[Mattl0806]

This is my m550 which most of you know I’m trying to get rid of. I swear this car is freaking cursed. I got hit by a shopping cart a few weeks back left a large scuff that had to be fixed and now this..

Can anyone explain this type of crack? Last drove saturday and this was not there. The car has just been parked in my driveway. There is no other sign of damage. The car was frozen over this morning - could a defrost have caused this?

[Tejas1836]

There was a chip somewhere that started it

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Tejas1836

There was a chip somewhere that started it

It’s worse/thicker as it goes towards the corner making me think that’s where it started. How could it chip there?

Last weekend driving a rock kicked up and hit the windshield but saw no damage at the time - I just recall hearing the sound - loud enough to cause me to visible inspect once I parked the car and there was nothing.

[Tejas1836]

Doesn't take much with a rapid thermal change. That happens frequently down here in the summer with cars parked outdoors, sometimes when the door is slammed shut.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

It’s worse/thicker as it goes towards the corner making me think that’s where it started. How could it chip there?

Last weekend driving a rock kicked up and hit the windshield but saw no damage at the time - I just recall hearing the sound - loud enough to cause me to visible inspect once I parked the car and there was nothing.

Yeah, that's typical. The rock hits the windshield, you may or may not see where it hit but give it some time and it starts to propagate like yours did. Normally simple driving vibration starts the propagation but stress will also do the same, such as when going from cold to warm, etc. Your crack is quite typical. .. .. but gee, just think, you get to tell the new owner that they have a brand new windshield free from any chips!

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Yeah, that's typical. The rock hits the windshield, you may or may not see where it hit but give it some time and it starts to propagate like yours did. Normally simple driving vibration starts the propagation but stress will also do the same, such as when going from cold to warm, etc. Your crack is quite typical. .. .. but gee, just think, you get to tell the new owner that they have a brand new windshield free from any chips!

This car…. It’s gotta go

[MJBradley1967]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Yeah, that's typical. The rock hits the windshield, you may or may not see where it hit but give it some time and it starts to propagate like yours did. Normally simple driving vibration starts the propagation but stress will also do the same, such as when going from cold to warm, etc. Your crack is quite typical. .. .. but gee, just think, you get to tell the new owner that they have a brand new windshield free from any chips!

Yep, vibration, temperature and body flexing will all make it grow and grow.

IDK about any other insurance, but Progressive offers a zero deductible glass replacement add-on. It saved me a lot of money once.

[ddelX52019G05]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

This is my m550 which most of you know I’m trying to get rid of. I swear this car is freaking cursed. I got hit by a shopping cart a few weeks back left a large scuff that had to be fixed and now this..

Can anyone explain this type of crack? Last drove saturday and this was not there. The car has just been parked in my driveway. There is no other sign of damage. The car was frozen over this morning - could a defrost have caused this?

This just happened to my windshield at the end of December a crack appeared to originate from the bottom center of the glass; however much more likely to be from a rock strike or even road salt according to my service advisor. It was likely a strike that was too small to notice until the temperature shifted during a period of high humidity and cold which caused the chip to fracture the glass.

I share your frustration in talking with my brother-in-law who is a high-end car detailer, he laughed and remarked that he sees more paint chips and rock strikes on BMWs versus other types of cars he works on, he theorizes that rocks don't simply float in the air and waiting to strike our cars, they are kicked up from other vehicles traveling in front of us and he questioned if BMW drivers tend to follow too closely to the vehicles in front them making them more suspectable to chips and windshield strikes, he might have a good point. I am dropping back a bit now when there is traffic ahead and trying to be more patient, waiting for lanes to open.

$3,232.73 dollars later I have a new BMW installed windshield luckily State Farm covered the difference after my deductible but yeah it frustrating and expensive...still an awesome car.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by ddelX52019G05

This just happened to my windshield at the end of December a crack appeared to originate from the bottom center of the glass; however much more likely to be from a rock strike or even road salt according to my service advisor. It was likely a strike that was too small to notice until the temperature shifted during a period of high humidity and cold which caused the chip to fracture the glass.

I share your frustration in talking with my brother-in-law who is a high-end car detailer, he laughed and remarked that he sees more paint chips and rock strikes on BMWs versus other types of cars he works on, he theorizes that rocks don't simply float in the air and waiting to strike our cars, they are kicked up from other vehicles traveling in front of us and he questioned if BMW drivers tend to follow too closely to the vehicles in front them making them more suspectable to chips and windshield strikes, he might have a good point. I am dropping back a bit now when there is traffic ahead and trying to be more patient, waiting for lanes to open.

$3,232.73 dollars later I have a new BMW installed windshield luckily State Farm covered the difference after my deductible but yeah it frustrating and expensive...still an awesome car.

Wow that’s soo much more expensive than I would have thought.
I have State Farm as well. They will cover it but I have to pay out of pocket first.

