Thanks for confirming what I was thinking.

 

Lucky you my dealer charged me 860$+taxes!!!

 

Hey, i didn't say the whole car is held together by the windscreen. I just meant that it helps

Mind that all windows help, not just the front window.

 

There are some poorly made and unsafe windshields being sourced from low-cost countries and pushed around the world.

Don't go cheap on something that protects your life.

http://www.carwindshields.info/

 

My windshield, after only one winter, looks like someone bead or sand blasted it! I have pits and chips all over the place. I've never owned a car with such soft glass for a windshield. I thought i had some over-spray of wax or something on there the past few days, so I washed it off real good and even clayed the area....still looked the same. I leaned in and got a real close look, and it turns out they are all pits/chips and little chunks taken out around the same 6-inch long area, as well as all over to a smaller degree. I get rained upon with highway dust and salt every day from the modern day cars and trunks that no longer use mudflaps, and even the big trucks with mudflaps still spew rocks all over. It's a true sandblasting, and this BMW glass is just too soft!

 

if the car is still under warranty, the dealership will replace the windshield for free, correct?

the wipers have scratched my windshield i think. i cant clean the smears off, so im guessing that theyre scratches.

 

BlueMajik and others in SoCal-
I'm interested in hearing your experiences with the local SoCal dealers. I live in So OC and just had my windshield hit by a rock resulting in a crack which grew from ~2" to over 6" in the course of 3 days. Since the car is also out of warranty, I've contacted my insurance co. and waiting to hear from them. I'd like to hear more about where best to go, what to ask for and how much I should expect to fork over. My wife did some quick calling around with independent glass places and they quoted her anywhere from 75-400. With dealers (Crevier, LB, Shelley) she got 1200-2250. I want to make sure the job is done right and if insurance does cover it i'll go with where it is best done, not necessarily by price.

 

I am hoping that the owners here have liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance on their cars.
My copay/deductible is the same regardless of where I go. It is covered under comprehensive. Go for the dealership replacement. If you have problems you have somewhere to go. Glass shops go out of business often and do not warrant their work against stress fractures. Yes, the windshield is part of the structure of the car.
My insurance has never gone up due to a comprehensive calim including extensive damage to my truck due to hurricane Katrina.

 

I do have comprehensive and like you, my deductible is the same regardless of who fixes it. Hence, I want to make sure the job is done right. Just want to know and educate myself as to what questions to ask the dealer and what to watch out for so that I know it is being done properly.

 

I went the cheap route and regretted it because my rain sensors won't work with aftermarket windshield. GO OEM and save yourself some headache like i'm going through. $800 is a great deal since i was quoted $1300 just for the part itself plus $200 labor.