Good afternoon everyone. A rock pelted my windshield today. It's not repairable. So I called my dealer doesn't accept payment from insurance. They will provide a quote and I have to submit. Not a problem but I'm wondering of anyone would suggest safelite or another aftermarket company? It's a heated windshield. I'll dictate OEM parts only, but should I use such? Anyone have some experience and wisdom to share?

 

I had a chip on my windshield and called Safelite. They "patched" the chip, but you can still see it. I'm with Geico and I specifically asked them if they cover a cracked windshield on our cars - they do, but they won't replace with OEM parts. They told me I would be out-of-pocket if I ever needed to fully replace the windshield.

You might ask Safelite if they have the OEM windshield, but I doubt they do.

Does your insurance cover OEM replacement?

 

Not sure. I will have to check

 

This is one thing that worries me.
About 7 months into ownership of my daily driver, I got a nice rock chip that developed into a full size crack overnight.
With the infrared reflecting, noise insulated windshields on the S, I don't even wanna know how much it costs to replace it with an OEM one.

Does the Safelite windshield have the same coating and lamination? I'm wondering if it's identical function-wise.

 

They have an aftermarket lookalike. Not one I would trust. I have to go to a mercedes dealer for OEM parts. Fortunately my insurance will cover it because the parts alone are $3800. Not sure how much labor would be. I am waiting for another dealer to get back to me.

 

Holy *****... that would be at least a $4.5k job just for a windshield replacement.
I better check with my insurance whether they cover OEM windshields.

 

You may as well start at the dealer since you'll likely end up there. Even if safelite somehow gets the right OEM glass, the cameras have to be calibrated. Not sure i would trust them for both issues as this is not their typical glass.

 

Yes, it's going to the dealer. Takes 5 days for parts to be ordered and they keep the car overnight to assure the seal.

 

Many BMWs also required a dealer visit to have the cameras calibrated.
Not surprised the S-class requires one.
I'm definitely using the dealer for any windshield repair/replacement.

 

In the past I had to replace my windshield of my BMW 740iL. State Farm said to use Safelite - which was fine with me. State Farm wanted to replace with non OEM BMW windshield. They tried to have me pay the difference. I said I had "already paid the difference several times over: the premiums for the insurance on my BMW were almost a $1000 a year higher than on my Chrysler mini van".

State Farm relented and agreed to pay the full price of the OEM glass. They said if the windshield broke again, then they would only pay for replacement - not OEM. Fortunately never happened again.

Stick to your guns: demand OEM and remind your insurance company that because the premiums on a Mercedes are higher, you expect OEM parts!

Hope this helps!

 

Just received the estimate. the total installed is $4,700. Holy wow!
the rub is they will not deal directly with the insurance company. I have to pay for parts up front and labor at pick up. Then submit to insurance for reimbursement.

First dealer quoted me $3,900 for parts alone. Second dealer quoted $2,900 and $1500 for labor, plus tax. I'll use the second dealer.

 

Many dealers outsource their windshield work to specialty shops. Calibration equipment is expensive as is tech training, and most dealers don't do enough glass work to justify the setup, floor space and personnel. I had my G550's glass replaced 2 years ago at an autoglass shop. They ordered OEM glass and did a perfect job. Cost was about $3300, and I'm sure it's 25% more now.

 

Way back in the day I had a Mercury Sable with a heated windshield. The cost to replace the windshield was $1100(30 yrs ago on a Mercury). That claim and another comprehensive claim of lesser cost inspired State Farm to decline to renew my insurance the next year. I have not had a heated windshield since.

 

I did my windshield twice. The cameras calibrate themselves, it does not need to be done at the dealer, nor be sent there. Safelite did the work both times with OEM parts; my insurance allows me to specify that. You can actually have Safelite give you the numbers of the windshield they will install when they order it, to verify the right part is ordered. Then you just need to double-check after the work, to make sure everything is on the up and up. They used the parts specified, everything functioned correctly, and no issues with either windshield.

Not a commercial for that company, I'm just relating my experiences with the windshield replacements. I'll close by saying a person who was unsure about glass coverage, might want to consider engaging in a little bit of due diligence.

 

According to Satellite, they do not offer hem windshields here in NY state. I am going with a dealer

 

Good choice, I wouldn't accept anything other than OEM either.

 

Do they even make aftermarket windshields for our car?

 

Yeah, there are several producing windshields for the 223 depending on the geographic area, the insurance company wanted me to use one of them. The name I don't recall.

As I said, I can require OEM parts, and I always do. The insurance wanted me to use Safelite for installation, before I agreed I called the dealership to get their take. They said they do windshields and only with OEM glass, but not themselves, they drive the car over to Safelite and have them do it. Kinda tells you what your looking at, in this area anyway.

I was staying up at the Island house both times, so I had to make a long drive to get the work done, which means waiting is the way to lose the least time. I watched them do some of the work, and I'd say as much time as anything, went into protecting the interior before they pulled the old glass. As I said, not a commercial, but I couldn't find any fault with what they did. They were fast, the work was good, nothing was damaged, no squeaks, everything worked. It was the same outlet both times, so I can only speak to that one in particular, but I would not be afraid to use them again.

 

I got a big crack in mine a few months ago. Insurance sent me to safelite. It took 3 reschedules and nearly 2 months before they got the windshield in. I asked for OEM but they swore their aftermarket meets or exceeds OEM. they installed it and sure enough, couldn't calibrate the sensors properly. It also didn't have the tint and infrared blocking. They agreed since they couldn't calibrate things properly i needed OEM. They ordered one, and two more reschedules later, I'm due to get it installed in 45 minutes. I really hope this fixes it for good.

 

With windshields, OEM or bust. Thankfully, in this state, you can require OEM parts for failures or breakage that occurs during the warranty period.

To clarify a little about that, the calibration is built into the car, the shop just needs to take the measurements, set up the targets, and trigger the car to self calibrate. It's why it doesn't have to go in to the dealership. This was stated by Safelite, and verified by the dealership. I'm not sure if I described that as it actually is, but that is how it was described to me. No fancy and expensive tools are needed. There is a jig with target(s) they set up at a fixed height and distance, and tell the car to do its thing.

It was some weeks before my windshields arrived. The shop wouldn't schedule until they had it on site, so I'm guessing they weren't completely trusting whatever sort of tracking they get on them.

 

If the aftermarket windshield doesn't have the tint/infrared reflecting, no way I'm accepting the generic one as a replacement.
That blue-ish tint with the infrared reflecting coating is a 'feature' that is unique to the S-class and other high-end luxury sedans.
No way I'm giving that up.
The 'Mercedes' etching in cursive is a nice little touch I also appreciate.

 

Non OEM glass, no etching, results in value deduction if you ever sell the car.

 

If you want ammunition about how to get them to pay for OEM glass. Mercedes will not CPO a car with an aftermarket windshield. So your insurance company will owe you diminished value if they don’t use OEM.

 

Are the aftermarket ones thermally and noise insulated? If not, that would provide a good argument against with your insurance company.

 

If you lease you must have OEM parts at the end of the lease including the windshield. That is why I originally posted #10 that when I had the windshield on my BMW replaced, it had to be OEM.