Crack in front windscreen

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I would advise that you should check that they really are trained up and have the correct tools before any work commences though. Personally I f you go down this route I would keep detailed records of who said what to who and when and try to get some written confirmation that they are aware of the issues raised.

Thanks for this. That's precisely what I am doing. Direct Line have informed me about Autoglass' liability should things go wrong. However, I am not happy to let it come to this, as it means more of my time being consumed by mistakes made by others. Unless I hear back from an Autoglass engineer who can prove to me that he/she has already performed an i3 screen replacement, I will not allow them to touch my car. I also don't want an engineer who uses my car to "learn on the job".

As I'm with Direct line Insurance myself I think I will dig out the policy docs to see where the fine print leads us. I am still thinking that the Insurer can only recommend a repair station, so for example your average body shop would not be equipped to perform CFRP repairs so you would be left with the BMW network anyway, I don't see how the windscreen repair differs from this.

I do actually believe that a screen replacement is a relatively simple thing to do. However, my BMW dealer confirmed two main things to me, which set this process slightly apart on an i3: 1) it's a special, string-like screen cutting tool that has to be used to protect the CFRP and 2) the reinitialisation of the mirror, which again can differ if you have the higher SatNav (I haven't).

More info hopefully soon.

 

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After a wait of over 3 weeks, I now finally have a resolution for my cracked windscreen. Thankfully, the crack stopped increasing in length at about 50cm and didn't inhibit viewing whilst driving. But as you can all appreciate, it's not a particular nice thing to keep staring at. In addition, opinions are divided to what extend car safety and stability is compromised by a cracked screen. The holding tune ads on Autoglass' phone hotline told me "Do you know that 30% of your cars stability depends on your windscreen?". However a service engineer at a local BMW workshop told me that the CFRP frame of the i3 should prevent this.

Anyway, Autoglass was unable to get an i3 screen into stock and even after 3 weeks of wait could not give me an ETA for it. Interestingly enough, both local BMW i certified dealerships however quoted a delivery time of 2 days max! I mentioned this to Direct Line, my insurer, and pointed out that there is a potential safety issue with the screen. I was basically after a solution that would involve ordering the screen via BMW and having it fitted by Autoglass. After many calls to Direct Line, I finally got through to a very helpful person in their "Glass Breakage Team", who managed to get approval for me to actually have the screen sourced and repaired by an approved BMW i workshop - an even better solution. It will now be performed by another local BMW dealership, who can repair BMW i vehicles, but currently doesn't sell them. Interestingly enough, the quote by this BMW workshop is £200 lower than my original quote of £1060. As I have a glass breakage excess with Direct Line, I only pay £75 of £860.

The screen will be fitted tomorrow and I'll report back - hopefully it will all be good news.

 

[MikeS]

Sounds like a good outcome. Hope it all goes well.

 

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I'm happy to say that after 4 weeks, my front windscreen has finally been replaced by one of my local BMW dealers. I picked up the car today and am happy with the actual replacement, which is indistinguishable from the original screen.

There were only 2 small niggles. One panel at the bottom of the right front pillar is slightly loose. I compared the fit to the left front pillar, which is acceptable and the manager on duty agreed with me. New clamps will be ordered next week so the panel can be attached to the CFRP properly. There were also some light scratches on the bonnet, which can be polished out, I was assured. So I am waiting for this to be resolved.

Apart from that I'm a lot happier now. But I do realise that I was lucky, since I was only able to go to a BMW dealer because Autoglass couldn't source the original glass. Actually, I have since found out that they tried to still source a non-OEM screen, which was not what we agreed on. But at that time I had already gone ahead with the BMW workshop repair, which was approved by the insurer.

In other words, if you have got a cracked windscreen, be prepared for a rough ride.

 

[PluviaPlumbum]

Looks like a satisfactory outcome there - good for you for persevering with patience, as low cost insurers like Direct line tend to have a 'Computer says no' mentality when you get in touch with their call centre. At least you have blazed a trail here by setting a precedent

 

[spinball]

Apart from that I'm a lot happier now. But I do realise that I was lucky, since I was only able to go to a BMW dealer because Autoglass couldn't source the original glass. Actually, I have since found out that they tried to still source a non-OEM screen, which was not what we agreed on. But at that time I had already gone ahead with the BMW workshop repair, which was approved by the insurer.

Glad to hear it worked out! Extra glad you didn't get it back with some janky non-OEM screen!

 

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Looks like a satisfactory outcome there - good for you for persevering with patience, as low cost insurers like Direct line tend to have a 'Computer says no' mentality when you get in touch with their call centre. At least you have blazed a trail here by setting a precedent

Well after 3 weeks I called Direct Line and said that I'd like to "expedite things" a little, as there was still no ETA for the glass, not to mention the fitting. I also said that I was concerned about the safety of the car and its passengers. I think that struck a chord.