Has anyone replaced one lately?

I have been chasing this for months, trying to get OE glass. Told by a couple of glass places that the dealer will order aftermarket glass and install the Daimler sticker, was told 2weeks ago that there is one OE windshield in the country and it should have been here by now, another dealer told me that they can be ordered, ... but the trip from Germany will take up to 2months.

I'd really like to get her back on the road but would prefer to have the original glass with Mercedes star.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I replaced one in the fall but I had bought it a couple of years earlier from the MB dealer.
It was made by PGW (formerly PPG) in the USA but did have the Mercedes part label and the MB star on the glass. It would seem strange that a USA manufactured window would be shipped to Germany and then back to the USA.

Inspect the window carefully before installing. When I finally unwraped mine it had a chip out of the upper edge. I later found out that they are shipped from Pittsburgh in wooden crates that are nailed together. The chip looked like a misplaced nail had hit it.

Thanks Rick. Maybe PGW is no longer producing it, I do not know. Maybe no longer available from PGW and now only from Germany? I think my current glass is Pilkington?

Mine was supposed to have shown up already, ... will call the installer again today.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Sorry to report "quite easy to find over here" - doesn't really help I know. I think there's a good chapter on this in the FSM though. (Probably easy enough to find on gsxr's site)

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Thanks Stretch, can you send one to me (kidding)?

As far as the FSM, I'm having it installed, ... with preparation. The last time I had one installed (many moons ago) the installer charged a lot of money to cut into the top surface of the dash where it is hidden under the cowl, and the front edge of the header panel, ... this time I'm removing the wiper assembly, the A-pillar trim, and the header panel and explaining that cutting into the dash is not an option as it is likely either NLA or very expensive to have replaced at the dealer. Different installer, the franchise that installed the last one (and my Land Rover windshield 3times, ... still leaked) is not on my good list (different city anyway). I'm wondering if leaving a blanket and heating pad on the windshield overnight before they arrive will help removal. The 201 has a neat little heating wire in the seal on it, I don't know why the 124 doesn't also.

I called the shop this morning, am told that they have no update on delivery date, which hopefully means that the dealer was able to order it and it's at least on its way, ... maybe late April? I hope much sooner.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Jeff,
Experiences like your horror story with glass installers is the reason that I started installing my own 35 years ago. The last windshield that I had installed was on a '74 280. I gave them copies out of the service manual and they still messed it up. Never read them. Broke all of the interior trim clips, Tried to install the anodized window trim after installing the glass and as a result made a mess of the trim bashing it with a rubber hammer. Installed cheap glass made in Brazil that turned pink when the sun hit it.

It's nerve wracking doing it yourself but I'm going to do a better job than most "professionals" as I'm going to take my time and research beforehand.
Also gives me a chance to do proper paint repair and replace the trim clips if rusty.

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Good points Rick and thanks

I hope that the installer will do it well, it's an older local business that does some classic and collector work, just matters whether I get the old master or a new hotshot.

Short answer is that I don't have the time to learn this, need to start "outsourcing" some of my projects.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Several MB owners that I know, in other parts of the country, have recommended this place:

Auto Glass by Windshields To Go

I think I will try them later this summer.

I had to replace the windshield in my '95 sedan after I bought it, and although the installer did a terrific job, the Pilkington glass cracked after just a couple of years from a stone hit. I think most aftermarket glass is just not up to standards. My '87 wagon still has the original glass.

MB Northlake in Charlotte advertises 124 glass for a couple hundred dollars, but they only sell it in conjunction with installation, of which they charge a flat rate of $500. Too expensive for my budget!

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

For reference, the windshield that I put in my W124 was part number A 124 670 33 01 64. Looks to still be a good number.

Thanks, that is also the number that I was given, tinted with shade band, should have the E-code and DOT on it. Good to know it's a good number.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

WS to go is PGW / Pilkington , I bought a R129 windshield direct from them and a W202 from someone that bought it from them and never installed.

I doubt is went back and forth, it likely was made in US and shipped to the MB USA warehouse. Auto companies "make" very little of a car, many of the parts are outsourced and built / marked as the auto maker wants.

Mercedes does not stock glass in many cases on older cars, even some W211 glass shows up as 0 stock, what some could erroneously assume to mean NLA.

It is produced and warehoused by PGW. The catalog says 'contact PGW for stock'

Current list on a W124 windshield with the tint strip on top is $402.00

Ordered one for the 200TD a few days ago.

If you bought the glass in Europe for a European car it would probably come from a Pilkington factory. What a lame 3,000th post.

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68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i

Thanks Paul.

I was told that the glass has to come from Germany, and that it will take weeks to months, it has already been weeks.

I have specified Mercedes-logo glass, the dealers apparently typically buy non-logo glass and put the sticker on it (or so I'm told), so this is a "special" order (the 124 670 33 01 glass).

Hard to tell sometimes whether the glass installer knows what they're talking about, or just trying to talk me into an aftermarket windshield that will cost them sometimes less than people's deductible. Hopefully this will be worth the wait and be E-code glass with the star in it, ... if not I've wasted a lot of time.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I used them for my 190d a few years ago. They subcontract with local installers, so I can't promise the quality is uniform nationwide. But the guys who did mine knew exactly what they were doing and committed no errors. They came to my office and worked in the parking lot, and were done in an hour. Pretty much all auto glass comes from Pilkington or PGW, I don't need a star for a daily driver.