jmackro
Well-Known Member
A few months ago, the windshield on my 1970 2800 CS coupe spontaneously cracked. When I looked closely, the crack was around an old stone chip - it extended from the lower gasket up about 6". And, it was right in the driver's line of sight.
While my CS is FAR from concours, a cracked windshield was a bit much to live with. So, I began my search for a replacement. I began by calling LaJolla Independent - they said that they had them, but that their price would be the same as from a BMW dealer, and that unless I wanted to drive down to LaJolla (only about an hour from S. Orange Cnty - in retrospect, maybe I should have), it might be simpler to just order one from my local dealer.
I discussed the problem with my local repair shop (Professional Motorcar, here in San Juan Capistrano), and they said "no problemo - we have a great glass installer, and will just get the part from the dealer". A price of about $400 was quoted.
Well, the first glass that arrived was for a different BMW model. Once the dealer realized that we were talking about a 36 year old car, they upped their price quote, and said that none were available in the US. After about a 3 week wait, one arrived from Germany. Price: $547.50. Installation was cheap at $80, and now my CS has an uncracked, unpitted windshield.
The moral of the story is that if you need a windshield, be prepared to shell out $550 bucks and to wait.
While my CS is FAR from concours, a cracked windshield was a bit much to live with. So, I began my search for a replacement. I began by calling LaJolla Independent - they said that they had them, but that their price would be the same as from a BMW dealer, and that unless I wanted to drive down to LaJolla (only about an hour from S. Orange Cnty - in retrospect, maybe I should have), it might be simpler to just order one from my local dealer.
I discussed the problem with my local repair shop (Professional Motorcar, here in San Juan Capistrano), and they said "no problemo - we have a great glass installer, and will just get the part from the dealer". A price of about $400 was quoted.
Well, the first glass that arrived was for a different BMW model. Once the dealer realized that we were talking about a 36 year old car, they upped their price quote, and said that none were available in the US. After about a 3 week wait, one arrived from Germany. Price: $547.50. Installation was cheap at $80, and now my CS has an uncracked, unpitted windshield.
The moral of the story is that if you need a windshield, be prepared to shell out $550 bucks and to wait.