Jiggs1000

Thanks.

Daniel Hunter

I'm still waiting to see if my dealership has secured one of the windshields from the most recent shipment.

Hopefully they actually put in an order and aren't just waiting to see if one magically shows up....

At this point I have little faith in the parts department at Mercedes Benz of Temecula.

Festertester

I asked about broken windshield cases at fletcher jones in fremont CA / Bay Area and the foreman told me ‘only one and that was completely shattered’

Daniel Hunter

Yeah, I asked my service adviser the same question. He claimed he hadn't seen any others. Apparently he had forgotten that I had been there a few months before with my first broken windshield, I've broken two since owning the car.

The question remains though, if this isn't a problem than why were the windshields on back order for so long and why did the initial shipment of 90 that were delivered to the US last month go so quickly.

G63schweiz

Hi, Very worried about all these cracked windshields. Recently I was driving on a highway in south Europe about 150km/h (about 93 miles h) when I hit a bird, not even a small one (you can see the blood from the impact on the glass). I don’t think it was fully frontal, the bird was flying with an angle. still heard a big thud . So far the windshield is intact..

horse86

damn....thats a hell of an impact. is it dead?

G63schweiz

dead. Yes. A very dull thud. I washed the windshield afterwards but not the slightest crack or chip , birds have probably different density vs stones so the impact force is distributed on a larger surface plus they are more elastic than rocks
still at 93 miles/h the shock was relevant

Festertester

Oh man..that’s gross!

Daniel Hunter

I'm still waiting on my replacement windshield and the dealer still doesn't know when they'll receive one......

I've been waiting since the middle of August.

Wassaby

It may be nice to drive a G with almost 100m/h. In US you're lucky if you get to 75-80m/h

LWSG550

All -

This is my first post to the forums. I unfortunately have joined the ranks of G owners with cracked front windshields, and I am interested in learning the latest on MB's response to what is clearly a known quality issue at this point. Some background on my G and its windshield crack:

My 2019 G550 is an early production model and now has just over 5K miles on the clock. I took delivery almost a year ago today, and it was among the first ones delivered in the region. Knowing that cracked windshields have been a recurring issue with these vehicles, I have been militant about avoiding trucks and trailers, tailgating, etc. Nevertheless, yesterday morning, a small crack suddenly appeared in my G's front windshield on the passenger side and in a matter of seconds turned into a 15+ inch run up and down the glass into an "S" shape. There were NO audible impacts in that area nor have there ever been any (and I definitely would have noticed as I have been concerned about debris strikes since first learning of the windshield issues on these message boards). In fact, when the crack appeared, the vehicle was stationary in my driveway, and that is where things get really interesting: I have surveillance video of the entire event. I was in my garage with the truck parked in the driveway, turned away briefly and then back only to notice the crack and lose my mind! It came out of nowhere. Reviewing the surveillance video, you can see the crack suddenly appear, then run in two directions up and down the passenger side. Everything happens in seconds. I have posted a still pic here from later yesterday. As you will see, it looks eerily similar to cracks that others have suffered. What may look like an "impact crater" in the pic is not that at all. It is a crack that looks to have started on the inside of the glass in the top layer. I washed the vehicle on Saturday night prior to the crack appearing, and even if an impact event had occurred earlier, I absolutely would have seen a crater or small crack when scrubbing the windshield. I am now completely convinced (as others have speculated in this thread) that there is a serious quality-control issue with these windshields and that cracks are occurring and worsening irrespective of rock and other debris impacts to the glass. Further, even if some of these cracks are being initiated by debris strikes, the weakness of the materials is completely unacceptable in ANY vehicle and all the more so in what MB pitches as a rugged, go-anywhere flagship rig.

I have glass coverage through my auto insurance, but I do not intend to submit a claim and risk increased future premiums to address a problem that should be 100% covered by my factory warranty. I have saved my surveillance video and will be holding onto that for future use. To date, I have not contacted my local dealer or the factory, but those are my intended next steps after doing a bit more info gathering here on the board. After having reviewed this entire thread, I believe that we need to band together ASAP to apply pressure to MB to (1) cover windshield replacements under warranty as these are a known defective product; and (2) work with their suppliers to find a more robust material and/or design. It simply is not appropriate for MB to expect us to pay $3K+ for each replacement (when it comes to insurance, it is "pay now, or pay later"), seek various aftermarket fixes with protective film at further out of pocket cost, and then worry on every drive (or in my case, while the truck sits still) that it could happen all over again.

Some earlier posts have mentioned Magna working on stronger replacement glass. Has anyone received confirmation of this? Has anyone been successful in submitting the entire replacement (materials and labor) for factory warranty coverage?

I am really frustrated with the fact that this has occurred to my truck, which except for the high interior cabin pressure / whistling issues that have bothered others, has performed admirably to date. I purchased the truck with the intention of keeping it for many years as I do with all of my vehicles, but I cannot see pricing $3K annual windshield replacements into the running costs / consumables budget here. Yes, it is a specialty vehicle. Yes, I have had and still own other specialty vehicles that have / have had various quirks, some of which were / are expensive and annoying. No, it is NOT reasonable for the flagship SUV of a major manufacturer to have its windshields crack while sitting still or from very minor impacts and then for that manufacturer to pretend that there is no issue when there are almost 300 message board posts on this very topic after the new model has been on the road for only a year.

Apologies for the rant. Anxious to work solo or with others to get to a factory fix.

