OEM Windshields Now Available Through BMW

[HayekFan]

I checked with the dealer and the price of the Euro windshield is $326.60. I've corrected it in the OP.

Checking today, the BMW parts system showing $302.93 as BMW NA MSRP. I guess it's not surprising the dealer quoted you a roughly 5% markup. Hopefully they honor some Club pricing discount to save you a bit.

Showing none in USA but 63 listed as available at the CDC (Central Distribution Center) which I believe is Dingolfing.

Just reporting what I'm seeing.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm looking at my receipt (from my Jan. 10 order) and sure enough it shows a list of $302.93, same as what you're seeing. And I did get a CCA discount which put the sale price below list.

The $326.60 I mentioned earlier was the number I was given in December. BMW usually does price updates around the first of the year, and sometimes the prices go down. I'm guessing this explains the change.

I'm going to correct the OP with this info and delete my edit notes that show the old price.

BTW, it's interesting that the current number of windshields in the warehouse is 63. When I started this thread I think it was 72.

[stuartinmn]

Has anyone installed one of these windshields? I'm curious how well they fit. I had the windshield on my car replaced some years back with OEM glass, and the installer had a bear of a time with it. Apparently the curvature didn't match up very well with the opening, and they had to really push to get it in.

[HayekFan]

Funny you would ask. I'm in the middle of installing my new windshield. I put the gasket and glass in yesterday and hope to get the trim in later today. So far everything is fitting fine. I will add that a couple weeks ago I temporarily reinstalled the original windshield to make the car drivable after a paint job while I waited for the new windshield. This means I've experienced installing both the original glass and the new glass close together in time and using the same (new OEM) gasket -- a pretty good A/B comparison. So far I can't tell any difference between the two. Maybe I'll notice a difference when I install the trim and locking strip but so far they seem to have gone in the same. The new windshield is a real-deal St. Gobains Sekurit, btw.

[stuartinmn]

I'd have to go out to the garage and look but I think the glass in my car is Sekurit as well. As I recall, it had less curvature from side to side than the body opening, so the installer had to push hard to get it to 'engage' at the A pillars. I always wondered if that was the way they all were, or if it was peculiar to the batch of glass, or what.

[Adam W in MN]

My windshield came in last week and I just need to get over to Bluntech to pick it up.

[HayekFan]

I'd have to go out to the garage and look but I think the glass in my car is Sekurit as well. As I recall, it had less curvature from side to side than the body opening, so the installer had to push hard to get it to 'engage' at the A pillars. I always wondered if that was the way they all were, or if it was peculiar to the batch of glass, or what.

I finished the install yesterday with no issues. As far as I can tell the curvature of the glass fits the opening normally. Both windshields took some finagling but I never had to force anything. The cynical part of me suspects your windshield was fine and the installer just got things in a bind, but I also know that manufacturers don't always hit the spec and batch variation is real.

[stuartinmn]

I have a lot of trust in the restoration shop that put my windshield in, so I don't doubt there was a fitment issue. It could have been the glass, or possibly there was an issue with the shape of the glass opening in the body, but in any case it got installed and is still fine years later, so it's more a case of curiosity than anything else.

I'm in no immediate need of fresh glass, but I still may order another one. Chances are I'll be driving this car until they put me in the home so it won't hurt to have one on hand.

[HayekFan]

I have a lot of trust in the restoration shop that put my windshield in, so I don't doubt there was a fitment issue. It could have been the glass, or possibly there was an issue with the shape of the glass opening in the body, but in any case it got installed and is still fine years later, so it's more a case of curiosity than anything else.

I'm in no immediate need of fresh glass, but I still may order another one. Chances are I'll be driving this car until they put me in the home so it won't hurt to have one on hand.

Yeah, I just had a reputable shop break my windshield, so I guess I'm in skeptic mode. They blamed it on the OEM gasket I provided to them, but then I turned around and installed it just fine using the same gasket.

I agree it's good to have a backup. Apparently there are only about sixty something of these windshields left in the world.

[HayekFan]

My windshield came in last week and I just need to get over to Bluntech to pick it up.

Okay, so that was about three weeks in your case from order to delivery, but a big chunk of that was getting the order approved. Overall I'm pretty impressed with how quickly BMW is fulfilling these orders given that they have to ship in from Germany.

[acfetch]

Anyone having luck still ordering these? I tried last week and was told NLA....

