windshield replacement
 

I will be replacing my windshield on my W126 soon due to bad pitting. Can hardly see at night with oncoming traffic. Here's the deal, I called safelite and harmon autoglass, and they both quoted me around $300. Not bad. I asked if it was OE or not, and all they could really give me was "premium glass". What do you guys think about this? Is "premium" good enough, or should I insist on OEM? If they can't get OEM, what should I do? Thanks for any help.

Most of the time they use PPG glass which is ok. But if you insist they will get OE.

Sometimes the PPG is listed as OE. I insisted that the windshield for my 1998 C230 be replaced with a dealer part, with the MB star logo in place. The stock was Sekurit, the replacement from the local dealership, with star, Daimler sticker, etc. was PPG. In 6 months it is already scratched and pitted worse than the Sekurit windshield that came with the car.

Damn. So is it not even worth dropping 300 bucks on a windshield? I guess then that that money would be better spent on a set of H&Rs or something. What is it with MBs and windshields? I don't get that. I don't recall a badly pitted windshield in any other car. My mom has a Subaru with almost 100 grand on it, and the windshield is fine. My dad had a Ford F-250 with well over 130 grand on it and the windshield was fine. Why is it when you get in a Benz the glass pits like crazy. I've heard of many people in this forum with the same problem. Is there something I am missing?

You're right. It seems to be a much more common problem with MBs regardless of whether they have Sekurit or PPG or whatever glass. One theory is that this is a "design feature", i.e. the glass is deliberately "softer" so that it is less likely to crack (but more likely to pit).

Don't know if that's true but I had the same experience of replacing my factory glass due to a crack and the new one is badly pitted one year later.

I think there is a certain degree of chance involved. The glass worker at the university I was at always said that making glass was a real art form, with a lot of variables. He said even a couple degrees temp difference could make a big difference in the quality and properties of finished glass, at least for the labware he used to fabricate.

My 1988 Acura Legend had very poor glass, the 1984 Celica has glass like a diamond - still very few pits even after 18 years. Yet both were driven over the same roads, and the Toyota for a longer period (290,000 miles!). Go figure!

You might try a search in the archives for Sekurit glass - I know it was discussed a couple of years ago, but I don't remember the conclusions. The glass on my 87 300E is SIGLA, and has held up pretty well.

i've had two replacements this year. the first was OE PPG (with the star). i now have the safelite but too soon to tell about the pitting on the new windshield. in comparison, our family van, which is the same model year as the benz, had glass that was crystal clear compared to the sekurit windshield which was very badly pitted. it's definitely worth getting a new windshield if you have a badly pitted sekurit because you won't believe how big a difference it is in terms of clarity with the new one!

Whether or not it's PPG or Sekurit, if it doesn't have the MB star it's not OE. The difference between the two is that OE is crash tested.

I guess the best I can do is go with OE glass, no matter who the manufacturer happens to be and just hope for the best. Not like there is some aftermarket supplier of glass that makes "super glass" or something. It would be nice though! Oh well...

Why would you spend $300. on a windshield.
Don,t you have insurance coverage?

Maybe in the near future? A number of companies (including Sieko) are experimenting with the processes which leave a diamond film on surfaces. They aren't sure if they can legally call it diamond, but it is pure carbon, has the same molecular structure/lattice arrangement, electrical and heat conductivity, light transmission properties, and hardness rating as pure diamond. It is inexpensive to make - there is already a line of French cookware with this deposited on the bottom to conduct heat more efficiently - and lens coatings and semiconductor applications are planned. diamond is hard, but brittle, so it may not make it to windshields. Likely to resist pitting, but 'star' more under larger impacts than glass. Oh well, as we learn more about materials science and chemistry........

When I had the mobil glass guy come out, I specifically asked them to send their most experienced guy. Tell them "This is an immaculate Mercedes and it has to be perfect". The glass company doesn't want to lose money and wants it done to your satisfaction the first time around. The guy they sent out did an outstanding job. There's a trick they use to slip the glass under the monowiper. The experienced guys have done hundreds of them.

Thanks for the suggestion about getting the most experienced guy...I will be sure to do that. As far as the question about insurance....the windshield is not actually cracked, just pitted. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, insurance companies replace items that have been literally damaged, and not just suffered from normal wear and tear. And even if they did replace it, right now I don't have insurance on the car because it has been stored for a little while, and when I do get insurance I am planning on getting a 250 comp deductible, which would make filing a $300 claim not worth the hassle. That's how I see it at least. So what is everyone's "official" opinion? Should I replace it and just risk it pitting again and just deal with it if it does, or wait it out?