Mods, please move if posted in the wrong area.

It seems a rock kicked up and cracked my windshield on the way home from the Ice Cream Run last week. I have never had a windshield issue so all new territory for me. The dealership probably wont be the ones to fix/ replace...right now I am waiting for a call from Glass America. I have the rain sensing wipers, is there anything that I need to warn the company of/ be on the lookout for after the repair/ replacement?

Any help/ direction will be appreciated. TIA!

 

I've had a windshield replaced that has the rain sensor and the new one works as advertised. We Used Safelight. Safelite? They know if the windshield has a rain sensor, but wouldn't be a bad idea to let them know.

 

I used a local auto glass shop that all the local autobody guys use and it cost me about $300.00 (on site repair) with the Rainsensor built in.

I had 2 choices of glass manf. I picked Pilkington since that is also the glass maker of our standard Lexus windshield. So far its great. Just make sure the repair guy has done a MINI windshield before.


I was told by the glass tech to NOT use Safelite because the glass they sell sucks....I think they brand PPG as safelite glass?

 

I have a PPG windshield glass and it's great. Very true with no waves or flaws and a great fit ---

 

Thanks for those that replied.

Just got the call from Glass America. They will do a replacement tomorrow. There are mixed reviews on this company, maybe 60/40 in favor of using the company...most complaints were with the tech not coming when he was supposed to come, only 2 complaints with the actual quality of the repair/ replacement so that's good. They knew to ask about if I had rain sensing wipers so that is also good.


I will report back tomorrow with whatever my experience was.


My dad actually works for PPG, he isnt local and didnt have any special knowledge about what to do/ ask for. When I looked it up awhile ago, it seemed like the PPG windshield was the favored windshield.

 

im not real happy with my pilkington, the headlights wont turn off unless the sensor is in direct sunlight, im assuming the piece on the windshield that the sensor attaches too is too dark therefore the sensor thinks its dark all of the time. you cannot see the VIN through the vin window in the lower right of the windshield and you can see under the dash slightly from the outside of the car. it seems as if the windshield is slid down too far but i dont know if thats possible with the strip on top that spaces the glass from the roof.

 

You could check with your dealership too. My dealership will replace with factory glass and they work with your insurance too. In AZ there is a zero deductible on glass so I can get my windshield replaced for free at the dealership.

 

The tech was about 3 hours late (!) but otherwise did an outstanding job. I was there the whole time, I think he actually enjoyed having someone take an interest in the process. I took lots of photos and asked questions.

I ended up getting the Plinkington glass--I didnt really have a whole lot of say in that. I dont have the auto lights so that wont be an issue for me. Looks nice, was a $0 deductible fix and shouldnt raise our rates according to our insurance agent.


There was one issue when the tech was taking stuff off the MINI. One screw was missing from the area that holds in the passenger A pillar. There were two screws missing from the driver's side and it was badly cracked. The original owner had Smurfette into the dealer twice for leaks there/ adjustment to A piller (what is listed in the history sheet the dealer will print out for you) but I have never had a problem with that. We were talking about to get the moldings and such to the point of having those exposed in case I want to get a new A pillar and swap it out myself (he actually put it back together and then let me photograph the process so I have a tutorial if needed). As he was doing that I pondered if I could get the pillars vinyl wrapped while off, you know add a little more pizazz to Smurfette. I think he liked that I was so into my car as to turn a defect into an opportunity to mod her a bit more He was also able to get matching screws so that I no longer have any screws missing (there anyway).


Not something I would choose to have to do again (replace the windshield) but I was very please with the service my insurance (DePaulo Travelers) and the glass repair company (Glass America) provided.

 

ok so since the lovely state of washington likes to put down jagged rocks instead of salt and sand like every other snow stricken state i have lived/ been to I have now acquired a crack in my windshield that spans the entire windshield.... i live in pullman washington a small town, but has a few glass repair places (probably because everyone has cracked windows from flying rocks which could easily be fixed by putting down sand and salt...) but my question is has anyone heard of Mr. Windshield? i got an online quote of 324 for safelite to come out and replace it !!! the online quote from mr. windshiled wasnt working for me, but didnt want a subpar job done on the windshield.. any thoughts... i saw glass america above

 

Mine was handled through my insurance company. Have you checked to see if you are covered under insurance? That seems to be pretty standard. It has been long enough that I can say we saw no rate hikes as a result and they made the process pretty painless.

 

well since none of my family has never had this happen before we didnt have it on the insurance plan... until now sadly.

 

i got mad and sent this to the washington state department of transportation. haha not that anything will come of it
"I am contacting about the issue of washington state using pebbles and jagged rocks as part of the snow and ice plan. i have scanned through the procedure on this website and found nothing about using rocks or pebbles.... i recently was driving to seattle and was hit probably a dozen times by what sounded to be BIG rocks... finally i got a chip in my windshield, then i got hit AGAIN resulting in a crack spanning the ENTIRE windshield. i find this procedure very dangerous. I have lived in states that get tons of snow such as new york and Connecticut and i have never seen any of them use rocks as a form of traction for snow. It has always been sand and salt. I did see in the snow and ice plan on this website that sand is used, but i have not seen this in affect. now i am having to replace my windshield that is going to cost around 400 dollars when all said and done. i am simply asking why these rocks and pebbles are used? i find it very dangerous and costly for repairs. not to mention all the chips car has in it now from being hit with them while driving. i hope to hear from you soon. thank you for listening."

 

I had a rock chip repaired by a locally owned glass company. They said that if I needed to replace the windshield they would use a MINI brand one, as they have had leak problems with other brands.

Dave

 

thats good to know thanks!

 

It's automatic coverage, either in NY state or with the insurance company, not certain which. I know it is automatic coverage with Geicko. So you may want to check with your insurance company unless you are positive you do not have it.

 

I looked in to this very issue and, like most things, some people were for MINI OEM only replacement and others thought that non-OEM was the way to go, as they had repeated issues with the MINI branded one. It was split pretty evenly. FWW, I got the non-MINI windshield and haven't had any issues yet. If I have issues now, I am blaming you for making me say that.

 

hmm i dont know if they do that for my insurance... and i know i dont have it.. so i think im screwed haha

 

I have used Safelite twice in the past for my R53, both times they did a

great job. I did ask before they assigned a tech to do the work for them

to send a guy who has done MINI windshields before. He knew what he

was doing.