[HayekFan]

Anyone having luck still ordering these? I tried last week and was told NLA....

The US windshield has been NLA for nearly a decade. That's probably what your dealer is seeing. You need to order the Euro windshield using the procedure in the OP. It's the same windshield, just a different part number. Previously BMW wouldn't let dealers order the Euro windshield for US cars, but now they're allowing those orders.

[Johnled]

Update. Following the OP procedures, it took a few days, but my order was approved today. 3-4 weeks delivery.

[hunneman]

Anyone having luck still ordering these? I tried last week and was told NLA....

I tried ordering through BMW in MA, they told me that they are available, accepted payment only to get a call 2 days later telling me that is not available for the USA market.
I also contact 2 other dealer in MA & NH same thing not available for USA market.
after Adam's suggestion I contacted Blunt tech, I placed the order waiting to hear back if they approve it.
will keep you posted

[hunneman]

question for those who replaced their windshield, has anyone used the URO windshield gasket https://www.ecstuning.com/b-uro-parts/w ... 22185~uro/

if you can comment on quality and any issue with tolerances..
thanks

[HayekFan]

I tried ordering through BMW in MA, they told me that they are available, accepted payment only to get a call 2 days later telling me that is not available for the USA market.
I also contact 2 other dealer in MA & NH same thing not available for USA market.

Did you let the dealer know they need to use the procedure in the OP?

If they don't use that procedure, the system will automatically flag the order as invalid when they go to place it. It's a system generated flag with no human in the loop.

[Mike W.]

question for those who replaced their windshield, has anyone used the URO windshield gasket https://www.ecstuning.com/b-uro-parts/w ... 22185~uro/

if you can comment on quality and any issue with tolerances..
thanks

I used one in my E12 around 2008, sold it last year and never had any issues, it didn't leak a drop. I may be a little less sensitive than others on the cosmetic end, as usual I used the 3M sealant, but again, no issues. E12 and E28 same windshields, same seal.

[John in VA]

question for those who replaced their windshield, has anyone used the URO windshield gasket https://www.ecstuning.com/b-uro-parts/w ... 22185~uro/

if you can comment on quality and any issue with tolerances..
thanks

The gasket has been discussed - you might find threads by putting Uro windshield gasket in the search box at the top right side of the page. For 2002 owners, we know the Uro rubber parts are garbage & save to afford the genuine dealer gaskets.

[acfetch]

Man, I can't even get a dealer to listen to me about this request. "If the system flags it as Euro, then they won't order" Won't even entertain the notion of a non-standard order. I've called three dealers in DFW and nothing!

Those of you that have ordered, can you share with me a contact number, name? Maybe someone can help these guys in Dallas get on board.

[Mike W.]

Man, I can't even get a dealer to listen to me about this request. "If the system flags it as Euro, then they won't order" Won't even entertain the notion of a non-standard order. I've called three dealers in DFW and nothing!

Those of you that have ordered, can you share with me a contact number, name? Maybe someone can help these guys in Dallas get on board.

Might, or might not, work better if you make an appearance in person. Butter them up a bit about how this is kind of weird and I'm sure a PITA, but multiple people have told me this procedure works.

[vinceg101]

Man, I can't even get a dealer to listen to me about this request. "If the system flags it as Euro, then they won't order" Won't even entertain the notion of a non-standard order. I've called three dealers in DFW and nothing!

Those of you that have ordered, can you share with me a contact number, name? Maybe someone can help these guys in Dallas get on board.

It's strange you're getting this response as, at the moment, the part (pn: 51311848431) is listed as the ONLY windshield available for ANY E28 in BMW's system. From appearances and from my calling & asking several Parts Departments, BMW has lifted the EU only restriction for 431 and made it a universal part. All I had to do was give them the part number and they told me the cost, how many were listed in Germany (+/-63) and lead time (2-3 weeks).
(There is some question as to whether or not the other Green Band and Clear EU specific units are still available since US Parts systems can't look for them. I know from Schmiedmann that they are indeed still available, however just unobtainable for me here. Incidentally those are 51311853771 and 51311820502 respectively).

