[SeanE]

I don't know if its bad luck, or something about the windshield being particularly fragile on the 2-series, but I've had 2 bad stone chips in the span of 6 weeks. First one a small star that was fixed perfectly by safelite. Just got one a couple days ago that is worse-- basically a shattered/crushed area in the size of a quarter. Not sure it will be an easy repair without replacement.

Prior to this I think I've had 2 maybe 3 small stars in windshields of cars owned since the early 90's.

Kind of sucks and I have a feeling this new one will require a replace. Anyone had to replace with an OEM unit that can give me the price you paid?

[19bis]

Should be covered by insurance. No problem with my 2, but I've gotten a few windshield chips & cracks over the years. Never had to pay a cent for replacement.

[K8_M235i]

My windshield is pretty pitted after 30k in Boston. There aren't any huge chips, it's just overall peppered with dots. My previous WRX had the same look after 24k.

I think it has a lot to do with road condition and the fact that the car is low. Same reason our hoods get rock chips and suvs don't for the most part.

You must've just gotten unlucky with some bigger rocks. Is it oem glass?

[Transfer]

Multiple chips although they were from legitimate sized impacts so not sure I can call the glass extra fragile. None of them have cracked thankfully.

[blbroo]

I thought I was being dramatic, but maybe it seems I'm not. I have two in the past month, both from small rock hits that should have barely left a mark.

I'll get them filled free using insurance, but still surprised at how easily they seemed to happen and about future ones.

[SeanE]

Originally Posted by K8_M235i

My windshield is pretty pitted after 30k in Boston. There aren't any huge chips, it's just overall peppered with dots. My previous WRX had the same look after 24k.

I think it has a lot to do with road condition and the fact that the car is low. Same reason our hoods get rock chips and suvs don't for the most part.

You must've just gotten unlucky with some bigger rocks. Is it oem glass?

Yep, the original glass. I've had the car since late '15.

I have decent glass coverage with my insurance, but not $0 deductible. I guess I need to see how much it costs if this is going to be a recurring issue...all the more reason to get that beater 2nd car I've been thinking about and turning my 2 into more of a garage queen.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by SeanE

I don't know if its bad luck, or something about the windshield being particularly fragile on the 2-series,?

In the past 16 years, I've had 3 of my BMW windshields repaired and 2 replaced because of stone chips. Apparently BMW only uses the finest and most fragile bohemian crystal for their windshields.
When I've had to replace, I have always gone with an aftermarket, not just because they're 50% of the cost, but because they don't chip as easy.

[Joe240]

Replaced my m240 windshield while station in Germany. Had the car less than a year and spider crack about 4 inches long. Cost me a 500 euro deductible >.< got to the US and did a road trip in my X1 for a wedding, chipped the windshield and progressive said repair or replace at no cost, was my choice which option I wanted. Safellite did the repair because it was quicker and we could still see the chip/repair (was right in front of the passenger LOS). Mentioned it to them and they changed the repair to a replace for the insurance and just swapped out the windshield at no additional charge. They even sent someone to the house for the replacement (we dropped it off for the repair).

Highly recommend safellite. Very professional and friendly.

[Joe240]

Oh and check with your insurance company. My understanding is in some states, like Florida where I live, auto insurance typically replaces at no cost to the insured.

[SteveInfante]

Originally Posted by bimmerfile

In the past 16 years, I've had 3 of my BMW windshields repaired and 2 replaced because of stone chips. Apparently BMW only uses the finest and most fragile bohemian crystal for their windshields.
When I've had to replace, I have always gone with an aftermarket, not just because they're 50% of the cost, but because they don't chip as easy.

This!

I had mine replaced in the 228 last year. It was cold for a bit after a good sized rock hit my windshield at the very bottom. Then one day it was 85 degrees out. Boom cracked for 9". Relaxes with aftermarket glass. It's not near as pitted as the stock glass after the same mileage. I'm at over 70K miles now.

[CP911]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Oh and check with your insurance company. My understanding is in some states, like Florida where I live, auto insurance typically replaces at no cost to the insured.

Does your premium go up after one of these "free" windshield claims?

If there is no specific cracked windshield coverage, I wouldn't bother with a claim. Pay what? A $500 deductible and then your premium shoots up?

