[Swoosh-X]

So a few months back I got rear ended unfortunately in my 325i 06 E90 by a drunk driver. As if that wasn't bad enough, when I went to pick up my car from the body shop the windshield is cracked to hell and needs to be replaced.

The body shop guys are saying the crack likely spread when they put the car in the paint booth and heated the car up, causing a crack to spread.

The "start point" of the crack is right in the middle of the alarm sensor/rear view mirror area. It doesn't look like a rock chip to me. The appraiser and several others didn't notice it. So neither of us knows how that crack got there.

But the body shop guy is refusing to pay for the windsheild saying it could happen to any windshield with a crack in it. He says the temperature change and the heat in the paint booth can cause that ... I'm saying it's negligent that they didn't bother to check the windshield in the first place before placing it in the paint booth.

Are E90 windhshields prone to cracking? What would you guys do in my situation?

[Neema]

F your body shop, first off they are retarded as hell for placing your whole car in their "heater." They should only bake the parts that were painted. Quality body shops remove the pieces they are working on so as to avoid overspray and other issues. And Second, I guess the few thousand degrees that caused the sand that turned into your glass windshield are just not up to the heat of a body shops "oven." Like I said, they're idiots and just calmly tell them, look man....if your going to make this difficult, which you are, im jsut going to make it easy and take you to court, case closed.

[Neema]

oh and, good luck with everything man...i know how much of a pain in the ass dealing with idiots at body shops and dealerships can be!

[Swoosh-X]

Thanks man. The guy apologized for it, but I'm still stuck paying $700 for a windshield, and there's just no way I'm down with that.

[rrandyy]

It should be added to the bill for the original accident. If you weren't in the accident you wouldnt have the car in the shop and get the crack. On the other hand, sometimes the windshield cracks because the frame has shifted--something to think about.

[karliejai]

no matter what don't pay for the crack!

[choiffer]

tell him to add it to insurance? wahts the problem? if you didn't have a crack before your accident obviously the accident caused it... or those idiots just damaged it. either way... DONT pay for it. Accidents are a pain the ass. GLUCK

[Swoosh-X]

My insurance doesn't cover the front wind shield in the event of being rear ended unfortunately.

[PancakeWafflez]

Its not that it doesnt cover your front windshield in the event of being rear ended; its the fact that you didn't have the cracked windshield when you brought the car into the body shop.

If it happend under their eye; they are liable, unless you signed a contract that specifically states "we are not liable for any damages to your vehicle while in repair".

[Swoosh-X]

I agree for sure they are liable and I most certainly did not sign anything that would free them from that obligation.

The body shop guy is trying to say the chip might have been there before it got to his shop and then spread when they baked the car.

I did not notice any chip there though (granted, being rear ended at night, checking the windshield wasn't my first priority), nor did the appraiser who looked at the car.

Beyond that even if there was a small chip there that spread into a bigger one, they should have taken the 90 seconds to inspect the windshield before putting it into the paint booth. That way, at least I could've had the crack fixed first at a glass repair place. He's telling me that even if they noticed the crack there, there was nothing that could be done to prevent the crack from spreading -- I think this is BS also, but this is now his main arguement.