My only problem right now is the cost: I have contacted two local dealerships (CenterBMW in Sherman Oaks, fairly local to me and Irvine BMW, very not local to me) and was quoted wildly different prices. Both told me the list price was $454.xx; the best Center would do was $408 plus tax (that's $446.76 out the door) and the best Irvine would do was $352.93 (that's $380.93 with the tax). Ouch.
I asked Center about the CCA Discount and she kind of shrugged and said I would have to talk to the Manager about that (usually they laugh out loud when you mention the CCA discount for anything other than coolant. So much for club membership ).
There are about 8 other dealerships in the wide circle of greater LA around me but I honestly don't think I'll do better. Maybe it's worth a shot in the morning to keep calling.

FYI for anyone remotely close to Silver Springs BMW in Maryland, you can't beat their price: $218.11 plus tax. It's worth the drive up/down there if you're in that area. Too bad they don't ship windshields.

[HayekFan]

What's tricky is the error message only pops up when they attempt to place an order. When they're just browsing to check availability, everything looks fine -- they'll see the Euro part number with a quantity available and a price. It's only when they take the extra step of actually submitting an order that the system flags it as invalid. That's when they get the message about not available for US market.

My dealer will "ping" the system with a dummy order so as to flush out these kinds of sneaky ordering flags. This avoids downstream surprises and callbacks to customers saying whoops we actually can't order this.

To get around the flag, the dealer will need to go outside the normal ordering system and instead use their IDS (Integrated Dealer Support) system and place a special order for a non-US part. When this channel is used, there's a human approval that has to be given by someone at BMW Germany. Under the old policy these approvals weren't given (unless you had a Euro VIN). Under the new policy they are.

There's enough convolution in all this that it'd be easy for a parts guy to get tripped up. Also, it's doubtful BMW sent out a bulletin announcing the policy change regarding E28 windshields. It's almost guaranteed you'll know more about it than your dealer does. So it's sort of up to you to educate him so he can help you. You'll probably need to explain the procedure, and it might help to give a little background so he has a better feel for the situation.

Possible failure modes:

1) Dealer pulls up the US windshield and sees it's NLA (sold out since ~2011) and stops there

2) Dealer sees US part has been superseded by the Euro part, attempts to place order but gets system generated error

3) Dealer realizes he needs to place special order for non-US part but doesn't populate the order correctly with comments noting supersession of part numbers and approval is denied by someone at BMW Germany.

4) Dealer correctly places special order but BMW Germany doesn't approve (maybe the approver wasn't briefed on new policy, slept through meeting, etc.)

5) I think there's an approval step at BMW NA prior to approval at BMW Germany where things could get hung as well

[vinceg101]

After spending the last hour on the phone reciting both the last 7 digits of my VIN and the part # to about a dozen Parts Departments around the greater LA area, these were my results:

Nick Alexander BMW, Huntington Park, CA: $302.93 +10.25% sales tax = $333.98; 3-4 weeks
McKenna BMW, Downey, CA: $302.93 + 10% sales tax = $333.22; 3-4 weeks
Runsack BMW, Thousand Oaks, CA: $302.93 + 7.25% sales tax = $324.89; 3-4 weeks
Long Beach BMW, Long Beach, CA: $302.93 + 10.25% sales tax = $333.98; 7-10 days
South Bay BMW, Torrance, CA: $451.12 + 9.5% sales tax = $493.98; 2-3 weeks
New Century BMW, Alhambra, CA: $315.05 + 9.5% sales tax = $344.98; TBD
Irvine BMW, Irvine, CA: $454.40 (quoted list price, but "best" price is $352.93) + 7.75% sales tax = $380.28
Center BMW, Sherman Oaks, CA: $454.40 (again quoted list price, but "best" price is $408.00) + 9.5% sales tax = $446.76
Santa Monica BMW, Santa Monica, CA: $258.00 + 10.25% sales tax = $284.45; 5-7 days (although he was unsure of that price, he said it should be $302.93 but that was what was listed in his database)
BMW of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, CA: $302.93 + 9.5% sales tax = $331.71; Lead time is TBD

So it does pay off to call around; the two closest shops to me (Santa Monica & Beverly Hills) turned out to be competitive after all. Surprising given their demographics and clientele.
However, a handful of them were not even sure they could order it: New Century, Beverly Hills, and Long Beach. When I mentioned that it was a EU part most of them were familiar with the request procedure, but were unsure of the ultimate outcome as it was up to both BMW Corporate in Germany and BMW NA.

If it turns out that Santa Monica honors that price, I'm ordering two (Gary is supposed to get back to me after he emails BMW NA).

