Thoughts on windshield for e39 M5

Peter Coomaraswamy

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Hi folks, I love posting my pollution here since so many people have multiple model year BMW's!! I have a new to me e39 M5 in excellent condition (pretty much) however it does need a new windshield. What are some thoughts on OEM vs Safelite?? There is obviously a price difference but would you be concerned about the quality assuming that the car will likely see only 3-4K miles per year...

Thanks
 

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vince

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I would definitely go with an OEM windshield, e39 M5 are really moving up but potential buyers are super picky about everything. Going with a safelite windshield could make them question what other shortcuts have been taken. The windshield on my M5 is a little pitted but it has all of the original stickers on it, the car has low miles and I'm leaving it since it's original to the car.

IMG_1364.jpg
 

Ohmess

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The O'Fest presentation on cars that are expected to appreciate included the e39 M5; I would stick to a stock BMW windshield.

I have owned an e39 540 6 speed for 18 years now, and if I were to acquire another e39 there are a couple of things I would do right away.

-- First thing - replace the stock plastic radiator/expansion tank setup with an aluminum radiator from Zionsville Motorsports (Keep the original for resale purposes). I also changed to their electric fan setup, and have had no troubles. This will fail if you don't upgrade.
-- I also highly recommend stainless steel brake lines; these cars are heavy and while the brakes are quite good, they will get spongy when you drive the car hard.
-- Change to aftermarket brake pads - you will give up a little bit of cold bite but you won't have to clean your wheels every week. (I'm using Axxis Deluxe pads, I think).
-- Add a strut brace across the front shock towers; it will help with initial turn in and makes the steering feel lighter.
-- If you hydrate in the car at all, these cars have no cup holders so you need an "Ultimate cup holder."
-- And while you are visiting the Ultimate cup holder site, buy a Saab trunk handle - this allows you to close the trunk without putting your hand on the paint. https://www.ultimatecupholders.com/trunkhandle.html
 

Ohmess

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Nice Chris- Thanks!!

Also, though my car came with cupholders in the forward console, fairly useless. No matter, I typically drive with my hand on my girlfriends lap so rarely have time to drink while driving.

Not only are the cupholders useless, they tend to spring open randomly and get broken. I pulled them and installed a BMW blank off plate. Same with the ones in the back seat.

As to the girlfriend, perhaps you should have bought a car with an automatic transmission.
 

Arde

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Please update us on the oucome Peter, I need to replace mine soon.
I just did struts and tie rods, the car is so tight now I find myself driving really fast...
 

Peter Coomaraswamy

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Arde, I went the cheap route and used Safelight. I stayed with the tech and helped him with a few things, he was pretty good and I was very pleased with the results until we went to attach the rain sensor and the attaching bracket on the new windshield was different than the old one.

They'll be putting another one in at no cost on Monday and I'll let you know how it went. In the interim I ordered a new cowl cover
 

bluecoupe30!

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Please update us on the oucome Peter, I need to replace mine soon.
I just did struts and tie rods, the car is so tight now I find myself driving really fast...
I recently replaced the rear ball joints and integral links on my e39Touring with OEM. They were the originals. What a difference in ride and stability! Well worth the trouble. Mike
 

Peter Coomaraswamy

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Finally had the job completed. There was a different tech, significantly goofier than the original tech and that was cause for concern. He was very accepting of my advice though, he said he had never done a BMW before, ugh. That was ok, I just didn't let him out on my sight and walked him through everything. Some things he did well, like laying down the sealant bead and cleaning up things but I helped him lift the old windscreen out and put the new one in and I changed the cowl covering and cleaned up the cabin filter boxes, changed the filters etc while I was waiting for another truck to show up with the molding, which was left at the "shop".

Basically the younger guy really just needed a lesson in working, doing things with care etc. As far as the quality of the glass and wind noise things look pretty good. I think the proper molding and a new cowl piece are the keys to wind noise so in the end it was an acceptable replacement and will be safer than driving around with a broken windscreen and no rear view mirror.

Arde
My suggestions would be:
Ask for an experienced tech.
Make sure they have the correct rain sensor mount
Make sure they have the correct molding.
Purchase a new cowl molding if necessary (maybe cabin filters too)
Familiarize yourself with the look of the original molding and mounting so you can be sure things are going in correctly
Ask the tech to vacuum out everything and ask for a couple minutes to clean/treat the leather dash with leatherique and pristine clean (if applicable)
Budget some time so you can be there during the entire operation.
And of course prayers :)
 

autokunst

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They'll be putting another one in at no cost on Monday and I'll let you know how it went. In the interim I ordered a new cowl cover
I have had bad luck with Safelite (and any other aftermarket windshield supplier/installer). They tried 3 windshields on our car until they finally got it to seal. It's not the technicians, but the aftermarket glass - the non OEM glass is not the same quality, nor the same geometry as the originals. Each time, they added more black goop until it was clearly visible in the car. I will never cheap out again - you get what you pay for in this case. I wish you better luck than us - hopefully they get it right on the second try.?.
 
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