124 Windscreen replacement recommendations

[philiggy]

I need my windscreen replacing as a stone hit it this morning but I dont want to use Autoglass as they made a right mess of replacing the screen on my last 124.
Has anyone any recommendations or will I just have to use whoever the insurance company says

Phil

 

[MBK]

I need my windscreen replacing as a stone hit it this morning but I dont want to use Autoglass as they made a right mess of replacing the screen on my last 124.
Has anyone any recommendations or will I just have to use whoever the insurance company says

Phil

Hi,

I used RAC to replace my Front windscreen on my 124 coupe i cant say it was the best experience i asked for a Genuine windscreen to be fitted they agreed and even cleared it with my then insurance company (norwich union) i thought it was all good, left the car at home with my dad as i couldnt get time off work (plus they say you shouldnt drive the car for 48 hours after having screen fitted) so couldnt get it fitted at work, but when i got home i noticed they put a fake (non mercedes) screen in, so on the phone to RAC who tried to tell me it was an original (had the mercedes hologram on it and all the right sekurit tags wiv the merc embelm) mercedes part, i said it wasnt in the end they shipped one in from germany and i had it fitted 3 weeks later, all in all i think all these windscreen places are the same you just got to tell them exactly what you want and if you dont get it just keep harrassing them till you get it.

- Kully

 

[Smiley]

Autoglass did mine OK; seems to be transparent and does not leak.

out of interest what is the difference between a MB and non MB one?

 

[jpskiller]

Autoglass did mine OK; seems to be transparent and does not leak.

out of interest what is the difference between a MB and non MB one?

about £300+

 

[jaymanek]

just the MB logo in most cases.. most MB glass is Pilkington and has to be boought from them anyway.. the cost is added due to having gone through the official MB system and oh of course the cost of the little star being stamped on.

 

[philiggy]

Hi,

I used RAC to replace my Front windscreen on my 124 coupe i cant say it was the best experience i asked for a Genuine windscreen to be fitted they agreed and even cleared it with my then insurance company (norwich union) i thought it was all good, left the car at home with my dad as i couldnt get time off work (plus they say you shouldnt drive the car for 48 hours after having screen fitted) so couldnt get it fitted at work, but when i got home i noticed they put a fake (non mercedes) screen in, so on the phone to RAC who tried to tell me it was an original (had the mercedes hologram on it and all the right sekurit tags wiv the merc embelm) mercedes part, i said it wasnt in the end they shipped one in from germany and i had it fitted 3 weeks later, all in all i think all these windscreen places are the same you just got to tell them exactly what you want and if you dont get it just keep harrassing them till you get it.

- Kully

I'm not bothered about it being MB, last time they damaged the front of the headlining and broke the sunvisor clip

Phil

 

[nick mercedes]

about £300+

Genuine windscreen from MB parts dept £182.13 inc vat.

MB glass is often very reasonably priced.

 

[Shude]

Genuine windscreen from MB parts dept £182.13 inc vat.

MB glass is often very reasonably priced.

That's the price to a regular customer so imagine a decent discount for a nationwide windscreen service. The way I see it the £50-100 excess nearly buys the windscreen, all the insurance is paying for is the labour in fitting the thing.

 

[nick mercedes]

That's the price to a regular customer so imagine a decent discount for a nationwide windscreen service. The way I see it the £50-100 excess nearly buys the windscreen, all the insurance is paying for is the labour in fitting the thing.

Plenty of windscreen places just buy their glass from MB, for example 210 qtr glass retails at £19.39, so not mush scope for getting it any cheaper.

 

[Roger Jones]

"MB glass is often very reasonably priced."

Except for the rear screens for W124 and W126 Coupés, which are in the £500 bracket last time I checked.

And how much labour is really involved? I talked to my favoured bodyshop about it. They get a guy in who's often finished within a couple of hours at most. So how do Autoglass and their ilk rack up hundreds of quid costs? Oh yes, insurance jobs . . .

