[mffarrell]

2020 M550ix soon to be out of warranty

I have something going on with my windshield. When driving at night there is so much glare and distortion in the glass it is hard to see and it’s blinding!

At first I thought my windows were dirty, but that’s not the case. There is something inside the glass that looks like thousands of tiny pits in the glass when the lights from oncoming traffic shine into the windshield. These “pits” are uniformed throughout the windshield.

As a reference I have a HUD windshield. I have owned this car since new, and this is just happening now.

Anybody else experience this?

Thanks!

[AP]

Is it just lots of small chips?
Do you see these with the sun on the windscreen?
Was it always there ie a manufacturing fault or got worse over time?

[mffarrell]

Originally Posted by AP

Is it just lots of small chips?
Do you see these with the sun on the windscreen?
Was it always there ie a manufacturing fault or got worse over time?

The imperfections are within the glass itself. No rock chips or scratches on the inside or outside of the glass. When sunlight or headlights are deflected at an angle onto the windshield, there are thousands of sand like specks that interfere with the visibility, making it unsafe to drive.

I just noticed this a couple of months ago, as I thought that I had a dirty windshield.

I Googled this and it seems to be an issue with some X3s and X5s.

Just wondering if any other G30 owners have experienced this?

I am still under warranty, but I have my doubts if BMW will replace my windshield.

[AP]

Not experienced this myself
Sounds like a manufacturing fault then. Presumably the layer between the 2 glass panels

[jsf721]

Anyone polish the glass ?

[AP]

Can you provide a picture that shows this?

[Joe-BMW33]

Honestly, this sounds like normal wear and tear on the windshield from driving. It's a sandblast effect from road sand. You may think they in in the glass, but they aren't. They are so small you can't feel them.

My windshield is full of them. I live with it because my experience with a replacement, non-factory installed windshield is the high probability of more wind noise and calibration issues.

You could bring it to a pro for a multi step polishing. Similar to a paint correction. I don't drive at night much, so I haven't pursued it. You could also DIY it, plenty of YT videos on it. You could also just get a new windshield. Not sure what WA insurance policies are on glass, but in MA, glass is fully covered with no deductible. You could wait for the inevitable rock hit and crack or you could be creative if your insurance is footing the bill.

I would try polishing first. Nothing to lose if plan B is to get new glass.

[BMW012]

i have noticed bmw windshields are quite weak for sure

[mffarrell]

These sand like imperfections are inside the glass and uniformly spread throughout the glass. My car is a low mileage car (12K), so hasn’t seen a lot of highway driving.

The glass has never been polished.

I will try to post some pictures today. Thanks!

[eric_gm]

What brand? Has it been replaced (if there is no BMW logo then it has)? I've read in other forums that Fuyao windshields in particular are prone to distortion and glare. BMW has been using Fuyao as an OEM for a few years now. It was Pilkington, Saint-Gobain Sekurit and a few others before that.

[mffarrell]

Originally Posted by eric_gm

What brand? Has it been replaced (if there is no BMW logo then it has)? I've read in other forums that Fuyao windshields in particular are prone to distortion and glare. BMW has been using Fuyao as an OEM for a few years now. It was Pilkington, Saint-Gobain Sekurit and a few others before that.

My windshield is the original OE that came with the car when new.

[mffarrell]

Here are a couple of photos. One is off my dash cam, the other is what the entire windshield looks like when light reflects into the windshield.

Notice the glare and foggy look in the area circled in red? The entire windshield looks like this when light hits the glass.

Upon closer examination I would describe the glass as crazing throughout the windshield.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

Here are a couple of photos. One is off my dash cam, the other is what the entire windshield looks like when light reflects into the windshield.

Notice the glare and foggy look in the area circled in red? The entire windshield looks like this when light hits the glass.

Upon closer examination I would describe the glass as crazing throughout the windshield.

That is strange. I have never seen this before when it wasn't driven by dirt or product build up. Just a longshot, have you tried wiping it down with Alcohol to strip it? Just a long shot.

[mffarrell]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

That is strange. I have never seen this before when it wasn't driven by dirt or product build up. Just a longshot, have you tried wiping it down with Alcohol to strip it? Just a long shot.

Yes, I have tried wiping with alcohol. The glass is definitely crazed within the layers of glass. My late model Porsche developed the same type of crazing on the headlight lenses and was replaced under warranty ($12K).

Let’s see what BMW says next week when I take it to my dealer with one month left on the warranty.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

Yes, I have tried wiping with alcohol. The glass is definitely crazed within the layers of glass. My late model Porsche developed the same type of crazing on the headlight lenses and was replaced under warranty ($12K).

Let’s see what BMW says next week when I take it to my dealer with one month left on the warranty.

They will replace that under warranty. It's short money for them.

[eric_gm]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

My windshield is the original OE that came with the car when new.

BMW buys them from different manufacturers. BMW doesn't make glass. The brand is in the lower corner of the windshield. I've seen many complaints with Fuyao branded ones (it will say Fuyao or FY).

[mffarrell]

It looks like my windshield was manufactured by Carlex.

[eric_gm]

Yup, that's a Carlex. It's not bad, so that's strange.

It looks like the laminate is degrading somehow. The weird thing is that it's not exposed to the elements or chemicals because it's sandwiched between two layers of glass. Only radiation or a manufacturing defect could've caused it.

Does it look like this during the day?:

https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threa...1#post-5945217

[mffarrell]

Originally Posted by eric_gm

Yup, that's a Carlex. It's not bad, so that's strange.

It looks like the laminate is degrading somehow. The weird thing is that it's not exposed to the elements or chemicals because it's sandwiched between two layers of glass. Only radiation or a manufacturing defect could've caused it.

Does it look like this during the day?:

https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threa...1#post-5945217

It’s fine during the daytime, I could live with it, but at night, it’s dangerous to drive when there is oncoming traffic. The visibility is terrible and blinding.