LWSG550

Surge

This is interesting, @LWSG550 . Keep us posted on what your dealer says. Glass claims under warranty are tough for manufacturers to approve. Hopefully Mercedes will do the right thing.
An 18 month old Lexus I had a few years ago suffered a shattered passenger window while I was driving on the highway. It was clearly a design flaw and a glass issue, but Lexus did nothing. They weren't even interested in evaluating the glass. That's why Lexus/Toyota lost me as a customer for good.

I have added EXOSHIELD to my G550 windshield, but I've only had the car for a few weeks, so it's too early to tell.

johnnyderm

I hate reading this particular thread as it makes me dread my G63 arriving in Nov/Dec! I have to drive it from dealer about 60miles on dirty highways to get to the installer of Bray. I think I will do 2 or 4 layers of bray.

Has anyone with Exoshield, Bray or other manufacture of windshield protectant experienced a cracked windshield? (or are the treatments working?)

Wassaby

Everyone here on this thread should start writing some emails to product managers at Daimler and MBUSA. It my make a difference on resolving the issue.

johnnyderm

Ben gave me this email addy to send to: mercedes_benz@mailca.custhelp.com

Benz corporate said this to me: We can guarantee that if this issue reaches bigger proportions we will act accordingly.

rjdoc74

Thanks. I sent an email. Everyone on here should do the same.

Sweuk

I asked my dealer/workshop about goodwill when I got my second windshield changed a couple of weeks ago but no luck. I told them that I will refuse to pay for a third one if it comes to that and that they will have to absorb that cost. They just mumbled.
Feels really bad having to worry about the windshield all the time when driving behind other cars.

LWSG550

I am going to go to the mat with the dealer and, if necessary, MB corporate. If I cannot make headway with them, then I will take my concerns to the DOT / NHTSA. To your point, having to worry constantly about $3K+ windshields on every drive is completely absurd. It is not acceptable for any new vehicle sold in 2019.

pdeacon

Wouldn't it be interesting (and helpful as leverage) if the information on this thread could be collated into a summary report to be sent to MBUSA. Perhaps this would have more impact than each owner pursuing their own path to resolution. Just a thought.I'm awaiting delivery of my unit in the next few months. As a point of information; I had no windshield problems with my '16 G550.

Wassaby

You have to add Daimler in equation if you want to have a bigger impact.

kim0217

Mat Watson from carwow has another cracked windshield again after he replace the first one.

benzman333

I lost first windshield a few months ago and then Exoshield installed
Its been good so far and helps bring back confidence when driving the new G around
Already had a pebble hit windshield and with exoshield I didn’t get a crack
I think it’s the best remedy at this point
Maybe Daimler should at least send out vehicles with a protective film of offer it as extra cost option at delivery

rjdoc74

Got this response today. Sounds like BS.

Dear Mr. XXXX,

Thank you for your email to Mercedes-Benz USA.

If you experience any concerns with your 2019 G Class feel free to contact us at 1-800-367-6372 for assistance.


We appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Kind Regards,

Lakoya R.
Mercedes-Benz USA
(800) 367-6372

LWSG550

I generally agree that they ought to be sending the vehicles out of the factory with a protective film in place, but I am not convinced that the cracks are all derived from rock strikes. Mine did not, and some others on this thread seem to feel the same way about theirs. Even if these cracks are occurring due to rocks, most owners of the previous gen trucks have stated that they took multiple rocks off their windshields without massive cracks forming, so there is something deficient / defective with the glass in the new models. Moreover, while I understand fully that the lack of rake in these windshields makes them more susceptible to debris strikes as compared to other cars, MB knows that, too, and they need to engineer their offerings accordingly. An extra $500 per windshield for tougher factory glass (assuming that it is a materials cost issue instead of an installation or engineering issue) is easier to justify with products at this price point than, say, with Jeep Wranglers. I would have happily paid another $1K for my truck to avoid this hassle. Ultimately, it is not as if physics just snuck-up on a company that touts itself as a leader in the space. Protective film *may* alleviate some of the issues that we are facing, but the reality is that we should not need to be worried about this sort of thing. We have trucks that can conquer the Schöckl, but not a morning commute. These vehicles are not supposed to be this fragile. Frankly, cosmetics, cost, and annoyance aside, it is also a safety issue at this point. The structural integrity of my windshield is clearly compromised now. How will it perform in an accident?

We need to push for a real response from MB on this. We lack numbers relative to GLS/GLE/GLC owners, so we have to make it up with persistence. I also have a BMW Z8, so I unfortunately am intimately familiar with companies ignoring known issues until they are forced to do the "right thing." The only reason my BMW is worth what it is today is because owners banded together and forced BMW in Germany to offer a shock tower brace to prevent frame deformation with the cars. There was a dark period before then when no one would touch the cars on the secondary market for fear of them becoming worthless after hitting potholes. The ultimate solution did not come overnight, and it took years of effort among the owner community. Now, windshield breakage is not an existential threat to our trucks like bent frames were to the Z8s, but no one wants to deal with this kind of thing from an ownership perspective. Even if you can scrounge $3K from your couch cushions a few times a year for new windshields and do not care about the money, every day the truck is in the shop is another day you are not driving it, and every day that you are driving it and worrying about the windshield cracking is a day that you are not enjoying it fully. It is not acceptable.

Surge

@LWSG550 you’re preaching to the converted here. There’s nothing owners can do unless they have experienced this themselves.

Why don’t you contact the most senior person at MBUSA that you can find, using LinkedIn for example. Show them your video.
Threaten to share this with Doug DeMurro, who just bought an older G wagon, and other social media influencers. Unfortunately, you’re a lot more likely to get a resolution if you make these threats.