So I got a rock chip that developed into a crack overnight, unfortunately it's also right in driver line of sight. My insurance is GEICO and I'm in California...naturally they said they'll only replace with like kind and quality, and to go with OEM I would have to go out of pocket the difference.
I spoke to a shop that I've used in the past and they said they'll try to fight for an OEM replacement. I read through some threads here, seems to be a mix on success on having insurance cover with an OEM windshield. I'm not trying to take it to the dealer to do it, I just want an MB windshield due to concerns with quality.
I've had Pilkington, Saint Gobain/Sekurit, which were the OE suppliers for Benz, for my W212 and W204. I was satisfied with the results with those, but those were also very basic glass. The W222 comes with heating and IR coating, which I would want to be the same. I noticed the one on my car currently says PGW, I don't have experience with PGW.
GEICO uses Safelite and when I spoke with the Safelite rep, he said they will only replace with aftermarket. I asked if they can use OEM and they said they'll put in a request, but GEICO will 99% deny it if its a car that is older than a year. I asked about paying the difference and the guy said they don't do that...hence why I contacted another glass company.
Anyways, long story short, what are your experiences with aftermarket glass? I don't know the difference I have to pay yet, so I don't know if it's worth it or not. I saw old threads that said dealer charged 4k$ for replacement, parts and labor, some threads said around $2k.But those are dealer prices with dealer labor. I looked at the windshield prices alone and it varies widely from $1200-2200 depending on location and all the dealers are "local pickup only". Unfortunately all the dealers in my area are the $2k range for glass only. I plan to call GEICO again on Monday and then work with the shop.

 

I was told to replace the windshield nothing but OEM no matter what . The reason is that aftermarket windshields can cause eye problems in long term use besides could wreak havoc if the car comes with various sensors , radars and other tech equipment . Being S Class, you know we have many gadgetry and unless certified by Mercedes-Benz I would not go for aftermarket glass .

 

Safelite glass is fine.

not like MB makes their own glass they have some specifications and dimensions they want and get it from the cheapest supplier they can.
Then sell you on a bunch of BS on why you have to use theirs and then mark it up to NASA prices and it becomes a huge profit generator.

The dealer will get the local glass business or Safelite to come install glass... rare to find a dealer who has a tech who will do windshields in house.

 

I have a Safelight windshield in now.

I can’t tell the difference.

You have to give them the VIN, and they supply the correct windshield for your car options (2-pane, IR rejecting, with sensor ports for all required sensors, two locations mid windshield for toll transponders, etc). They calibrate all required sensors after installation.

Being a picky SOB, I was pretty concerned going in, but would not hesitate to use them again. All Drivers Assist functions work correctly, including emergency braking (which was stress tested in a highway incident earlier this week).

 

Yeah, my car has the Driver Assistance Plus package whatever, there's two cameras for the lane keep assist. I notice the square cutouts by the mirror and center bottom of windshield for toll tags etc. It's also optioned with heated windshield and washer fluid. No HUD, No Night View assist.
Forgot to mention, my current glass is OEM with MB logo and "Carl Benz" signature on passenger side, but it also says PGW under the MB logo.

 

Your call, do what you want,
A dealer broke my original windshield; I insisted on only an MB replacement identical to the original - why not, I wasn't paying for it and my insurance was not involved. H
ad it been up to me, I would have insisted the same.
On her Lexus, we went the same route. Not worth it to screw around.
Good luck.

 

I owned so many cars, and never in my life had a car with better clarity than that in the s-class. I'd go OEM. Almost every other car I have or had, came with some sort of distortion and glare when compared to the S-class (this is true for the pre LCI, LCI W222 and still true for the W223). Especially true when driving at night by the way, or in a very sunny day. The glass in the EQS was different and closer to what I have on my Tesla, with some form of distortion and increased glare. I'd really only go with OEM glass. Also, despite how many miles I drive on highways, the glass for both W222s I had didn't chip as much as other cars.

 

True, the previous aftermarket windshields I had for the 212 and 204 had minor distortions along the edges of the windshields. I learned to live with it because it’s not really noticeable and we don’t generally look through the edges for long periods to notice it. What I noticed was that those windshields developed tiny pits a lot easier, therefore at night when light hits it, you get glare on all the tiny pits, sparkled at night. I do remember when it was brand new and with no pits, it’s almost like there wasn’t a window in front of you. Searching about the w222 on these forums, had a lot of complaints about how easy the windshield chips though. I’ve only had the 222 for a little over a year and it was just bad luck, the size of the pebble would’ve chipped any windshield I’m sure. The smack was so loud it startled me. I’m leaning towards OEM for sure..

 

I got mine replaced by farmers and I told them that I was taking it to the dealer, not Safelite, and they were fine with that. It did cost my $1k in deductible though! We have since fired Farmers for incompetence on my sons car.

 

Good news this morning. The auto glass company was able to get approval of OEM glass from GEICO. So I'll just be out my deductible

 

New glass installed today. Night and day difference between my old one and new one, no tiny pits anymore, super clear. So clear it makes the IR cutouts stand out more obvious. I read somewhere someone also noticed them more after replacement.. could be due to difference in manufacturer as well. Original glass was PGW. New glass is Vitro. My part number was 222-670-62-00, which states is w/Night vision, but oddly my vehicle isn’t equipped with night vision lol
Glass company did 6.6hrs labor including recalibration. Satisfied with the work, happy with the glass. Now, should coat it with ceramic/graphne or something while it’s still pristine?

 

Great. Same thing happened with my car last winter. Geico wanted aftermarket but pushed for OEM and it got done. It only took a couple of hours I waited for it at the installer.

 

Consider treating it with C-Bond. I treat all my windshields with it. I have gotten a few small nicks so hope it helped limit the damage. I apply another coat on top of it to make sure the nick is treated.

https://www.iowa80.com/pd/cbond-nano...ld-kit/348181/