 

[Dieselman]

Plenty of windscreen places just buy their glass from MB, for example 210 qtr glass retails at £19.39, so not mush scope for getting it any cheaper.

Years ago someone broke MiL Toyota quarterlight. Autoglass or some such wanted about £130 to replace it. FiL went to the dealer and returned with the glass for the princely sum of £15.

That's a pretty heavy labour charge.

 

[jaymanek]

"MB glass is often very reasonably priced."

Except for the rear screens for W124 and W126 Coupés, which are in the £500 bracket last time I checked.

And how much labour is really involved? I talked to my favoured bodyshop about it. They get a guy in who's often finished within a couple of hours at most. So how do Autoglass and their ilk rack up hundreds of quid costs? Oh yes, insurance jobs . . .

Come on.. these are businesses like any other.

There is the labour, fuel costs, van costs, time taken to collect glass, van maintenance and other costs...
If they charge £100-150 to fit a screen plus the actual cost of screen, i think thats reasonable.

 

[jpskiller]

Genuine windscreen from MB parts dept £182.13 inc vat.

MB glass is often very reasonably priced.

I rang of couple of glass fitters inc autoglass and for "Original MB Glass Windscreen" they quoted 450 inc fitting, when I asked for Non-MB it was around 160 mark.. granted I never rang MB themselves

 

[Ade B]

Got mine done by the insurance, can't remember the company that did it but think it was Autoglass. They spent a couple of hours one afternoon fitting it. I don't think its MB but it has the darkened stripe across the top and is same colour tint as the other glass.

I guess a lot of the time its down to the skill and experience of the fitter.

Ade

 

[Roger Jones]

" If they charge £100-150 to fit a screen plus the actual cost of screen, i think thats reasonable."

Come on, jaymanek . . . I don't disagree with that. When I find a large gap between one quote and another for the same job, I ask questions. Are you saying that the insurance factor is not significant in this trade and body repairs?

 

[sylvester]

I would certainly get a quote from an MB dealer, you might be very pleasantly suprised.

I had the exact same problem and picked up a stone chip on a W204 (how annoying, only six weeks old).

Autoglass are the insurers preffered rapairer and attempted a repair with resin injection. Unfortunately it failed, with there still being a very visible blemish, so a new windscreen is required.

I was happy for Autoglass to try a repair as it will either work or not and there is not a great deal of additional damage that they could do.

However after having them make a right pigs ear of my previous car I was very very unhappy about having them do a full replacement.
After a long and pointed conversation the company agreed that I could get some independant quotes from local MB dealers to compare with Autoglass. They were very confident that MB would be way more expensive.

Autoglass quoted £556 + Vat for replacment and fitting
MB dealer £149 for the glass and £90 fitting + vat

What a massive difference, so I'll be taking the cheaper dealer option and peace of mind that they will be responsbile and taking better care of the car.

 

[philiggy]

The insurance company want me to use Autoglass who are coming next Thursday, I will keep everyone informed

Phil

 

[philiggy]

The insurance company want me to use Autoglass who are coming next Thursday, I will keep everyone informed

Phil

Autoglass sent 2 guys round today who did an excellent job.
The screen had been peviously and had anti rust-paint around, which had just started to go again, the Autoglass guys rubbed it down and primered it before fitting the new screen.

I was very impressed

Phil

 

[Smiley]

Autoglass sent 2 guys round today who did an excellent job.
The screen had been peviously and had anti rust-paint around, which had just started to go again, the Autoglass guys rubbed it down and primered it before fitting the new screen.

I was very impressed

Phil

I checked my screen and it is a MB one that Autoglass fitted; same as you the guy did a good job and let me deal with a couple of small rust spots whilst he fitted it.

 

[Sp!ke]

I think it all boils down the the guy that fits it at the end of the day. Some are good, some less so.

Me, I think I'd watch them llike a hawk when doing the job to be sure. I'd also make sure it was done to my satisfaction before letting them go.