Windshield Replacement
 

Hi All,
I have several small chips in my windshield (2003 SLK32) that I noticed recently when washing my car, so I'm getting help with my insurance to replace the windshield. I have a $0 deductable, so it's free to get the "comparable" piece of glass. I was given the option of upgrading to the Merc OEM part for $208, and the glass shop told me that the difference was that the part would fit slightly better. She told me that in all other ways the windshields should be comparable. I am going to keep the car for several more years, so maybe its a good investment.

Is it worth $200 to do the upgrade?
Are there any particular questions about the two that I can ask the shop to get a better idea?

Thanks!

The windshield you get should fit perfectly without spending extra money. Call your agent and ask him what's up.

I agree. Glass is glass, I think.

Sounds like BS

It could be just as good, but I have had some bad experiences with aftermarket glass in the past. One time I went to a place and specifically asked for PPG glass (oem for that car). They gave me some other brand. I would have never noticed if it weren't for a rather obvious ripple in the windshield that badly distorted my view about 2/3 the way up the windshield. Driving down the road, you would see the street lights stretch out as you went by.

I went back the next day and reminded them that I had ordered PPG glass, and 2 hours later I was happy again.

Just make sure it's good glass!

I would pay the extra and get the Mercedes Benz OEM replacement glass, I think, made by Pilkington now


I made the mistake of replacing the glass with so-called "equivalent" glass, that the Insurance company and glass company I selected SWORE was just as good.


Liars.


It wasn't. It was shoddy "XYG" glass. A goodle search revealed this was the Xingyi Glass Co out of Shanghai.


You get what you pay for, in this case likely cheap glass made by chinese child workers probably toiling for 3 cents a year


Yeah you get what you pay for.



I am telling you , do you NEED clouding and optical distortion, and so on?


I can't wait for someone to toss a pumpkin at midnight through that crap windshield I have been staring through for the last 40,000 miles.....Volunteers?

The more expensive one will fit the same as the cheaper one, but the more expensive one will not crack as easily. I sell auto parts for a living, and the phrase "you get what you pay for" is 99% true in the auto parts world. I have, and I will again, pay more money for the Pilkington windshields.

Decision made
 

That's basically what I wanted to know. I think I'm going to get the MB glass. It sounds like if you notice a difference it's a big difference. Since I'm going to have the car for a while, I can invest in a good windshield. Hopefully it'll be better on wind noise, thicker, match the tint, and so on. Thanks for the advice everyone!