[robby818]

Is it possible to replace driver and front passenger glass with acoustic glass? Is it just a matter of removing the old glass and replacing it with the acoustic glass?

*I realize the acoustic glass from the factory is also on the rear passenger windows, but I think I could get most of the benefit of acoustic glass by replacing just the two front windows.

[TurtleBoy]

Yes, it is possible. Obviously it will be a bit of work but the hardest part may be trying to get the glass since BMW can't get it due to supply issues.

Here is a link to the instructions for doing it.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/g...ont/1VncuuvyYH

[1stbmwx5]

[QUOTE=TurtleBoy;26491731]Yes, it is possible. Obviously it will be a bit of work but the hardest part may be trying to get the glass since BMW can't get it due to supply issues.

I'm on Houston and replaced drivers side a few weeks ago. Dealer had it 2 days after I ordered it.

[robby818]

Thanks. I contacted a few glass installers I found on Yelp and got quotes for going the non-BMW route. $800 to replace both front passenger side windows with ATI brand acoustic glass. I might do it.....the car is still very new so I am reluctant to trust someone with removing the interior door panels without damaging something.

[X5 45e]

I have acoustic glass and it looks thicker than normal, I can't compare however.

Can't this be a problem when switch from one type to the other?

Or did I miss that part in the link that was posted?

[robby818]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

I have acoustic glass and it looks thicker than normal, I can't compare however.

Can't this be a problem when switch from one type to the other?

Or did I miss that part in the link that was posted?

That's what I was wondering about as well, whether of the parts inside the door need to be changed to support the acoustic glass. It looks like the answer is no, but I thought I would raise it here in case anyone has experience with doing this.

I discovered that the BMW factory side acoustic glass is available for $400 each so rather than go with after market for about the same price, I'll probably order the BMW glass from the parts dept of my local dealer.

https://parts.bmwmonterey.com/p/BMW_...338496036.html

What prompted me to ask this question is that our household got another X5 so we have one with and without acoustic glass. The one without glass sounds like someone left the window slightly open when driving on the freeway. You hear every car next to you. The acoustic glass one is the opposite, dead silence. My plan is to replace the two front windows for ~1,000 and see how much it helps. The cost isn't too bad but I am more worried about disassembling the door panels and scratching or breaking parts.

[StanTheManBG]

Glass is interchangeable. Just order and replace. Someone had done the same thing on their X4 and it is definitely doable.

[paul325740]

Originally Posted by robby818

That's what I was wondering about as well, whether of the parts inside the door need to be changed to support the acoustic glass. It looks like the answer is no, but I thought I would raise it here in case anyone has experience with doing this.

I discovered that the BMW factory side acoustic glass is available for $400 each so rather than go with after market for about the same price, I'll probably order the BMW glass from the parts dept of my local dealer.

https://parts.bmwmonterey.com/p/BMW_...338496036.html




What prompted me to ask this question is that our household got another X5 so we have one with and without acoustic glass. The one without glass sounds like someone left the window slightly open when driving on the freeway. You hear every car next to you. The acoustic glass one is the opposite, dead silence. My plan is to replace the two front windows for ~1,000 and see how much it helps. The cost isn't too bad but I am more worried about disassembling the door panels and scratching or breaking parts.

please let us know, I am curious about this also, since I can not order this option for 2021

[robby818]

Originally Posted by paul325740

please let us know, I am curious about this also, since I can not order this option for 2021

I went to the parts desk at Beverly Hills BMW an hour ago and ordered drivers and passenger acoustic side glass. They price matched the $389.17 price that I found at getbmwparts. He said that was the employee pricing for what it is worth. The parts are in stock at a nearby warehouse and will be at the dealership in 2 days.

There are a lot of auto glass installers in L.A. The standard rate seems to be $100 to replace each window. I am very OCD about my car so I will probably talk to a few installers in person before I pick one. I may also check with the dealership on how much they would charge to do it. So, all together $1000 to replace the front two windows with acoustic glass. I am glad I checked the price of BMW labeled glass. I just assumed it would be 2-3x the cost of aftermarket but it actually ended up being about the same price with the discount.

One thing, in order to order the parts you will need to provide a VIN for an X5 that came from the factory with acoustic glass. The parts dept wants to make sure the part will fit your car. I don't think they will sell you the parts without a VIN but YMMV.

Part Number: 51338496035
https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...ss-51338496035

Part Number: 51338496036
https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...ss-51338496036

[parkstr8]

Great info. BH BMW is close to me. I'll see how your install goes...so keep us posted.

I'd also love to see pics of the two glass thicknesses. I had acoustic glass on my S6, and there was a thin layer of something in between two layers of glass.

Can't wait to hear your review and installer choice.

Thx!

Originally Posted by robby818

I went to the parts desk at Beverly Hills BMW an hour ago and ordered drivers and passenger acoustic side glass. They price matched the $389.17 price that I found at getbmwparts. He said that was the employee pricing for what it is worth. The parts are in stock at a nearby warehouse and will be at the dealership in 2 days.

There are a lot of auto glass installers in L.A. The standard rate seems to be $100 to replace each window. I am very OCD about my car so I will probably talk to a few installers in person before I pick one. I may also check with the dealership on how much they would charge to do it. So, all together $1000 to replace the front two windows with acoustic glass. I am glad I checked the price of BMW labeled glass. I just assumed it would be 2-3x the cost of aftermarket but it actually ended up being about the same price with the discount.

One thing, in order to order the parts you will need to provide a VIN for an X5 that came from the factory with acoustic glass. The parts dept wants to make sure the part will fit your car. I don't think they will sell you the parts without a VIN but YMMV.

