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I was driving my S550 yesterday and noticed a crack starts from roof and within 1-2 hours spread left n right almost 6" each...SHOCKED!!! Didn't notice any stone hitting...Help!!!.......Any advise or suggestions
Getting quotes. But any idea how this happened all of sudden? Called dealer and they said because of Hot weather cracks can easily spread fast and also these windshield are very heavy....Still not convinced
I had a similar incident with the panorama roof on my S550C4 about 6 months ago. There was no impact obvious - it just made a loud cracking noise while I was driving on a 6 lane highway with no other vehicles within 1/4 mile of me. I thought it should be covered under the warranty. MBZ claimed that it had to be impact damage and to repair it under my insurance. After 3 weeks of back and forth between my dealer, the insurance and the company that does glass replacement for my insurance it was changed. My dealer paid for my $1000 deductible as "good will" so no out-of-pocket expense to me. I wrote this up on the C217 Forum previously. Good luck!
I had a similar incident with the panorama roof on my S550C4 about 6 months ago. There was no impact obvious - it just made a loud cracking noise while I was driving on a 6 lane highway with no other vehicles within 1/4 mile of me. I thought it should be covered under the warranty. MBZ claimed that it had to be impact damage and to repair it under my insurance. After 3 weeks of back and forth between my dealer, the insurance and the company that does glass replacement for my insurance it was changed. My dealer paid for my $1000 deductible as "good will" so no out-of-pocket expense to me. I wrote this up on the C217 Forum previously. Good luck!
Just talked to the dealer and told them that it happened due to stress crack where the body flexes and torques the windshield. Thanks for sharing your story as it will help me build my case. (Y)
This is normal. Any chip anywhere in the windshield will turn into a large crack within 24 hours. It is not covered by warranty and insurance will scoff at having to replace a $3000 windshield as there is not aftermarket for them and are only OEM
Looks like previous responses are enough to give you the answer. '
Short answer: "earlier W222 models and some other MB cars have the worst front windshield ever".
it cracks soooooo quickly, this is a very common problem, also it's soooo easy to get rock chips accumulates like crazy in less than a year.... I've seen members here who changed their windshield 3 times same year!.
I think what happened is that MB engineers decided to pay more attention on the ability of the glass to reflect IR component of sun rays, therefore keeping the car relatively cool in summer "which really works great", however it was only possible by adding amorphous glass materials that makes the finished glass strong but not ductile causing it to catch rock chips and cracks quickly due to any mechanical stresses.
Same EXACT thing just happened to me - crack happened overnight while the car was parked. The pattern is almost identical to your pictures - but my crack didn't branch off to the passenger side, only towards the driver's side. Dealer examined it and ruled that the damage is indeed a stress crack due to a defect in manufacturing or installation, not due to any impact. However, they stated that the new 4/50,000 new vehicle warranty does not apply to glass defects. Glass only carries a 1/12,000 warranty! What nonsense is this?
It is ridiculous that any reputable automaker would sell a $120k car and only stand behind it against glass defects for only ONE year! Defects in any car are inevitable, but not properly backing a customer's investment for a reasonable amount of time/mileage is unacceptable.
This is my third S-Class, but definitely my last Mercedes-Benz.
Dealer examined it and ruled that the damage is indeed a stress crack due to a defect in manufacturing or installation, not due to any impact. However, they stated that the new 4/50,000 new vehicle warranty does not apply to glass defects. Glass only carries a 1/12,000 warranty!
Yep, and the dealer (actually, the Corporate M-B sales and service location in NYC) ruled the damage as an obvious manufacturing defect.
Page 11 of the same 2016 Warranty booklet also states that certain components (including Glass) are not covered under the full 4/50k warranty, but the language is quite vague and the booklet does not state how long the warranty actually is on those components - likely so they can change the policy as they go along. A shady practice.
Maybe should look into glass coverage rider on your auto insurance
Of course, but that will be my last resort. Don't want my insurance to pay for a $3600 repair and have that on my claims record unless I have to. Especially since it was a defect for which the manufacturer should be responsible.
Don't want my insurance to pay for a $3600 repair and have that on my claims record unless I have to. Especially since it was a defect for which the manufacturer should be responsible.
I've had an average of 4 cracked windshields per year. I drive freeways mostly and here in Arizona we apparently have the highest incidence of cracked windshields from rocks. Insurance companies are not allowed to raise your premiums here however State Farm cancelled my policy because of this. Each windshield is about $2600 (I have all the cameras and electronics). So I'm with State Auto now, we will see how that goes. I have never had so many cracked windshields as with the S class, same with 2015 and 2018 models I've owned.
I've had an average of 4 cracked windshields per year. I drive freeways mostly and here in Arizona we apparently have the highest incidence of cracked windshields from rocks. Insurance companies are not allowed to raise your premiums here however State Farm cancelled my policy because of this. Each windshield is about $2600 (I have all the cameras and electronics). So I'm with State Auto now, we will see how that goes. I have never had so many cracked windshields as with the S class, same with 2015 and 2018 models I've owned.
Unreal! Aren't you glad your insurance company stayed with you? Fawking insurance man........fawkers.
Wanted to update this post by adding in some pictures to complement the OP's photos. If any W222 owner experiences an unexplained crack starting from the top of the windshield near the ADAS modules, and there are no obvious points of impact from road debris, it is not your fault! It looks like this is bound to occur to our cars, sooner or later, marring an otherwise good generation of S-Class vehicles. Because the damage has a high risk of impacting the vehicle's safety systems, potentially leading to accidents, make sure you properly document the safety defect by:
1. Reporting the damage to your M-B Dealer/Service Center (even if the vehicle is past its 1 yr/12,000 mile glass warranty)
2. File a Safety Complaint with the DOT/NHTSA at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/
3. Escalate the matter to the M-B USA Corporate Assistance Center.
The more owners raise this issue to the proper audience, the higher the chance this will lead to a recall or class action lawsuit. There was recently a Class Action Suit filed against Subaru for a similar defect in their windshields. Thanks!
All automotive glass today is more susceptible than ever to cracks. The glass is thinner than in previous years, to reduce cost and weight, in order to meet profit, fuel economy and emissions goals. The customer suffers. Common with BMW as well.
Old thread, but I wanted to chime in with the cracked windshield on my new to me 2015 S63 Coupé that cracked yesterday. I have 140k on my daily driver W205 and have never had a cracked windshield. I drive this S63 for 48 hours and cracked windshield. As much as I want to file a claim with State Farm you guys have scared me out of filing the claim out of fear of cancellation, so I’m going to eat the cost myself.
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2016 S550 Windshield crack
