Hey guys,

Driving on a multilane highway at 110kmh (65mph) and something flew up and just hit the very top of the windscreen and a crack started appearing right in the eyeline!

I spoke to my insurance company and thank Christ I had ticked the "1 free windscreen each year" option!

They told me to contact their glass repair partner a large national supplier in Australia.

At first, they wanted to supply an aftermarket, but I refused saying i wanted the same as what it has now.....to be honest I love the Karl Benz signature on the glass I think it's cool LOL!

So, after much back & forth on the phone, they called with a price for genuine from Benz in Sydney.

I nearly fell on my **** when she said $3535.00 !!! THREE AND HALF GRAND!!!

As the fine print in my policy only covers the first $1500 for free, I need to pay my excess of $700 so they will cover the rest!

Just wondering if anyone else has replaced a windscreen and how much did they get robbed in their country??

Cheers!!

 

In the US this is typically covered under the comprehensive portion of the policy if something strikes your windshield while moving. The key part is you always want to say the object was moving. If you strike a non-moving object then it falls under collision and it's on you.

Obviously Newton's laws get involved for a rock or other road debris that strike your windshield while you're driving down the road because the rock or debris can't just hang in mid air without being moving itself as well.

If your windshield has any of the fancy options to support cameras and HUD then that checks another box as the windshield needs to be installed by the dealer and the cameras recalibrated. So they can't foist aftermarket glass on you.

A service advisor once told me another hack is to come to the dealer first and get the car in the system then file the claim with the insurance company - much harder for them to try to move you to an aftermarket outfit then.

BTW, I'm on my 3rd windshield in my 2018, and yes they're pretty spendy and thank goodness they were covered each time. I have all the options including the infrared heat reduction and sound reduction in addition to the HUD and cameras.

 

Yeah the price of the windshield goes up with every additional fancy feature it has. HUD requires special glass and if you have heat insulation or additional sound proofing that'll add to it as well, so does a heated windshield. Not sure if the latter is an option on the W213. I'm assuming those are AUS $, so about $2200 USD. Parts prices have gone up, too. I replaced the windshield twice so far on my C63S Coupe. First time was about $1300 all in, but second time was almost $1800. I don't have HUD, only the stereo cameras for ADAS and standard acoustic glass, but as said above, ADAS requires calibration once the windshield is replaced.

Don't know what the laws are in AUS. Here in California we have the right to get it repaired anywhere. My dealership has their own factory trained glass technicians, so I take it there to get everything done under one roof. I could have saved some money on labor taking it elsewhere. Insurance covered the full cost the first time, minus my $100 deductible, but the second time I had to pay about $400 + $100 deductible out of my pocket. They have limits on the labor rate they cover. All USD.

 

I would believe the cost. I don’t believe that with all the integrated technology embedded in the window, they didn’t come up with something a lot more durable.