Guess I don't have the best luck. Picked up the car last friday and this sunday a pebble hit my windshield about 1/4" from the drivers A-pillar and it developed a 6" crack immediately. The impact was just a small click, I experience the same in my other cars and damage was usually either just a small chip or nothing at all. Funniest thing was the car that was driving in front of me that kicked up the pebble was a white GLC300 (I'm in a white GLC63). This is the first car I owned with all these sensors. When I call my insurance should I insist on OEM? Are the dealership the only ones who can do the calibrations?

 

I actually find these to be the most durable screen I have had in a while.
all my FCA cars have been absolutely **** with the slightest rocks cracking them.
I have had a good number of bounces in 25k miles

 

That really sucks! I got a little chip within a few weeks. Can barely notice it, but I know it's there! Just what comes with driving like an ******* lol

 

My windshield also seems tough. Diving highways in DFW is a constant rock fest. My air-dam and lower sections of my front end are a war zone but my windshield has held up fine.

 

That sux! Yes! I would insist on an OEM replacement, GL with it!

 

Yes insist on OEM.

My experience is that dealers do calibrations even when third party glass shops install the windshield.

Cracked windshields are the new normal today for most brands. Root cause is thinner glass to save cost and weight, driven by profit, emissions and fuel economy regulations. I don’t take issue with companies making profits, I do take issue when MB, BMW and others put out inferior crap, as they are presently doing.

Cracked windshield are loosely analogous to hazing/fogging headlamps after polycarbonate headlamp assemblies became standard 15-20 or so years ago.

 

Well I'm glad my comprehensive deductible is only $100. Just got quoted $2300 for windshield replacement + sensors calibration.

 

same as Houston. my front end is beat to hell. I am really surprised windshield has held

 

By next week, you maybe the only one left in Houston. It is getting nasty.

 

ha! true.

i am not leaving the house unless to drive. i may have a stake in uber eats now.

 

Us too man, plus the little Chinese restaurant down the street. It is great and they deliver their own food for free. Usually get here in 15 minutes.

It is getting bad around here too and I am in the medical field....

 

I feel you, caught a chip on my windshield the SECOND day of driving!!! Insane luck given I’ve had no issues for years with my old car...
It’s kinda small and if repaired/polished would be almost invisible but it’s kinda bummer anyways.

The question though is can my insurance company deny to replace it and only cover repair given that I have comprehensive coverage? I’m in US California just in case.

 

They certainly could, but if it's anywhere in your line of sight and it's still visible even after a repair they generally agree for full replacement due to safety concerns. You may have to endure an inspection. If you get into an accident you could potentially sue them claiming that the failed repair distorted your vision. I've repaired and replaced several windshields over the years. Twice I had one repaired, but wasn't happy with the result and proceeded with a full replacement. Insurance covered it all. I have Geico (California) and I usually first let them try to repair it by Safelite even if its just to stop the damage from spreading and then if it's still bothering me I reopen the claim and do a full replacement. I just did one on my C63S. A rock hit earlier this year, so I had it repaired the next day (Safelite came to my house). Didn't wanna take it anywhere with everybody figuring out how to deal with COVID and the lockdowns. The repair kept the damage from getting bigger, so I could leave it for a few months but the damage was still quite visible. I immediately notified Geico that the repair wasn't satisfactory and that I plan on replacing the windshield once the COVID situation clears up. Finally took it in in September to get the windshield replaced. My dealership does all the glass work in-house. They have factory trained technicians. They replaced it with factory glass and did all the calibration. I have some kind of a bubble inside of the rain sensor, though, and I'll have them address it during my next service, but all went well. Submitted the invoice to Geico and they covered it all minus my $100 deductible.

They are well aware that repairs are not perfect depending on the damage. After most repairs you still see the damage and they reflect light on the internal cracks and cause some distortion, so if they are somewhere in the windshield where you regularly have to look then you are better of getting it replaced. The repair is generally purely to keep the damage from spreading and somewhat minimize it. The repairs that worked for me are those where the damage was fairly small and its somewhere low down out of my line of sight. We have a repair on my wife's windshield that is still very visible, but it happens to be where she puts the suction cup for her phone, so it covers the damage.

To give you an idea, here's my most recent before and after. It's on the passenger side and every time I turned right I looked right at it. They did want it to be inspected before they agreed to a full replacement, but it was a self-inspection. Just had to upload a bunch of pictures based on their instructions.


Before

After

 

Same happened to me. My insurance would not pay for the MB dealer to replace. Used Safelit and it was a good job, no complaints.

 

Since this thread is back from the dead I'll provide an update.

I'm in CA and my insurance is Wawanesa. Since most dealers don't work directly with insurance I was told I would need to pay in full and submit receipts for a reimbursement. Also they would only cover $1100 of the claim. I called MB Oakland and they quoted me $2300 for glass, labor, and recalibration. I talked to my insurance again and they recommended me to work with their auto glass provider Safelite and they would take care of everything with my $100 deductible. I reluctantly made a appointment with Safelite Oakland. They tell me the same thing about windshield being backordered with Mercedes and there are no aftermarket available. Which is just fine because I want OEM glass. It took almost 2 months to get the windshield in stock. Installation took a whole day. Since everyone out here was still worried about covid I felt like I didn't get very good service. My only contact were with the ladies in the front office behind plexiglass shields. I didn't get a chance to talk to the tech. The bill came out to be over $2000 but only the $100 deductible was owed, she handed me my keys and I was on my way. When I got into the car I felt like something wasn't quite right with how the interior A pillar trim sat. I was the last customer to pick up the car so they were closing up. I decided since the A pillars had to come off to do my dash cam later that week I will fix it myself. When I got back to my shop and pulled off the interior A pillar trim I noticed there were excess windshield sealant residue the squeezed out under the interior A pillars trim pieces. Also they didn't snap in the clips correctly which was why they sat oddly. Honestly the workmanship wasn't very good. I was able to correctly install the trim pieces after running the wires for my dash cam, however I notice I still see some windshield sealant residue if I look closely at the edges. But on a positive note the windshield is sealed correctly as there is no excess wind noise and I haven't noticed any issues with the sensors for the drivers assistance package.