Finally got my windshield replaced yesterday. A local auto glass company that does work for many local dealerships did the work (Safelite has only mobile service in this area and cannot do windshields that require calibration). It took 5 weeks for the nearest MB dealership to get the glass and a couple weeks for the auto glass company to do the pickup. As it turned out, the delay proved good, as 2 weeks ago I drove to Denver to have the most recent NHTSA recall done at a dealership (this is another story altogether), and while driving around there, I experienced further windshield damage. I'm convinced somebody was shooting out windshields with a subsonic rifle, as I was left with a pock-mark about 1.5" diameter, where the glass was pulverized, in the center of the windshield where the ADAS camera is located behind the rear view mirror. I've never seen a rock do damage like this.

Paranoid? I think not. A couple weeks ago in suburban Denver, 3 clowns were driving around at night heaving softball size rocks pilfered from Walmart's parking lot onto the windshields of cars driving the opposite direction. This was all great fun until one of the struck vehicles lost control, drove off the road and the 20-something woman driving the car was killed. Law enforcement correlated the times and and locations of 7 rock-tossing/busted windshield incidents that night with cell-tower pinging, and identified the three perps through their cellphones. All three are now sitting in the county jail charged with 1st degree murder and are facing life prison sentences. Unfortunately, low-lifes like these three stooges never watch the news, and so there are plenty of others hell-bent on personal property destruction on the loose, believing they can get away with whatever they do, and ignorant of the stupidity of other like-minded creeps.

Back to my windshield repair -- genuine MB replacement glass with Otto's Gottlieb's signature in the lower r/h corner. Total cost was $2820 for the glass and $630 for installation, calibration and tax for a total of $3450. Insurance company is paying in full (no deductible on windshields). All ADAS functions work as before (except LKA that I've disabled). A windshield laminate would likely have prevented the first crack that began with a chip about the size of a rice grain, but would have been useless against the impact of the the second object, whatever it was. BTW, I have reviewed my dashcam video from the time of this second incident several times, and have not been able (even in slow motion) to see any object being flipped upward from the road surface by a passing vehicle.

 

My insurance company paid for OEM replacement glass, my dealership said not to use the aftermarket glass. They also sold Safelite the windshield, so who knows.

 

x2 for posterity's sake to report the same thing happened to me on my 21 G63

Small chip from a rock hitting the windshield, didn't think anything of it, spider-webbed top to bottom and to the sides a bit more and more over a couple days

OEM replacement done with insurance, no problems so far on the new glass..

If I get hit again with a small chip, I will try to get it fixed/epoxy/patched fast since I've never seen a glass chip spread so quickly and furiously on a car

 

I now carry a roll of clear Gorilla with me to cover any future chips as soon as they happen. A guy on the BMW forum applied this fix when he was chipped on day 2 of his 2 week road trip, and said this kept the chip from spreading until he was able to get it epoxied.

 

That’s really smart. I keep a fresh rain-x repair kit in the garage at all times.

 

Great in theory , but they dont work great and the scratch as well. I got one installed professionally in April of this year 2023. There is a definite almost haze on the windshield, it's not as clear as the glass with out the film. It also scratches pretty easily. In addition... today got a nice rock chip that instantly spidered across the windshield, even with the 500.00 film installed. Complete waste of money and wont be replacing the film when I get a new windshield. Was a fun 4.5 month run with a film that was basically a gimmick.

 

First time I read your post, I misread it as "for posterior's sake" -- got a good laugh.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.
I am curious which brand of windshield film was it?

 

I've had exoshield and now have clearplex.

Initially they do seem to make the wipers chatter more but at least with the clearplex that has been less of an issue as time went on. Visibility is okay but my clearplex does have scratches on it from install but I can live with them.

For the exoshield I had at least 2-3 good hits that only put am impact mark on the film but no damage to windshield.

Just like PPF though, if you have a hard enough hit, it will go through the protection and damage the paint or windshield underneath.

The only "solution" I've found reliably is to avoid driving the G on the highway. Even that's not perfect but every rock chip or windshield damage I can think of has happened above 60 mph.

 

I don't fully recall, but I THINK, it was this, I got this from the website of the place that installed it....

https://www.ultrafitprotection.com/H...t_Nano_Ceramic

 

Thank you !

 

2 windshields in 6 months. Both had windshield protection. Not worth it imo. Insurance loves me at $3200 a pop. Unlimited replacements here in KY.