[stuartinmn]

After spending the last hour on the phone reciting both the last 7 digits of my VIN and the part # to about a dozen Parts Departments around the greater LA area, these were my results:

It's interesting how most of those dealers had more or less the same price, while two were the same but significantly higher, and one was significantly lower. Makes you wonder about their general pricing structure.

[Mike W.]

Since "List Price" is short for "manufacturer's suggested retail price" it makes me wonder how BMW can have different suggested prices in the same area. Which they of course do not. So it really pisses me off when they lie about what list price is. Now I'm aware they can charge whatever they want, and have no issue there, but inflating the list price by up to 50% and claiming it is the list is poor form. Which is what my local dealer does and one reason I go out of my way not to shop there.

I don't like businesses that lie to me.

[HayekFan]

Yeah, some dealers are clearly gaming their list prices. Thanks vinceg101 for the reveal on this.

Also, I'm going to risk being a broken record and remind folks that it's not enough for your dealer to simply place a special order for a Euro part. According to the guidance from BMW corporate, these windshields require a special special order that includes additional information that isn't normally required. Unless the dealer is a myE28.com member, he probably won't be aware of this, so it's up to the buyer to let him know.

The additional info (noting the supersession and listing the US and Euro part numbers) is explained in the procedure in the OP.

[Blue Shadow]

Matrix pricing used by BMW dealers gives them the option (matrix use) to set the list price wherever they want. It is their list price, not the MSRP which is BMW's list price. They are different numbers. Since BMW dealers have different pricing structures, you can maybe get your friendly local parts guy put in a discount code for you that will make you think you won the lottery. I had that for a while and some here that have bought nearly complete cars in parts (2002 restorers and such) can sometimes get great pricing. There is the Dealer Price, BMW Price, CCA price, Good discount price and a jobber price. If you are quoted anything over MSRP the dealer is looking for extra profit and will usually offer that 10% off for a CCA discount. The Good discount price was sweet when I had it. The local dealer rebuilt the building and rebooted the computer dropping all those discounts so I have to go talk to someone again or just the mail order (for a dealer 4 miles from the crib) to get sweet pricing again. Really depends on who you know.

[11427512300]

You do not need to do anything special this part is now open for normal ordering 51 31 1 848 431

[11427512300]

Some good news for those in need of an OEM windshield. Apparently BMW has changed their policy and will now allow US dealers to order Euro windshields for customers with US cars.

The previous situation was that you'd go to your dealer and your VIN would pull up the US part number which is NLA. They would do a little digging and find the number had been superseded by the number for the Euro spec windshield which is a direct replacement. The problem is they would be blocked from ordering the Euro windshield due to a technicality related to DOT markings and import regs. At that point you would be forced to find some other source which has been problematic.

After running into this roadblock again recently, my dealer opened a case with BMW asking if there was some way to order the Euro windshield. To my surprise, the response came back YES.

Procedure for ordering a Euro windshield for a US car. The dealer should use a non-US BMW parts ordering form. On the form the dealer should state that the US part number has been superseded by the Euro part number and should include both numbers. BMW is aware of the underlying availability problem and will approve the order.

Part numbers (for green with green shade band):

US: 51-31-1-466-362

Euro: 51-31-1-848-431

I should add that I have not tried placing an order under this apparent new policy, but the response from BMW seems authoritative so presumably it will work.

List price of the Euro windshield as of January 2020 is $302.93.

I opened a help case with BMW This part is open for normal ordering at any BMW dealer 51 31 1 848 431

[chuuey]

Hi everyone, was going to post but I believe the gentleman above me already took care of it. The post above is a Parts Manager at Herb Chambers BMW in Boston.

He was very helpful, opened a help case and found out it is now open for normal ordering.

My cost was $302.93 and at least 2 weeks.

-Matt

[vinceg101]

I just placed my order (and paid for) for two units through Santa Monica BMW. The real price turned out being what everyone was quoting: $302.93. Delivery time is +/-2 weeks. They would not honor the CCA discount for these either.
Gary (the parts guys I was dealing with) tried placing a mock order last Thursday and no flags or alarms went off in his system. When I actually placed the order yesterday everything seemed normal and went through.

Oh, when they checked inventory in Germany there were only 41 units left (now 39 ). Better get them while you can; we all expect that when this stock is depleted, that will be all she wrote.