I go out of my way to avoid tailgating and potential rock chips, but I've had somewhat bad luck with pretty much every high-mileage DD I've had over my life. I think every one of my cars has had a cracked windshield that needed replacing at some point. Most recent was my 2016 WRX that I racked up 22k highway miles on in a year. Within the first 5k miles, a pickup truck in the left lane of a 2-lane highway was passing me while towing an open wheel landscaping equipment trailer. He kicked up a large rock and I saw it fly over into my lane. Bounced off my front bumper and then smacked my windshield. $750 later, I had a new OEM Subaru windshield. I never filed an insurance claim. My insurance did not cover cracked windshields unless I wanted to file it as a comprehensive claim. Wouldn't have been worth the premium hike.

Put in the mileage and it's inevitable no matter how evasively you drive.

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by CP911

Does your premium go up after one of these "free" windshield claims?

If there is no specific cracked windshield coverage, I wouldn't bother with a claim. Pay what? A $500 deductible and then your premium shoots up?

I go out of my way to avoid tailgating and potential rock chips, but I've had somewhat bad luck with pretty much every high-mileage DD I've had over my life. I think every one of my cars has had a cracked windshield that needed replacing at some point. Most recent was my 2016 WRX that I racked up 22k highway miles on in a year. Within the first 5k miles, a pickup truck in the left lane of a 2-lane highway was passing me while towing an open wheel landscaping equipment trailer. He kicked up a large rock and I saw it fly over into my lane. Bounced off my front bumper and then smacked my windshield. $750 later, I had a new OEM Subaru windshield. I never filed an insurance claim. My insurance did not cover cracked windshields unless I wanted to file it as a comprehensive claim. Wouldn't have been worth the premium hike.

Put in the mileage and it's inevitable no matter how evasively you drive.

Nope, premium stayed the same. Windshield replacement is included in your normal coverage in the state of Florida. Like I said, it was free and normally my comp deductible is $100

[CP911]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Nope, premium stayed the same. Windshield replacement is included in your normal coverage in the state of Florida. Like I said, it was free and normally my comp deductible is $100

Damn. That's a nice deal for sure!

[aerobod]

Living in an environment where roads are covered with pea gravel 6 months of the year to provide winter traction and windshields on most vehicles are either badly pitted or badly cracked after one winter, there is no difference between vehicle manufacturers or aftermarket suppliers in windshield durability. Pickups and SUVs have just as many cracked screens as sedans or sporting cars.

There are only 5 significant glass manufacturers worldwide who produce for all car manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers, the only difference being the logos on the screen:

Pilkington
PGW / PPG
Sekurit / St. Gobain
Asahi
Nippon

Of the BMWs we’ve had in the family over the years, PPG, Pilkington and Sekurit have supplied the original glass to different cars from the factory. I’ve also had Japanese cars with glass from the other two manufacturers and aftermarket glass from PPG and Pilkington.

On average I have to replace windshields every 4 years, but an aftermarket one on a Nissan Pathfinder we had lasted only 6 weeks and our Z4M was still on it’s original screen after 7 years of year-round use.

[Transfer]

I've lost too many windshields and had too many break ins so I added glass insurance to my coverage a couple years ago and it doesn't cost that much.

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by aerobod

Living in an environment where roads are covered with pea gravel 6 months of the year to provide winter traction and windshields on most vehicles are either badly pitted or badly cracked after one winter, there is no difference between vehicle manufacturers or aftermarket suppliers in windshield durability. Pickups and SUVs have just as many cracked screens as sedans or sporting cars.

There are only 5 significant glass manufacturers worldwide who produce for all car manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers, the only difference being the logos on the screen:

Pilkington
PGW / PPG
Sekurit / St. Gobain
Asahi
Nippon

Of the BMWs we’ve had in the family over the years, PPG, Pilkington and Sekurit have supplied the original glass to different cars from the factory. I’ve also had Japanese cars with glass from the other two manufacturers and aftermarket glass from PPG and Pilkington.

On average I have to replace windshields every 4 years, but an aftermarket one on a Nissan Pathfinder we had lasted only 6 weeks and our Z4M was still on it’s original screen after 7 years of year-round use.