A counter argument or I’m just unlucky. I am the driver who gives wayyyy too much room to cars in front (according to other drivers). I find it amazing that people behind me fail to realize that I am actually keeping pace with the car in front but just 100 yards back which is so much more relaxing to do and gets me to where I’m going at the same time. When I see these people constantly riding a tail I just can’t come up with an logical explanation as to why besides an intellectual problem (to say it nicely) …

[jad03060]

Way back when, I had a Citroen. It was parked outside in the winter facing the morning sun. The mirror was bonded to the windshield directly, and the small puck was black. It had been a very cold night with temperatures below 0F. When I went out to the vehicle, the mirror was sitting on the dash with a chunk of glass bonded to the puck, it didn't go through to the outer layer of glass, but debonded from the lamination in the middle of the windshield. I attributed the failure to the black puck attaching the mirror and the thermal heating. Luckily, that windshield was easy to replace...remove a couple of clamps, slide it out of the gasket, slide a new one in, and reattach the clamps. Today's adhesives tend to be slightly flexible, so it can relieve some of that stress.

Glass is pretty tough stuff, but given the right conditions, can be broken fairly easily. Today's windshields are structural, so there's more stresses on them than those of old, at least on some vehicles. It doesn't take much damage to be the source of a crack when those conditions are met.

[doublezero]

My G05 seems to attract paint and windsheild rock chips like crazy. I don't tailgate, unlike most BMW drivers I see. I think I'm just having a string of bad luck on that front lately.

Has anyone tried the windshield repair kits to repair small chips (not yet cracks)? I'm mostly interested in filling a small chip that is directly in the center of my line of vision on the windshield... annoying. Would love if it would help obscure that chip from where it refracts light.

I can theorize many reasons and you can research most aggressive / worst drivers yourself, but BMW is at the top of most lists, many backed by factual data (i.e. insurance industry data). I notice it myself and I'm guilty on occasion. I've never seen more hate for a vehicle brand than when I drove my 3 series BMW coupe. From not being let out of spaces to drivers taking a lane merge to the "playing chicken" level. way more negative interactions than any other vehicles I've driven. I will say it was practically invisible to the police though so long as you're minding your own business.. illegal tint, 15 over, don't care.. While mustangs and chargers are pulled over left and right. Maybe anecdotal, but that's what my experience has been. Lost of love and hots of hate for the brand.

[TheACN]

I bought my x5 and it was my second month of ownership. I was driving down the highway when I heard a something hit the windshield. No visible damage so I moved on with my life. Two days have passed, and I was driving it to work ever day. After the end of my second day, I decided to shop for a new insurance policy since my existing one had my premium go up a lot due to the new X5. Never had a claim for the 10 years I've been with that carrier so the price hike was solely due to the new ride. I got a quote from some other carrier and they told me I would need to take the x5 for a photo inspection since it's 2 months old and not considered brand new anymore. I said fine and paid for the new policy. I called my old insurance carrier and canceled my other, old policy. After my phone call, I went outside and VOILA, there's a Crack on my windshield that is almost the full width of the glass. At that point, I was out of my old insurance and new one hadn't had the inspection yyet.i called bmw and got a quote for $3800 (called about 5 dealers, this one was the cheapest). Long story short, I told what happened to my new carrier and they luckily decided to cover it in full. They earned a loyal customer.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by TheACN

I bought my x5 and it was my second month of ownership. I was driving down the highway when I heard a something hit the windshield. No visible damage so I moved on with my life. Two days have passed, and I was driving it to work ever day. After the end of my second day, I decided to shop for a new insurance policy since my existing one had my premium go up a lot due to the new X5. Never had a claim for the 10 years I've been with that carrier so the price hike was solely due to the new ride. I got a quote from some other carrier and they told me I would need to take the x5 for a photo inspection since it's 2 months old and not considered brand new anymore. I said fine and paid for the new policy. I called my old insurance carrier and canceled my other, old policy. After my phone call, I went outside and VOILA, there's a Crack on my windshield that is almost the full width of the glass. At that point, I was out of my old insurance and new one hadn't had the inspection yyet.i called bmw and got a quote for $3800 (called about 5 dealers, this one was the cheapest). Long story short, I told what happened to my new carrier and they luckily decided to cover it in full. They earned a loyal customer.

Wow. That’s a crazy story. I’m happy to hear they covered it for you. They could probably tell you were being honest with them.

[jg05]

Had a small rock strike chip in the black area of the windshield. Safelite wouldn’t fix it. They said that black area just above the dash is the softest area of the windshield and they are unable to repair chips there. We had a very cold snap and even though my X5 is kept in the garage, when I came out one morning (after the car just sitting overnight) the crack had expanded and looked similar to the OP photo. Likely just the change in temperature was enough to expand the crack. Had to talk to my State Farm agent and request OEM glass. Local dealer does windshield replacement (not subbed out supposedly) and I wanted to make sure all DAPP and HUD features were recalibrated and set up correctly. About $2900 later I was all set. Safelite wasn’t much cheaper and they weren’t sure if their glass was OEM. State Farm would have paid directly or reimbursed me. I chose reimburse just in case the quote was low and the actual cost came in higher I wouldn’t need to go back and forth for the extra money.
Good luck with the repair - it happens. Take it in stride.

FYI, Safelite was about the same cost as the dealership for the replacement.

