[f10inSD]

Hey team... just had my windshield replaced today and decided to go with a Pilkington. Its the same brand the came on my 535 BUT it does NOT have the BMW logo. I ended up saving quite a bit of money this way.

Well sure enough after the install i noctied the glass has a lot more distortion than the OEM one. Any one else have experience with Non-OEM Pilkington?

It bothers me so much I might just see if the shop will swap it out for an OEM Glass.

[ey2001]

On my e60 I was told the same thing... that it's the same as oem but not stamped bmw... it has distortion also.... I ended up just swapping it out with OEM bmw stamped front windshield.

[NinetyEight740]

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for...

[Surly73]

FWIW the PO of my E90 did the same - used Pilkington which was identical in every identifying number except for no BMW logo - and there were no issues at all with that glass. It proved to be as soft as OEM too and pitted fairly quickly.

[snj1013]

I have a Pilkington, non-BMW logo windshield and notice no distortion.

[f10inSD]

Well.. i drove over the the glass shop this morning and told them i wasn't happy with the glass.

The owner who was very nice, he explained that most glass has some degree of distortion when viewed from side angles. He then made me a nice offer to install OEM BMW stamped glass for 200 dollars more. No charge on labor. All total the cost will be $560 for an OEM glass. The owner said he would get several windshields so I can pick one.

All in all i think 560 isnt bad for a BMW glass. Ill come back for an update on the distortion.

EY2001: Did the OEM look any better.

[Tallest]

so if you see distortion, you can order replacement?

Originally Posted by NinetyEight740

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for...

I have OEM and distortion. I wonder what saying is applicable here.

[AP]

Got to ask , as the pilkington screen is own and only destined for a bmw, why would they make a version with bmw written on it and one without?
I am assuming pilkington make the stock for bmw themselves?

Why make 2 versions???

[f10inSD]

AP:

I read several items online about making two different sets of windshields

One source says that its one assembly line.. and the glass that meets BMW standards gets the logo and OEM status, while the rest are sold as aftermarket.

Another source says that there are actually TWO assembly lines... one for OEM standards and one for aftermarket.

Finally there's sources that say its the same glass but one gets a logo and one does not.

I'm not sure what to think at this point.

[Surly73]

As far as I know, it's the typical OEM/OES arrangement, just for glass. When doing DIY repairs on my E39, I rarely used BMW parts with BMW logos, but I used the Lemforder (for instance) OES/OEM parts for a fraction of the cost. The're made in the same factory but the same process to the same standards but they aren't sold through dealers. In some cases you get parts where the BMW logo is just absent, in a lot of cases I got parts where it was ground off after casting.

I've seen similar in Toyota land - doing some DIY maintenance for a friend. The serpentine belt from Toyota is a BANDO brand for $86. I can get the BANDO product for $22. It appears identical except for lacking the Toyota printing on the cardboard package. I suppose it might not be absolutely identical, but seems to be, and costs 75% less.

[f10inSD]

Update:

The new OEM Glass was installed this morning and the distortion at side angles is EXACTLY the same. However, the optical clarity looking from the driver side is better. Also the thickness and tint on the OEM Glass is way better. I can feel the heat rejection to be honest.

The bmw dealership is a few block away so I went by and looked at 5-6 pre-owned F10s. All the windshield had the distortion similar to mine. Some better some worse.

Verdict... the OEM Glass is different and to me worth the price.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by f10inSD

Update:

The new OEM Glass was installed this morning and the distortion at side angles is EXACTLY the same. However, the optical clarity looking from the driver side is better. Also the thickness and tint on the OEM Glass is way better. I can feel the heat rejection to be honest.

The bmw dealership is a few block away so I went by and looked at 5-6 pre-owned F10s. All the windshield had the distortion similar to mine. Some better some worse.

Verdict... the OEM Glass is different and to me worth the price.

Worth mentioning - there are many different optional windscreen glass options you can choose, with different amounts of heat rejection etc.... Can you verify that your Pilkington model and BMW model are supposed to be absolutely identical? (not just fit the same chassis) What actual brand is marked on your BMW glass?