I’ve never had to replace a windshield on any of my cars until I got my 2 bmws. My Dakota, maxima, izuzu p’up, lebaron, lesabre, Cruze, avenger all had zero issues with rocks hitting the windshield. It really makes me believe that the aerodynamics of the vehicle plays a heavy roll as well (more than I thought it would).

[p912guy]

Kentucky auto insurance covers glass repair or replacement with no deductible and no consequences to premium. Of course it really isn't "free" as our insurance premiums in Kentucky are generally higher than in many other states with similar city sizes and population demographics. In addition Kentucky, and I think Florida, also are "No Fault" states when it comes to Personal Injury claims which makes it easier to seek care and provide for injuries, which also accounts for our generally higher premiums, not to mention it's great environment for PI attorneys. We have several big name, PI attorneys with huge advertising budgets with offices in Florida and Kentucky. At any rate, Kentucky views windshield chips and cracks as safety issues. If the chip or crack is in the direct field of vision of the driver or is larger than a quarter it warrants replacement and if outside of the driver's field of vision and is smaller it generally just warrants repair.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Nope, premium stayed the same. Windshield replacement is included in your normal coverage in the state of Florida. Like I said, it was free and normally my comp deductible is $100

It may be free, but it is still recorded as a claim and multiple small claims could affect your premiums in the future.
I paid for all 3 windshield repairs and the 2 replacements (over the past 15 years) out of my pocket.
And when I did eventually have a major "at fault" claim after totaling a 2 year old Subaru Forester and replacing it with a pricier new BMW X1, my insurance premiums actually went down for the exact same coverage (why, I don't know - and I never asked). OTOH, had I claimed the previous 5 windshield repairs/replacements, I expect my rates would probably have gone up.

[dsmclone]

What's the going rate for these windshields? My last car, an Infiniti M56, cost over $900 to replace.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by Joe240

I’ve never had to replace a windshield on any of my cars until I got my 2 bmws. My Dakota, maxima, izuzu p’up, lebaron, lesabre, Cruze, avenger all had zero issues with rocks hitting the windshield. It really makes me believe that the aerodynamics of the vehicle plays a heavy roll as well (more than I thought it would).

Aerodynamics will have no appreciable effect on rocks at road speeds (My university degree is in Aeronautical Engineering, so I've studied aerodynamics a lot). Luck, following distance, road treatments in area, driving habits and changes in any of them are all going to be factors. The vehicles I had the shortest lived windscreens on over the past 30 years were a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder (3 windshields in 5 years) and a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek (2 windshields in 3 years), the longest lived a 1990 Honda Civic and 2007 BMW Z4M that both went over 7 years with no replacement, everything else has been somewhere in between (about 4 years on average). Luck, winter conditions & driving patterns have all been factors I think in my case.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by CP911

Does your premium go up after one of these "free" windshield claims?

If there is no specific cracked windshield coverage, I wouldn't bother with a claim. Pay what? A $500 deductible and then your premium shoots up?

I go out of my way to avoid tailgating and potential rock chips, but I've had somewhat bad luck with pretty much every high-mileage DD I've had over my life. I think every one of my cars has had a cracked windshield that needed replacing at some point. Most recent was my 2016 WRX that I racked up 22k highway miles on in a year. Within the first 5k miles, a pickup truck in the left lane of a 2-lane highway was passing me while towing an open wheel landscaping equipment trailer. He kicked up a large rock and I saw it fly over into my lane. Bounced off my front bumper and then smacked my windshield. $750 later, I had a new OEM Subaru windshield. I never filed an insurance claim. My insurance did not cover cracked windshields unless I wanted to file it as a comprehensive claim. Wouldn't have been worth the premium hike.

Put in the mileage and it's inevitable no matter how evasively you drive.

All states are different regarding glass coverage. Some states mandate that insurance companies cover glass claims with no penalty due to safety issues. I've always carried full glass coverage with no deductible in New York State. I've had four windshields replaced in 30 years of driving and never had my rates increase due to said claims.

[DaleHeinz]

I had a decent spider web shatter on mine last year, 3 weeks into ownership. Insurance replaced with my $250 deductible. Dealership performed the work and replaced with OEM. I was about a $1200 job.

It's a ver soft glass. Within the last year it's already heavily pitted from DC freeway commutes. And, she had another large crack from this winter. I'll be getting a 3rd windshield now in a few weeks when I know there will be no more salting by road crews.