I was at the post office for about 10-15 mins, and when I got in my car and drove off, I noticed this huge (about 8") crack on my windshield!

Car is only a little over a year old and I get this as a present? I can't believe no one saw what happened (there was a guy selling hot dogs in front of the post office and said he didn't see a thing). This just made my day............

Anyone in the Bay Area (near Sunnyvale) have any suggestions as to where to go? I want it done ASAP. Otherwise, I guess I will just go to my dealer.

Thanks in advance.

 

Is prbly the guy selling hot dogs that did it...

 

damn windshield-cracking-wiener-salesmen !!!

--------------> seriously, a couple of thoughts:

- does Post Office have any outside surveillance cameras ???

- I would recommend that you find out who the dealer outsources for windshield repair.
Contact your insurance company and go through them directly. However, ensure they use OEM MB parts (windshield with sensors), weather stripping, etc...
And it's not a quicky 2-hour job done in your employer's parking lot while you wait. Car needs to sit still after installation for at least 24 hours.

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

It depends. Was the crack blond, brunette or red head?

 

If it is just a crack with no chips or obvious evidence of being struck by an object, it may be due to a manufacturing defect within the glass and the crack may have appeared due to a difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the vehicle.

Who knows....maybe the hotdog guy secretly works for a glass company and sneaks around whacking windshields with his company's secret windshield cracking device....a steel cylinder painted to look like an innocent, juicy hotdog.

 

Carlos,

Not trying to diss you or your experience in any way, but I used my Ins. Co.'s 3rd-party installer w/ great success. And it didn't take 2-hrs; more like 20-minutes in my parking lot. The latest adhesives set in <1-hr, & it isn't rocket-science to do a windshield replacement. I'd be willing to bet large sums that MB uses the same adhesives & techniques as my installer. Of course, this may all vary by location. After he was finished, all was as good as stock. More info in <https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108479>. Again, just my $0.02. Best,

--kirk

 

He said Huge crack, I was thinkin Oprah.


Is a broken winshield caused by a stress crack excluded from warranty? I would examine the possibility with the dealer that this might be a manufacturing defect, and let them pick up the tab.

 

No. If there is no chip in the glass it should be covered under warranty. Look at it and run your finger along the crack line and see if you can feel anything.

 

Thanks for all the comments / advice.

I just visited the dealer today and though there are no visible chips, the dealer will NOT replace it under warranty.

According to service advisor, service manager says no go. I was told that if you run your finger or a pen along the cracked part of the windshield, the crack is a bit deeper about 1" from the edge of the windshield. This supposedly means that the crack didn't start at the edge, which also means that there must have been some sort of impact?

Anyway, I'm not really sure how you would determine whether a crack formed because of a manufacturer defect.. any ideas? Plus, let's just say the crack was in fact caused by some sort of impact (as the service advisor / manager suggested)... shouldn't there be some sort of chip in the glass? It's just not very reassuring to find out that the windshield of a 1 yr old car can crack so easily..

 

Oh yes, and after having a few friends look at the glass... I realized that there is no "obvious evidence of being struck by an object".

And yeah, I agree with the SA that the crack is a wee bit deeper 1" away from the edge of the glass (where it supposedly started). But thing is, you can barely tell the difference.

Any recommendations on what to do? Try another dealer? Just pay for the windshield? I hear that it is very difficult to get MB to replace the winshield under warranty bc it's not covered...

 

shouldn't the insurance company pick up the tab if you went through them? it should be covered under comp so it won't make your rates go up. you would just have to pay the deductable. ??

 

Nothing they said to you indicates it was hit by something. Maybe the spot where the "crack is a wee bit deeper 1" away from the edge of the glass" is in fact the spot where the manufacturing defect is. Request the regional service advisor to make a decision. Be nice, just tell them you do not agree with their assessment and want to take it to a higher authority in MB.

 

I'm sure the dealer would like to have the work, but of course they want to be paid for doing it. Evidently they just don't think they can persuade M-B to pay them as a manufacturer's warranty job.
As has been mentioned here before, if you have to pay for it yourself, consider having a good local glass shop do it using a genuine M-B glass - much cheaper than having the dealer do it.

 

Spicy,

I still think your crack is the result of a defect in the glass. It's too bad that the service manager is not willing to help. Mini Cooper owners were having a lot of problems with defective glass and many of the cracks started about an inch from the edge of the windshield.

Check out the information on this site. It mentions defects and how glass is sensitive to temperature.

http://www.auto-glass.com/ws.htm

 

I hope MBUSA listens to you and has the glass replaced for you. If they cannot point to a point of impact, it should be a manufacturing defect. Be persistant and polite.

 

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!

Finally picked up the car this morning. My dealer (Beshoff) wouldn't fix it but the service manager at Smythe was nice enough to OK it as under warranty after a bit of reasoning with him

My only complaint though is that the Daimler signature was not on the new windshield. So I talked to my SA... he told me it only comes on the factory windshield and that it's actually a sticker / decal that he can have a tech put on for me.

At first I was really happy about him doing me this favor, but when all was done I noticed that the lettering on the sticker looks very weird... I also noticed that part of the sticker is in area where the dotted black bumps are. Now it looks like I just got an aftermarket sticker and stuck it on myself!

 

SpicyC320,
have them re-do it, and demand that it looks just like the new ones on the lot.
Dealers sell the MB (DaimlerChrysler) windshield decals. Some as low as $0.50 each.
It takes a certain bit of patience and persistence in getting it placed just right !

Make them do it right !!!

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

Sounds like you did some "sweet" talking! Go back in there and do more of it to have them re-do it correctly. Keep us updated.

Carlos (aka Saprissa) had posted this on another thread. It shows the different MB decals.

https://mbworld.org/forums/general-mercedes-discussion/110683-mb-windshield-decals.html