[arRod1981]

Originally Posted by jg05

Had a small rock strike chip in the black area of the windshield. Safelite wouldn’t fix it. They said that black area just above the dash is the softest area of the windshield and they are unable to repair chips there. We had a very cold snap and even though my X5 is kept in the garage, when I came out one morning (after the car just sitting overnight) the crack had expanded and looked similar to the OP photo. Likely just the change in temperature was enough to expand the crack. Had to talk to my State Farm agent and request OEM glass. Local dealer does windshield replacement (not subbed out supposedly) and I wanted to make sure all DAPP and HUD features were recalibrated and set up correctly. About $2900 later I was all set. Safelite wasn’t much cheaper and they weren’t sure if their glass was OEM. State Farm would have paid directly or reimbursed me. I chose reimburse just in case the quote was low and the actual cost came in higher I wouldn’t need to go back and forth for the extra money.
Good luck with the repair - it happens. Take it in stride.

FYI, Safelite was about the same cost as the dealership for the replacement.

Seems odd Safelite didn't know if their windshield was OEM or not. When I had them replace mine, they had a windshield in-stock, but it was non-OEM, and they had to order the OEM. Only took a week for it to arrive. However, the mount for the cameras and mirror was damaged. Luckily another location had one in stock and they got it from them the same day as my appointment.

[jg05]

Originally Posted by arRod1981

Seems odd Safelite didn't know if their windshield was OEM or not. When I had them replace mine, they had a windshield in-stock, but it was non-OEM, and they had to order the OEM. Only took a week for it to arrive. However, the mount for the cameras and mirror was damaged. Luckily another location had one in stock and they got it from them the same day as my appointment.

I believe they were going to order OEM since they didn’t have it in stock but when they said they couldn’t guarantee the recalibration and I might have to take it to a BMW shop for that I just asked them to hang up since I didn’t want two bills for the insurance company. So I never found out if they were going to order OEM for sure or not.

[kkratochvil]

Originally Posted by Mattl0806

This is my m550 which most of you know I’m trying to get rid of. I swear this car is freaking cursed. I got hit by a shopping cart a few weeks back left a large scuff that had to be fixed and now this..

Can anyone explain this type of crack? Last drove saturday and this was not there. The car has just been parked in my driveway. There is no other sign of damage. The car was frozen over this morning - could a defrost have caused this?

I can attest to a very similar situation that I just went through:
- Heard the standard "thwack" while driving on the interstate back on Thanksgiving Day here in the US. Looked around the next day, couldn't find a pit/chip.
- While cleaning the windshield a week or two later, I found a moderate chip down low, along the hood line, on the black backed/painted portion. Didn't seem too bad and it obviously wasn't in my field of view, so I moved on. (I later learned from my SA, similar to what someone else mentioned, that location tends to not be fixable with the "repair" solution)
- A couple of days before Christmas, driving in the snow, I threw on the defrost and about 45 seconds later, I heard a loud "snap, crackle and pop". It was dark, but after looking around, I could actually see the crack expanding across the windshield!! (And, no surprise, the crack passed right through the recent chip/pit.)

I had it replaced by my BMW Dealer and affiliated BMW certified body shop. I have Geico insurance and after the fact, they wanted to deny me about $1,000 for the glass part #. Effectively, they only wanted to pay for aftermarket, non-OEM glass. I escalated the issue with Geico and after a couple of phone calls, they agreed to pay the full amount. So, a bit miffed I had to spend timing escalating, but in the end, it was fully covered, minus my deductible. Total cost was ~$2,400.

Below is picture of window...

[jad03060]

In most modern vehicles...the windshield is structural. Then, add in the complications if you have the HUD and cameras...an aftermarket windshield may not be a great idea.

[kkratochvil]

Originally Posted by jad03060

In most modern vehicles...the windshield is structural. Then, add in the complications if you have the HUD and cameras...an aftermarket windshield may not be a great idea.

No disagreement…part of the reason I went with OEM glass and would have paid part of the cost to get it, if needed.

[Mattl0806]

Precisely what happened to me.
Thank you for sharing. I bring the car in this morning to get fixed.
Bmw quoted 26xx before taxes. I haven’t communicated this to State Farm but my insurance agent has not given any reason to believe there will be pushback.

Btw - I love State Farm for this reason. I have a dedicated person who is very responsive and I reach directly out to for everything. I find it a lot better than previous geico. Oncce I bundled home and auto, I probably saved 50 / month compared to geico.. for a better policy…

[CGG]

If it is a stress crack (not from a rock chip) it may be covered by your BMW warranty. It happened to me a few years ago on my 5 series. The temperature was about -35. I was stopped at a traffic light with the defrost on - out of the blue a crack appeared across the windscreen. Took it to the dealer and BMW said it was covered by warranty.

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by CGG

If it is a stress crack (not from a rock chip) it may be covered by your BMW warranty. It happened to me a few years ago on my 5 series. The temperature was about -35. I was stopped at a traffic light with the defrost on - out of the blue a crack appeared across the windscreen. Took it to the dealer and BMW said it was covered by warranty.

Dropped it off today. They made no mention of it. But since my insurance will pay I didn’t even ask about that. Assumed that was never an option