Part Number: 51338496035
https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...ss-51338496035

Part Number: 51338496036
https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...ss-51338496036

[robby818]

The windows arrived at the Parts dept today. I inspected them and they are indeed acoustic glass. At the edge, you can clearly feel two pieces of glass are sandwiched together and there is also an XI marking by the label.

I decided to have the dealership install the glass. It is 2x the cost ($200 per window) of a third party installer but because my car is less than a week old, I do not want to worry about scratches or broken clips on my currently perfect doors. I should have more recourse with the dealership if anything isn't to my liking.

My service advisor helped me check the parts numbers for the seal where the window meets the door. He was concerned that the part might be different for acoustic vs. non-acoustic glass but it turned out to be the same part so the installation should go fine. It is good to have the VIN handy for an X5 with acoustic glass and one without it from the factory.

Will pick it up tomorrow and let you know if I notice a difference. Where I expect to hear the most difference is on the highway over concrete sections. I was hearing car engines pretty clearly and wind noise. I expect those two things to be significantly reduced with acoustic glass.

[paul325740]

Originally Posted by robby818

The windows arrived at the Parts dept today. I inspected them and they are indeed acoustic glass. At the edge, you can clearly feel two pieces of glass are sandwiched together and there is also an XI marking by the label.

I decided to have the dealership install the glass. It is 2x the cost ($200 per window) of a third party installer but because my car is less than a week old, I do not want to worry about scratches or broken clips on my currently perfect doors. I should have more recourse with the dealership if anything isn't to my liking.

My service advisor helped me check the parts numbers for the seal where the window meets the door. He was concerned that the part might be different for acoustic vs. non-acoustic glass but it turned out to be the same part so the installation should go fine. It is good to have the VIN handy for an X5 with acoustic glass and one without it from the factory.

Will pick it up tomorrow and let you know if I notice a difference. Where I expect to hear the most difference is on the highway over concrete sections. I was hearing car engines pretty clearly and wind noise. I expect those two things to be significantly reduced without acoustic glass.

would be nice to test the decibel before and after...
https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products...6257694&sr=8-3

[robby818]

Originally Posted by paul325740

would be nice to test the decibel before and after...
https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products...6257694&sr=8-3

I wish i had thought to do this.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by robby818

I wish i had thought to do this.

You can download free sound level meters from the app store onto your phone, I use dbmeter and decibelmeter on my iPhone, they both do the same thing but the format is a bit diff. Just be sure when you measure sound and want an A-B comparison, that you set up your test the same way....place the meter in the same spot and have the ambient environment the same which should be dead quiet.

[paul325740]

Originally Posted by robby818

I wish i had thought to do this.

how about you do after and I will do before with my X5?

[robby818]

Originally Posted by paul325740

how about you do after and I will do before with my X5?

But in order to get comparable results i think we would need to drive the same road under near identical traffic and speed conditions and other factors like wheel size & tires would need to be the same.

I have driven an X5 with acoustic windows for more than a year so I know what it sounds like with and without it so I will do my best to describe the difference. The problem is that your ears get used to having it or not having it. As time goes on, you adjust to the background noise or lack of it.

I am interested to see if just changing the front two windows makes enough of a difference. I have a feeling it will be, but I will know better later today.

I just received a text that the car is ready so I am walking over to pick it up.

[robby818]

Installation was great. I got the pricing wrong. It was 400 per window. Yikes. Service advisor gave me a hefty discount to help me out but yeah I would not recommend doing at the dealership. So far so good. I’ll try it out on the highway tomorrow.

Oh, I was a little confused when the one touch up function wasn't working. I was testing it with the door open and I think it is designed to work that way as a safety measure. When the doors are closed one touch works normally.

[robby818]

I went for a quick drive on the 10 freeway West bound between western avenue and overland Avenue. It’s a cement Freeway. What I notice with acoustic glass is that cars two lanes over are nearly silent. I hear a little tire noise from those cars but it is very faint. When cars come up next to me there is very little engine noise and some tire noise. There is a large reduction in the wind noise. Overall I am happy with the end result of replacing the front two windows and I got what I was looking for in terms of reduced noise on the freeway.

[mandomedic122]

Originally Posted by robby818

I went for a quick drive on the 10 freeway West bound between western avenue and overland Avenue. It’s a cement Freeway. What I notice with acoustic glass is that cars two lanes over are nearly silent. I hear a little tire noise from those cars but it is very faint. When cars come up next to me there is very little engine noise and some tire noise. There is a large reduction in the wind noise. Overall I am happy with the end result of replacing the front two windows and I got what I was looking for in terms of reduced noise on the freeway.

Are the non acoustic window and acoustic window the same thickness? Did they need to change the seal that sorrounds the window when closed? I was thinking of doing this to my X5. I had a 535 that had acoustical glass all around and loved it. You could barely hear anything when you were driving on any road.

What was the total cost at the dealership?

Thanks

[Mixitt]

Any one ever taken a before and after decibel reading using a quality meter and keeping ALL factors the same and repeated a few times - wind speed/direction, same road and same travel direction, same loads, etc. Sometimes we don't hear what we don't want to.

X5 is very quiet as is. Having said that glad it worked out for you Robby.

[parkstr8]

I'm guessing the total for the two front windows is:

400ish a piece for each glass = 800
Install - 400ish for each = 800
Tax etc
He got an install discount...not sure anyone else would.

So neighborhood of around 1,800.00.

Double that if you want all 4 doors.

[edtreo]

Originally Posted by parkstr8

I'm guessing the total for the two front windows is:

400ish a piece for each glass = 800
Install - 400ish for each = 800
Tax etc
He got an install discount...not sure anyone else would.

So neighborhood of around 1,800.00.

Double that if you want all 4 doors.

Whoa! I might do dynamat instead.