Hey guys, I'm getting my windshield replaced this Friday because of a crack that's right in my line of vision and was wondering if anyone has had problems after getting it replaced. Any windnoise, rattling, etc? I'm using Harmon Auto Glass/Glass Doctor through my insurance. Anyone used them for their Porsche?

 

I hope you are getting a Porsche windshield and gasket. PPG and generic parts may not provide good radio reception as the antenna is built into the glass. Ask your dealer for recommended installer.

 

Mine was recently done with no problems except the smell for a few days.............

 

Make sure you look through the glass carefully while sitting in the driver's seat. There is a lot of aftermarket glass out there with wavy distortions. I believe Mercedes even had a problem with their OEM glass for a while!

 

Thanks for the insight. I called them up and they were going to put in a PPG one. I told them i didn't want that so they're going to order the OEM from the dealer. It'll be another week, but i'll be getting the right part.

 

mb is having a lot of very public discussions about their quality control probs through the financials .

def make sure your reception is good.

 

Mercedes is definitely not what it used to be but it seems like all of the German automakers have slipped as far as quality is concerned. Look at Porsche and BMW's problems. It's kind of funny though, the whole reason that Jaguar had such a bad reputation in the past is because of the **** poor electronics that they used from Lucas. I think most of Mercedes' and BMW's problems now are electronic. Maybe it's another Jaguar situation... better get a fire extinguisher for my wife's car.

Back in the old days, Mercedes' were very reliable but at the same time, they did not have the electronics that other manufacturers had. Even my dad's 1979 6.9 had manual seats and a vacuum actuated climate control system, door locks, self leveling suspension etc even though it was the equivalent to what the S600 is now. The more electronic they got, the worse they got. Now he has a 2000 SL600 and it has 25k miles on it. The last time I talked to him, he was complaining about how he just dropped $12k on it in suspension repairs. Various valves/pumps and reservoirs started leaking. He was stranded twice with the car's frams practically touching the ground because the hydraulic suspension had failed. What kind of crap is that on a 5 year old car with 25k miles? My wife's 02' S500 would not start because there was an electronics glitch. Car was reprogrammed and then the power windows would not work. Now her '05 S500 has a problem with the dash completely blacking out for a second or two and then coming back on. When she parks her car with the radio on, it will be 5 clicks higher in volume when she starts it up again. Again, what the ****?

I don't mean to offend anybody but I believe that Germans are probably some of the most highly skilled craftsmen out there. I saw a program a long time ago that showed how someone wanting to get into any type of trade involving metal had to spend a minimum 6 months hand filing blocks of metal to absolute perfection. Perfectly straight and perfectly smooth without the use of any aids. This is probably not true today. In the old days, anything "made in Germany" could be considered the ultimate in built quality and engineering. Now, it really doesn't mean so much. Look at your basic Braun shaver vs a Panasonic shaver. No matter how much it costs, the Panasonic will kick the Braun shaver into the weeds as far as performance. Look at Cameras, Leicas were the ultimate cameras. Now, their optics may be considered superior but they just now came out with TTL flash metering on the M series rangefinders 5-6 years ago. Japanese manufacturers have had that for something like 30 years.

Look at the stupid Bosch diverter valve issue in Turbos now... not electronic but it's obvious that there are far better ones out there than the original Bosch units. Too much dependence on technology and losing focus of the craftsmanship that used to make German products great.

 

Mr toothfixer

I was just hearing from my coworker that his S500 airmatic suspension is riding on the ground. It's funny that you brought up the S600 issue.

I can't dismiss issues with German car reliability and lack of functionality. However, I would say that I still rather drive German than Japanese. To me, German engineering is superior. I would opt for a German car without all the bells and whiistles to avoid failure. I think there is a balance between performance and reliability and my preference is on performance. I can deal with a few trips to dealer each year and fix something on my own. However, I don't want to drive something that is bland and un-exciting as a result of reliability. I do like Japanese car's electronics such as Nav.