Arctic2010

I just purchased my car a couple weeks ago and got a giant crack in the windshield today. The windshield needs to be replaced. My insurance company will fully cover an aftermarket windshield. Is it worth it for me to consider paying the difference for a factory windshield? I am getting contradictory info between the insurance company and a glass company I contacted. The glass company said if I get an aftermarket windshield, it will mess with electrical systems and I should absolutely get a factory part. Insurance company says he aftermarket is just as good. Any recommendations will be appreciated.

75gasgas

I had mine replaced last year. Turned out the cost difference was $8 so, I just went with factory glass. I believe they had to order it through dealer though.
Good luck!

Arctic2010

Thanks for the quick reply. That's a bit of a relief that it's not as much as I thought it would be. I thought I would have to put in another 500 at least. If it's that little I will definitely pay the difference for factory glass.

beejAMG

if its not that much of a difference, go for factory and have it replaced at the dealership for warranty purposes. goodluck mate!

Youngd

Do you have the "OEM" endorsement on your insurance policy? If not, I would strongly recommend adding it for this type of car. If your car is leased, the terms of the lease may require you to have it. With the OEM endorsement you will receive factory parts.

Insurance companies will almost always want to use aftermarket or rebuilt parts on these cars saying they are just as good. They may even say the aftermarket part is guaranteed for as long as you own the car. However, most repair shops will disagree and it usually becomes an issue at repair time.

On the flip side of this is the possibility that the car may be deemed totaled sooner when the OEM endorsement applies as the cost to repair will no doubt be higher.

aceboy44

I do not know about the cost of Mercedes in the USA but here in Kuwait, the aftermarket windshield is 40 KWD ($132 USD) and the dealer here quoted me 370 KWD ($1,223 USD) to get & install the factory windshield

I decided to go for the aftermarket windshield. Electrical systems in my car are working flawless, but when there is rain the wipers will not remove the water on my windshield as good as the factory windshield (it is still not worth paying $1,000 for it don't you think so?)

Anyways I just wanted to inform you about my experience with the aftermarket windshield.

BetterTomorrow

OEM, you may end up paying the difference between what your insurance company is willing to pay for aftermarket vs OEM cost. This should probably be more apparent if you car is equipped with lane departure (single camera). More optioned cars with dual cameras on windshield may prove to be quite challenging to replace windshield as I found out because the shop may not have proper part number for it.

thefisch

Got to know the price difference first, but I agree that OEM would be the way to go. I would try to get a couple of glass companies to tell you that you'll have problems with aftermarket glass and features like lane keep, sensing wipers, etc. and then use that as leverage with insurance if the cost difference is worth the effort.

I need to check my policy to see if it has an OEM endorsement. My Honda got a new windshield a few months ago. Insurance (State Farm) didn't even wince when I said I want OEM. When the installer came, he was surprised I didn't have to pay OOP. So maybe I do have it or State Farm is different.

KEY08

Florida has a unique auto glass replacement law, so maybe that has something to do with it?

thefisch

FL law allows a free replacement under comprehensive coverage so you don't have to pay your deductible. But I don't think it requires OEM glass. The installer only works in my area so it must not be the law, just my policy I guess.

The G Man

I would push for an OEM windshield if you cannot get a Mercedes windshield. Aftermarket windshield usually have quality and fitment problems. Make sure the installer knows their way after a Mercedes.

@dman

I went through a similar thought process recently with my 2012 E550. My insurance company noted my request for factory/OEM replacement, and when the Safelite tech arrived to replace my windshield he shared the $400 price difference between the covered/free replacement and factory version. We looked over both factory and non-factory and aside from the labels I couldn't see any differences worth the $400 driver funded up charge for Mercedes part. The tech installed the standard glass and everything worked as expected. If I had a new car it might have been different, but a few months in and everything is tight.

-Adam

Arctic2010

I don't have the OEM endorsement. I checked with my insurance company and they just offer the basic glass coverage that only includes aftermarket parts because it's a six-year-old car.

Arctic2010

That was it, the label. I was concerned that if I did not have the Mercedes parked and went to sell my car it wouldn't sell well. After checking out prices from Safelite and from a glass company that is hired by my dealership to me please cause, I learned that Safelite would have charged over 600 that I would have to cover for a factory glass where is the glass company used by my dealership would've charged me under 300 for the same glass. I decided to go with the glass company that my dealership uses and when speaking with him, I decided to go with aftermarket glass. He said though that the company he would be using is the company that makes glass or high-end cars. He said the glass would be the same quality glass just without the Mercedes logo and I would have no out of pocket cost.

dbldpr

The oem will say Mercedes benz on it. The aftermarket will not. I agree if the difference is minimal go with OEM if not get the aftermarket and then order a decal to etch Mercedes Benz in the glass. There was a place in New York that I got etching from for the 57 chevy I had.. Do not know if they are still in business but someone out there should be able to give you an etch decal

fosterelli

We're going through this with our 2016 Escalade and 2014 E350 right now. Both have cracks. The Cadillac dealer here uses a local glass company for all of their windshield replacements. The glass guy said the OEM and aftermarkets can be virtually identical, even from the same glass factories in a lot of cases (because they set up shape/size/application and run all of their OEM and aftermarket windshields simultaneously). Then the appropriate markings are put on (for OEM it would be the Mercedes info).

