Windshield Replacement Hell (or maybe Heck)

[Tacfoto]

My still pristine 2017 i3 REx took a rock to the windshield and now I need a new one. The crack was 12 inches long before I even got off the freeway. I have the very expensive BMW windshield coverage it helps out with NOTHING here. It only fixes chips.

My insurance USAA says take it to Safelight $748.80 and I will pay my deductible. Does this keep my warrantee intact? They don't know.

BMW says $2200-$2400, and they need to order parts. Washington DC area btw.

Yes I did see there was a windshield thread already, but it's pretty old.

 

[Miles1011]

That's bad luck. I am surprised by your figure from BMW. I am located in the UK. I paid to replace my windscreen two months ago on my 2015 REX. It had a 50cm crack after I dropped one end of the 7kw charging cable on it. My BMW dealer charged me GBP600 for the job. If you are worried about your warranty, it might be worth phoning a couple more BMW dealers to see if there is a better quote.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Removing the old windshield is not done like with most normal cars...messing up can severely damage the CFRP. Somebody with the right tools and knowledge is required or you could end up with a disaster.

 

[Tacfoto]

What was mind boggling about the dealership was they actually said I had to order the windshield from their parts department and transferred me there. The parts department seemed upset I did not have the VIN number handy, because "how can they order a part if they don't know which car I have?" Just telling them the model and year was not going to help.

The insurance company does not want to pay the BMW fee, but at least they were not jerks about it.

 

[rtanov]

I was in the same boat about a year ago - one of the local dealers quoted $1700 the other $1100 so it makes sense to shop around. If they ask you to buy the windshield directly from parts, many of the dealer parts departments have online stores selling the same parts at discounts (BMWCCA & other discounts included), e.g. this is my local, it is $230 off the list price:
https://thebmwminipartstore.com/par...61&make=BMW&action=oePartSearch&siteid=218365
And they really need the VIN as the windshield is different depending on the car options. You can get your part number by plugging your VIN here:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/
The windshield of the i3 is structural so whoever does the replacement must be trained on that model and know what they are doing. I was uncomfortable going with the glass installers although some have reported doing it without any problems.

 

[darrellpf]

We had ours replaced on a 2017 i3 a couple of weeks ago. There is was stone chip in the very upper right of the passenger side.

We paid for the "appearance package" upgrade when we bought the vehicle knowing that a replacement would probably be an expensive upgrade.

The entire windshield was replaced no questions asked. Dealer in Vancouver said the cost of replacement was $1300 CDN. The work order summary shows labor $609, parts $570 for an $1180 total.

 

[i3Houston]

About a grand is what seems reasonable to me!

The price is higher just because of the Camera system, my friend did not use that feature so had it Safe-light installed on his non-i3 car for couple hundred bucks. Dealer quoted him about a grand!!

There are some videos on youtube and installation looked pretty standard.

 

[gps1539]

I just got an online quote at safelite.com. for i3 windsheild. For the Bay Area, CA, (expect this is an expensive area), it would be $629.99

 

[i3Houston]

Mine broke yesterday.

Dealer is quoting $1K for part and $400 for labor. :evil:

Safe lite provided a very nominal quote of ~$700 that includes re-calibration of the collision warning system camera, which is awesome. Safelite tells that their installation will not void any warranty.


Found out that, Dealerships dont fix windshield themselves but calls Safelite to replace the windshield for them...!! :shock: