I was driving on the freeway and a rock hit the windshield and created a penny sized chip. The chip had a crack that has expanded and is now about 6 inces across and extends to the edge of the windshield. Obviously, it is beyond repair and replacement is the only option. My insurance company has informed me that if I get it replaced at their authorized shop, there is no deductible on my part. If I take it to the dealer, they are telling me I have to pay my normal deductible. I'm in the state of California. Is anyone familar with the laws here and what the insurance company can and cannot do? Thanks.

Also, is there a site that has all the TSB's for the 211 including the detailed description of the bulletin?

 

Not familiar with CA insurance laws.. sorry.

But, regarding the TSBs, try the Alldata site: http://www.alldata.com, here's the direct link to the 2004 e500 TSBs: http://www.alldata.com/TSB/35/0435buas.html.

GL.

 

Here are some links that made me think about the wisdom of replacing the windshield instead of repairing. I have no personal experience with these products. I saw on their website that this company is from Colorado.

Does anyone have any experience with the Ultrabond long crack windshield repair or with the Glasshield protection? Do you think this is marketing hype?
http://www.ultrabond.com
http://www.edgeguardusa.com

I have asked this question before but haven't gotten a response.

At the very least, it will make you more aware of getting a really good technician to replace the windshield as it is an important part of the safety equation.

William
2003 E 320

 

What does your contract (policy) say about it? They are written to conform to each state's insurance rules. Claims are goverened by whatever it says.

 

Be VERY careful with who you let replace your windshield and do not skimp. It is an integral safety component of the car. I had to have mine replaced several months ago and my insurance wanted me to go to one of the chain outfits. I told them no way, I bought a MB, I want MB glass and the dealer to do it. I had to pay upfront but did get paid back.

One of the news magazine TV shows (60 minutes, I think) did a spot a few years ago on those chain/mobile places. What a horror. Never realized how important the handling of the glass was. They showed cars that were involved in accidents after windshield replacement and it wasn't pretty. Several people died as a result of faulty handling/installation.

 

What Does Your Contract Say?

 

The guys who are telling you to read your policy are right on target.

Whatever the State insurance laws say, as long as your policy doesn't violate public policy or explicit law, that's what controls. Lots of companies do this, they have their own estimators and require where you take your car for body work, etc. If you take it somewhere else, you have to pay the difference.

That said, glass is NOT glass. When I got a replacement windshield for my old Z28 I went to a well-respected chain and they put their own brand in. It had areas of wavy distortion. So they replaced it, very apologetic. Guess what? The new one was the same way, but not as bad. Third try was the charm because this time they replaced it with factory glass.

Thus, see if you can get the insurance company to do the replacement at their place of choice, but using MBZ glass. That's the only way to be sure you get what you should. If not, pay the deductible, get the real glass and either get a rider for proper glass replacement or switch insurance companies.

Don't you just love fine print?

 

What ever the insurance co says have it replaced at an MB dealer with MB glass. Even if it costs you a few bucks.

 

I couldn't agree with this statement more..... My brother in-law is in the auto glass business and I too am fully aware of the importance of the glass in your auto, especially in a roll-over. Pay the exta $$$ and have it done by the dealer or a reputable company.... And for gods sake make sure they do it in a "controlled enviornment" like in a shop and NOT out in a parking lot... Primer and surgical gloves are a must.

That being said, I too was driving down the road and saw this huge crack appear in my windshield.... Lucky I was able to catch it on film while it happened.... Check out the damage.

 

thanks for the responses...i guess i'll go read the fine print now. i read all the previous posts about windshield repair and that's why it is being replaced at the dealer.

x72 - i've had a repair done on a previous car and would not do that again. it was ok in the beginning and the crack never spread, but over time it became noticable and an eyesore on the window.

Miguk - thanks for the link...i am aware of that site, but to get detailed info you need to subscribe. is there a site with no subscription that i can get the detailed TSB info?

LOL...those pics are just wrong.

 

OMG, HOH, who isn't turned on!! LOL!!! Chirac be damned, we've got the booty!

 

Hole cow!!! my Eyes !!!!

 

vtec26:
Looks like some of us became a little distracted and forgot your second question. The free source for recalls and techical service buttetins is the National Highway and Safety Administration. Here is the link:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

You can drill down from the home page and look up both Recalls and TSB. If you need the full information on a TSB, I believe there is a small fee for reprints.

Good luck on the windshield. Only through a MB dealer with original MB glass is my advice. Taking short cuts on a $50M car is not wise.

Windy in San Francisco.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that Mercedes Benz should be the only one who changes your windshield. I personally have zero-deductible insurance and I have had to use it many times. Now that my W211’s windshield got hit and cracked, I immediately got it fixed. This was what happened:

State Farm said that they will cover the windshield (even an OEM windshield) however!!!! The installation had to be done by one of their approved installers. I decided that the dealer had to do it, and then I would have to pay the difference in cost.

My service advisor told me that Mercedes says that there should be certain parts (like gaskets) changed and not reused. My advisor also told me of the horror stories that they get from vendors such as Elite Auto Glass who try and reuse everything. They have damaged the rain sensing wiper optics along with the windshield wiper arms when they have tried to insert the new windshields under the hood and the wipers! They have even had to repaint hoods when the wiper arms got jammed into the back edge of the engine hood. Also, people who don’t know what they are doing overdo it with the black adhesive and make smudges all over the car. Even when you place a sunshade inside the windshield, the black stuff stains the shade because it was over applied. Also, the rain gutters that keep the water from hitting the side windows also gets either bent or ruined.

These are just the visible issues that they have caused, imagine what would happen if the rigidity of the windshield had to be tested if you got in an accident!

So, after shopping around on the phone to find the prices of all the authorized windshield installers, I found Elite Auto Glass (of all people) to be only $00.01 more expensive than my dealer’s cost. So I then got a check in the mail from my insurance company for the job and scheduled an appointment at my dealer. When the car was done, the dealer was even able to keep the original signature sticker (since the new ones have dorky fonts) and they did an absolutely superb job! There is no way of telling anything was done!

So, when I got invoiced, the job was about $50.00 cheaper than my adviser had originally quoted my insurance, so I pocketed the cash difference!

Even If I had to pay $200 out of my own pocket, I would only have the dealer change my windshield. As you might see if the attachments, it is about 6 hours of labor! These other folks do it in about 1 hour, what does that tell you about the quality of their work??

I hope this helps,

Steve

PS. Oh, even the crack on my windshield was not as big as the crack riding on the back of the bike! I guess if that if that driver wants to haul A$$, it will take him two trips!

 

L.O.L....