Unfortunately, the Escalade has the heads up display and there isn't a high-quality aftermarket one available yet. They told me I should do OEM on the Escalade and aftermarket on the E350 because I won't know the difference on the Benz, other than the writing.

I'm an OEM man personally, but windshields get chipped and cracked in this dirty Houston area all day long...I got three chips in one week! The Escalade only has 7K miles and already cracked. FML!

mwmeci

My replacement windshield came with a MB decal to mimic the original.
My dealer didn't install windshields but recommended a body shop.
So, is mine a MB part?

The G Man

Below are the 3 different type of windshields available beside the Mercedes windshield, I would use option one or two but not option three. I would not use the safelite SGC brand, the quality is one level below option 1 and 2. Unfortunately, most insurance companies try to push the owners to use the cheaper SGC brand :

1. OEM brand without the logo (ie Mercedes windshield in the Sekurit brand made by Saint Gobain, but manufactured without the Tristar Mercedes logo). That is the only difference, but the price difference can be 100’s of dollars less. It is the same exact windshield by the same manufacturing plant just made without the Mercedes logo.
2. OEE (Original Equipment Equivalent) brand – (an OEM windshield from a completely different manufacturer. Still OEM, but not the original manufacturer.) An example would be Pittsburgh Glass Works (PGW) or Pilkington brand windshields. These windshields would have their logos but it would still meet all the specifications of that original windshield. The benefit of a PGW or Pilkington brand is they are companies with high manufacturing output and provide windshields for large automakers like Toyota. Their OEM windshield price is typically the most competitive, all while still using all the same OEM processes, ensuring a high quality windshield.
3. Aftermarket brand – the last option is to use an aftermarket manufacturer to supply the windshield. Most aftermarket manufacturers use a process called “reverse engineering” where they take an OEM windshield, create a mold and produce a replica. Because the quality can be compromised due to the utilization of a mold, results and fit may vary depending on manufacturer. (ie Safelite Auto Glass produces SGC brand). Safelite Auto Glass’ SGC brand is considered an aftermarket brand because they do not supply windshields at the OEM level for any manufacturer.

HSCLA

I thank you also - very thorough and informative.


Upon lease return to the MB dealership, are any windshield options acceptable other than an OEM exact replacement w/ MB logo?


thx

fosterelli

They don't care...never had one questioned. However, I just recently had an aftermarket replacement put in mine and the installer was able to salvage my MB logo and place it perfectly...

Zavato

Original MB windshield stickers are available on eBay

LILBENZ230

Original stickers you can get on eBay, but you can't get the built in emblem on an aftermarket one.

Not Mercedes, but our Optima Hybrid's passenger side window was cracked by a rock at like 5,000 miles (cracked because the Optima actually has acoustic, laminated front windows). We agreed to an aftermarket replacement. The aftermarket window was distorted. We complained, they replaced it again. Still distorted. More complaints, another replacement. Still distorted. Finally safelite ate the cost and replaced it with OEM.

thenew3

It greatly depends on the dealer you are returning the car to. Some will check every little detail including the brand of the glass, others just do a quick walk around and look for major damage/wear.

PeaceMan

Unfortunately, a rock hit my windshield at some point in the day on New Year's Eve, I didn't even notice the crack right away since it was towards the bottom passenger side just to the right of where my radar detector is mounted. In fact, it was after my radar activated when I noticed a 4-5 in crack (another 3-4" going down towards the hood but not viewable from the inside). I went ahead and filed a claim with my insurance company and right away they recommended me to Safelite and other similar alternatives. After reading all the posts on here, I replied that I would only feel comfortable going with MB doing the install with OEM. Her reply was that I would have to pay out of pocket and then file for reimbursement. Which I am fine with, I will just need to call them back to confirm HOW MUCH will I be reimbursed. The good thing is I don't have a deductible on the glass repair.

I had to drop off my vehicle today for another issue with tears in my drivers seat. So I went ahead and requested a quote on the windshield replacement. I'll post an update on what they provide. At the end of the day, I just don't want to deal with any "potential" issues with non OEM glass, the lane assist /rain sensor connectivity, improper sealing or what have you. And yes I know Safelite and the others guarantee their work, but local reviews on these companies were mediocre at best. I'll just take my chances that MB gets this done the right way and hold them accountable.

LemonSqueezy

The insurance companies job is to put you back into a state where everything functions and performs correctly before the accident. If you're worried about seals and/or urethane from improper installation, keep in mind an oem glass can be improperly installed as well. If you run into issues with the aftermarket glass itself, your insurance company will have to fork out the cost get an OEM glass on there on their dime. So really for most people an aftermarket is fine unless theres an actual defect with glass itself. Im not even sure MB makes their own glass anyways so chances are the oem vs a/m are about the same.