

Like others have said, if you have HUD, you may want to verify that safelite has the appropriate glass. Otherwise, using them may save you some $$$.

Trev

pukka

Almost any windsheld can be completely replaced within a day. Drop it off in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. All that is done is remove the seals, remove the old windshield, install new windshield, replace the seals. I've never heard of a glass shop letting the windshield adhesive "cure" for more than a couple of hours.

I can't comment on the cost of a "HUD" functioning windshield. But normally, the cost of windshield's are tied to their availability. E60's certainly aren't rare, so I would think a normal windshield replacement should go around $500 - $600 depending on where you live. However, using OEM parts would probably drive the cost up high since its a BMW.

Somebody here please educate me becaue I have never heard of a windshield being vital to a car's chassis and stiffness as suggested by a previous post.

BMDiesel

My experiences with a number of lease cars ( meaning lots of kilometers in heavy traffic on modern (read: special and softer asphalt) roads)

- original window started to wear (lots of little pitts in it, causing the wipers to do a bad job wiping and a big problem with the sun in your face) after some 150.000kms. Had it replaced by such a fast fitter with another brand window. Lasted merely 35000km's and did not fit properly. The dash touched the glass as the rounding wasn't as it should have been so it creaked a lot. Window was fit in a garage but no time to cure. The guy also somehow broke our bent something that made the water go straight into the interior filter...... bad experience.

- other car, replaced by my regular mechanic who ordered an original brand, used proper care and the right adhesives to put the window in place. Window as new, no creaking. Left the kit to cure overnight.

- Other car again, had it done through the leasing company so cheap shit job: in a parking lot, no curing, even the guy's stand (to put the window on before mounting) had rubbers missing, still a surprise that the new window didn't pick up scratch on that. A day or two later, the car was parked imperfectly horizontal (sloping road to the curb) and water ran from the top to the bottom on the INSIDE. Brought it back, couldn't reproduce the problem with a hose so end of story.

- other car, wintertime. scratch the ice off the original many times. no problems. new window - non original - scratched the ice off with the same scraper and circumstances and had scratches on it (esp. noticable during low sun position)

- so in a next car I go for the original and not for a quick mounting. Insurance company in fact, accepted my own mechanic. be it with a little more payment as they loose their discount on sending people to the quick fitters. Nevertheless, got an original (much more expensive as it was coated and such) window for little money.

- current car (the E60) has little pitts in the windshield, were filled with resin but still visible (drove 115000km's to date) during low sun noticed a little Mars-landscape on it though. Probably will get it replaced after winter, as it has only 55000km's to go. Yippiee!!!!! )



Yes, the windows are part of the body stiffness. In the old days they were not and the windows could be put in in rubbers. Take them out and no difference (colder perhaps but not to the stiffness of the car). today's windows are glued in and that offers a direction for forces to dissipate over the car. take those out and the car flexes more. Hence the difficulty in creating coupe's and cabrios. They need more extra stiffness through metalwork than the old cars.

steve_gus

Surely a windscreen is a windscreen? I have never heard of anyone taking their car to a dealer for a screen - its normal for generic installers to fit glass.

I seriously doubt that a glass window is part of structural rigidity.......

Dandle

I dont know about the E60/61 but most modern cars the winscreen is indeed part of the structure of the car. Thats why its so important that when a new screen is replaced it is left normally overnight for it to cure. Even my 1980 Audi 100 the screen was part of the structure. Any decent fitter will tell you to leave it "X" amount of time, the problem is in the UK most windscreen are replaced by insuarance companies who sub the work out to numpties and all they are worried about is getting to the next insurance job not how well your screen is fitted. Thats also why alot of cars replaced windscreens are not OEM but pattern parts which in my experience arent as good as OEM.

pukka

I've always thought the difficulty in designing cabrios was the lack of a hard top roof - which really is vital to a cars structural integrity. But using glass to reinforce metal??? wow.

steve_gus

The reason that a 'soft top' car is less rigid is the lack of a box structure due to no roof. The floor, and the roof, braced by the A, B and C pillars (screen support, inter-door support and rear window side support) form this box structure.

I once did a major body repair to a unibody car ( an austin metro) that required half of one side and part of the rear to be removed. As soon as I cut the B and C pillars, the car became a totally flexible mess - all rigidity was lost. So, if you cut off the roof, the car will tend to sag in the middle of the floor, and worse, will have no tortional rigidity.

I can see how the windscreen may have some effect on twisting motion across the chassis, but its the loss of the roof 'box effect' that causes issues with soft top cars, not the windscreen.

pharding

I just got a quote to replace my windshield with a BMW "HUD" Windshield. The price was $610 for everything. My BMW dealer recommended the vendor. I am having it done on Friday. My windshield was the victim of a stone thrown up a reckless fool driving a Jeep SRT SUV that cut me off.