 

agree, I wont do it again. Unfortunately in Arizona with how many rocks and things we get the no deductible option is like an additional 1000.00 a year. Otherwise it just goes under the comprehensive, and is covered with a regular deductible. So im looking at 500.00 or 1000.00 (cant remember) to replace after insurance. Unless I change my coverage to the no deductible on glass, but then the premium is 1000.00 more, so doesnt really matter at that point.

If we drove on the freeway more, i'd probably opt for just a lower deductible in general, like 100-250.00 instead of the 500-1000.00 I have now, which would also cover the glass. But it's just a gamble wether the increased cost is worth it. If I had to replace the windshield 2-3x a year it would of course be worth it, but I kinda penciled it all figuring 1x replacement every 12-18 months which is about 2x more than we had on our escalade. I think we replaced that 1-2 times in 3-4 years.

 

That looks like glorified window tint. No mention of impact protection.

I did research on the topic a few years ago and basically I’d stick to exoshield or clearplex.

 

Anything is possible, but it's definitely not glorified window tint. Of course, window tint goes on the inside of the glass, this did not go on the inside and it's much thicker than standard window tint, I would say its similar in thickness to PPF film but I don't know. I also am not sure if thats actually what they installed. Thats what Im guessing based on their website and products they carry.

I don't know, but I have a hard time believing any of these companies products differ that much from brand to brand. Maybe some minor differences, but let's be honest we're talking about some clear vinyl with adhesive on it. The fact of the matter is there isnt a lot you can do to keep these from cracking when hit with a rock.

 

Gotcha. That's true the laws of physics always win!

 

quick question.... Do all G63 2019 + have the heated windshield ? It's difficult to find accurate information, but if not all 2019+ G63 have heated windshield, how would one know if you do or dont have heated? IF they all are obviously it doesnt matter. But wondering if anyone knows.

 

two rocks hit my windshield and bounced off last weekend. slight indents in the windshield protection but no damage to the windshield. a couple more marks, will replace with new protection film! its a must have.

 

Replacing windshield again on my 2021 G63, I swear it's like if a pebble sneezes on the glass it chips and cracks... I've never had a car with a more delicate windshield (granted it is near vertical)

A definite (small) pain to pay the deductible and re-tint the front windshield every time...

Circling back is anyone happy with some sort of external windshield protector/film to prevent this from happening so easily? Have still been hearing very mixed reviews with Clearplex and Exoshield

 

It's saved my window multiple times. I can see where the rocks have hit and dented the film, but the window underneath it is fine. Of course, I'm OCD and PPF'ed the entire vehicle and then ceramic coated over that. Only crack I've had is on my drivers side blinker on the hood, which wasn't PPF'ed.

 

I had a small rock chip my 21 G 63 windshield and within a couple of miles, it had a large crack. Really fragile glass. The angle of the windshield doesn’t help.

 

Which did you go with, Clearplex or Exoshield? No issues with the windshield wipers? Been a complaint from some

 

Clearplex all the way for me. Plus I only use The Windy Co. wipers. No chatter like oem.
https://windywipers.com/?mc_cid=960a...eid=61af8ad3d3

 

Yeah after my 3rd OEM glass replacement (+re-tint), I'm thinking it's time to give either Clearplex or Exoshield a shot..

 

I put Exoshield on my 2020 G 63. It helps quite a bit. It seems to depend on the speed, size, shape, etc., of the rock. I had a rock hit that sounded like a gun shot that put a small blemish in the film, but protected the windshield. Another time, a rock hit the same windshield (seemed very similar to the first rock hit), but this time the windshield cracked. So, my personal experience is 50-50. But, for $400 or so for Exoshield, it was worth it to me just to avoid the hassle of replacing a cracked windshield even if it only works half the time BTW, I traded my 2020 G 63 for a 2024 G 63, but this time I could not find an Exoshield installer (not sure why). I ended up having a similar protective film (Ultrafit) installed. The installer said his other clients have had good luck with this film. I haven't had any rock hits (yet), so hopefully he's right FYI, Exoshield seems to be a thicker film, so I'd prefer it if given a choice. One last thing. I'm major OCD, and I have always been reluctant to put any kind of protective film on the windshield of any of my cars because I was concerned about distortion. I have used ClearPlex, Exoshield and Ultrafit and I have never noticed even the slightest distortion. One more last thing It's my understanding that Xpel (I've been using their paint protective film for years, and I've been very satisfied) recently introduced windshield protective film. I haven't had a chance to pursue this new film, but it might be worth considering