Is Safelite a quality windshield? I've read some bad things about Safelite, i.e., the glass is made in China, it's not quality glass, etc. An OEM windshield cost too much, almost $1400. My other concern is having just one person come out to replace the windshield. A friend had a windshield replaced on his Mercedes and the person nicked the paint on the columns when pulling out the glass.
I am not promoting one over the other. Most dealership have some other windshield company install their (BMW) glass. The quality of the installer would be my question. There are some options available to you. 1) Insurance coverage might help?; 2) The installation company could purchase the BMW glass and install it.; or 3) You could purchase the glass and have it installed. Are you carrying full coverage insurance? If so, your worries are over. You would have to pay your portion and have the dealer install. Try to work it out with your insurance company. They might have a preferred list of installer.
I have recently had my windshield replaced in mine by Safelite and I have to say that I am an overall satisfied customer. Their price was excellent ($274.99). I don't know what you mean by "one man"... do you mean one person to do the installation him/herself? When they came out, there were two people and both did some of the work, so it's not like one of them just stands there. They did a decent job but they did leave some smudges at the top of the hood. They would have cleaned it off but I told them I would do it later on anyway, so they would have taken care of it if I didn't ask them not to. They were really quick as well; it took them about 15-20 minutes to do the job from arrival to departure. The only thing I have noticed is that there seem to be some smudges on my windshield that only a paper towel and some Windex can take off (won't come off with windshield washer + wiper), but I probably had this problem with my previous windshield but didn't notice it due to the excessive pitting... but that's another story. I was very impressed with their service, with both the installation and their customer service. Explanation: When it came time to pay, the price the installer gave me (payment due on the spot) was about a hundred bucks higher than what the internet price was that I gathered from entering my information. So, I wrote them a postdated check and went down to the Safelite location down the street after work. The guy there had me bring back the printed internet price and he matched it. Technically, it was supposed to be $279.99 + tax, but he only charged me $279.99 without the tax, no arguments, no fuss, no nothing. I am a very happy camper.
Hey, I suck at mechanical things so I provide whatever knowledge I have experience with - and this happens to be something I have experienced!. Question is, why do you need the windshield replaced? If it's for a crack, it can possibly be repaired.
