300c4

Hi all.
I have 2012 E350 4matic and the Front Windshield has 2 big cracks.
I found out that it needs a new one.
I have $250 deductible

Where do I go to get it replaced? MB dealer? or Safelite?
Safelite gives different choices of the windshield, I'm not sure which one I need....

instantfob

If you are replacing it through insurance then go with factory windshield.

hyperion667

yes, factory windshield..agree with fob...had one replaced at the dealer once(E63).......they brought an offsite contractor in to do the job and it was done perfectly

good luck

Live Oak

You are going to pay the deductible either way. INSIST on a factory windshield.

I got a rock hit a couple months ago. Had the dealer install it. The total bill to State Farm was $1,200+ and I paid $250.

RSIKR

Agree with all of the posters insist on a factory windshield. If you trade or sell the factory windshield could make a difference in value. I have State Farm with 0 deductible on Comprehensive. I contacted them and tried to get it done through the dealer. They would not pay the dealer price who would have used a glass company but sourced the material themselves. I spoke to three or four glass companies suggested by State Farm and one of them agreed to a factory windshield installed for the State Farm price.

Make certain the installer removes the Mercedes Benz sticker in the lower passenger side of your existing glass and reinstalls it in the new windshield. It is an extra cost item that insurance would not pay for.

Live Oak

In my experience, dealer installation, they installed a new sticker. The original was a "Mercedes Benz" sticker. The new one they installed was a "Daimler" sticker.

It's gotta be a $1.00 item anyway.

RSIKR

Believe it or not the glass company said $25.00. It is a Mercedes Benz. Another reason I pointed it out was the installer might overlook it. Usually they will move every sticker you have on the windshield without being asked. State Farm specifically said they would not pay for any manufacturer stickers. They did not specify our cars just manufacturer applied stickers.

ImInPA

I had to replace a windshield and there were no aftermarket options. It was all done with MB OEM glass through Safelite. I am not sure if the aftermarket is now making glass. What is with all of these high comprehensive deductibles? Mine is $50 for comprehensive. To take mine up to $250 would only save me $30/year. To go to $500, it would save me $48/year. For me, in my area, windshields have a limited life span. A low comprehensive deductible takes all of the worry out of these normal inconveniences.

thenew3

Here in CA comprehensive premiums are much higher. to go from $500 to $100 It would be $150 more per year in premium. going to a $0 deductible from $500 would cost an additional $275 per year.

However we do have what my insurance agent calls "Glass Buyback" where the glass deductible is only $100 regardless of what your comprehensive deductible is. and this coverage is about $5 a year. I've used it a few times to replace windshields. They have a $25 coupon that reduces the deductible to $75.

ImInPA

thenew3: That is a great option. When my windshield was cracked, the replacement was around $1000. Cracked windshields are a common occurrence in my neck of the woods due to the salt and gravel laid down during the winter months. Even $150/year is cheap insurance against the cost of the repair.

thenew3

Not sure if every insurance company has that. I'm with farmers, and it was well worth it to add the "glass buyback" option onto my policy. It covers all glass on the vehicle with $100 deductible. and my agent always gives me $25 coupons when I use their recommended shop for the replacement (Acme auto glass, they come out to your house/office to replace the glass). so basically pay a $75 deductible every time the glass needs to be replaced.
It only added about $5 to my yearly premium and allowed me to keep my comprehensive deductible at $500. Even with 2 replacements/deductibles a year, that's still $150, less than what it would cost to lower my comprehensive to a $0 deductible coverage.

RSIKR

In May of 2012 when mine was replaced there was aftermarket glass available and that was the reason for my statement about insisting on OEM glass. I only found one company of the 3 or 4 suggested by my insurer that was willing to do it with MB OEM material for the price paid by my company.

I agree with you about the likelihood of glass damage. I have $0 on comp and I have gone 3 or 4 years with no damage and then have gotten 3 in a year or two. Whatever it costs me more in the premium is worth it.

300c4

I called dealer and they said 'safelite' will do all the repair so I thought it must be aftermarket.

Whats difference going to safelite directly vs dealer?

telemakhos

I had an older E with a cracked windshield. I spoke to a local automotive glass company and he said that he in fact used to be subcontracted by the dealership IIRC. He said that the customers he has had rarely insisted on an OEM windshield. I had my replaced with a PPG windshield and never had any issues with it.

As for the sticker, the parts guy at the dealership gave it to me for free. All I did was ask.

Good luck.

thenew3

the main difference is the label. One will likely say PPG while the other Mercedes. If you trade your car later, having a non-mercedes windshield may cause you to get a little less for your trade.

If your insurance is paying for it, request whoever you choose to do the work to get an OEM windshield. Safelite can order an OEM windshield just like your dealer. Most dealers don't do windows, they contract to a 3rd party like safelite or acme.

Live Oak

Does not the Mercedes windshield have an extra layer for sound suppression?

Or was that all hype?

thenew3

Many modern vehicles have this. two thin layers of glass with a plastic film in the middle to absorb noise.

They also make it ultra thin to lighten weight thus saving fuel. But because of this, it's more likely to chip or crack.

I've cracked quite a few over the last few years. Especially bad in the winter time when there is ice and sand/rocks on the road. On highways without a divider, when a 18 wheeler comes at you at 70mph and you're going 70mph and a piece of ice or a small rock gets kicked up will guarantee a chip or crack (if not immediately, within a few hundred miles the crack will develop).

My current 2013 E350 with 2k miles on it already has 2 chips on the windshield.

There are a handful of glass companies in the world that makes glass for our vehicles (probably just 2 or 3) so there is a good chance that even the aftermarket glass you buy will likely be made by the same mfg on the same production line, only the label will be different.

I believe Mercedes OEM glass is made either by PPG or Pilkington. Those are probably the two biggest auto glass manufacturers in the world.

On my BMW that needed a new windshield, I had ordered BMW OEM glass from a BMW dealer, it arrived in a large box with Pilkington label on the box, but BMW label on the glass itself. (there was also a BMW part # on the box as well).

El Cid

In some states, S.C. for example, if you have comprehensive, insurance pays 100% of cost of new windshield.
BTW, as with most parts, windshields come from a contractor somewhere.
Years ago I purchased an unasembled lawn mower and there were stickers inside for three different companies. The stickers were for three different "brands" of lawn mowers.