Bmw OEM windshield-dealer says NLA

[MisterFixit]

OK, I went to Schmiedmann's web site and there's no way I can find glass for an E28.

I searched for windshield, they show a grid with no indication of what chassis any of them fit.
I went by VIN, brought up all E28 parts, and find no windshield or glass of any kind.

They say the main shop is closed from 6-28 July, shop at Nordborg.

Anyone have better luck, or am I not searching correctly?

[HayekFan]

Yeah, it doesn't seem to be listed on the website. If you call them they can give you a quote.

[boomvader]

You have to search for part number 51311848431

Mine should arrive on Monday. I will follow up when it arrives.

[HayekFan]

Ah, of course -- pops right up with the part number.

Will be interested to hear your result. I'm planning on ordering one next week.

[krellboy]

Ah, of course -- pops right up with the part number.

Will be interested to hear your result. I'm planning on ordering one next week.

Let me know if they are accepting orders during their vacation period.

Maybe Boom would chime in on whether he ordered via online system or did this over the phone. I sent an email this last week to them regarding the process and they responded that they don't ship to US...perhaps a lower level CSR employee who didn't know. I'm just trying to understand if I have to go thru someone special to get this done...shall I say end around.

[HayekFan]

Ah, of course -- pops right up with the part number.

Will be interested to hear your result. I'm planning on ordering one next week.

Let me know if they are accepting orders during their vacation period.

Maybe Boom would chime in on whether he ordered via online system or did this over the phone. I sent an email this last week to them regarding the process and they responded that they don't ship to US...perhaps a lower level CSR employee who didn't know. I'm just trying to understand if I have to go thru someone special to get this done...shall I say end around.

Oh that's right, I completely forgot about their vacation. I might have to wait. I will give them a call though.

I'm kicking myself for not pouncing the moment I had a salesperson who was willing to ship. The good news is I have a written quote that includes shipping costs to USA which I hope they will follow through on.

This whole Schmiedmann situation feels really fragile to me, like it could go away at any second.

OTOH, the salesman I spoke with actually sounded slightly frustrated at the lack of follow through he gets from potential USA buyers of these windshields. He said it was typical that he'd go to the trouble of building up a quote including latest shipping costs only to hear nothing back. Based on this, it sounds like Schmiedmann does desire to sell windshields to USA customers. Which is at odds with your email reply but like you say maybe that was a low level misinformed response.

[MisterFixit]

Oh that's right, I completely forgot about their vacation. I might have to wait. I will give them a call though.

This pops up when I visit their web site:
"Throughout the summer, you can order your BMW parts from Schmiedmann Nordborg.
Used parts and new parts that are on stock at Schmiedmann Nordborg can be ordered online during the entire period."

I do not know if windshields are stocked at Nordborg, though...

[boomvader]

Ah, of course -- pops right up with the part number.

Will be interested to hear your result. I'm planning on ordering one next week.

Let me know if they are accepting orders during their vacation period.

Maybe Boom would chime in on whether he ordered via online system or did this over the phone. I sent an email this last week to them regarding the process and they responded that they don't ship to US...perhaps a lower level CSR employee who didn't know. I'm just trying to understand if I have to go thru someone special to get this done...shall I say end around.

Ordered online.

[krellboy]

Oh that's right, I completely forgot about their vacation. I might have to wait. I will give them a call though.

I'm kicking myself for not pouncing the moment I had a salesperson who was willing to ship. The good news is I have a written quote that includes shipping costs to USA which I hope they will follow through on.

This whole Schmiedmann situation feels really fragile to me, like it could go away at any second.

OTOH, the salesman I spoke with actually sounded slightly frustrated at the lack of follow through he gets from potential USA buyers of these windshields. He said it was typical that he'd go to the trouble of building up a quote including latest shipping costs only to hear nothing back. Based on this, it sounds like Schmiedmann does desire to sell windshields to USA customers. Which is at odds with your email reply but like you say maybe that was a low level misinformed response.

Yeah, I'm with ya on the possible fragility...let me know what you do, either here or PM. I'm ready to go....prefer not to wait for the vacation to expire. Maybe we should just try to order online and let things settle out.

I'll wait a few days until Boom let's us all know he got his. I presume he meant he did the whole process online... including shipping, confirmation, etc

[boomvader]

Oh that's right, I completely forgot about their vacation. I might have to wait. I will give them a call though.

I'm kicking myself for not pouncing the moment I had a salesperson who was willing to ship. The good news is I have a written quote that includes shipping costs to USA which I hope they will follow through on.

This whole Schmiedmann situation feels really fragile to me, like it could go away at any second.

OTOH, the salesman I spoke with actually sounded slightly frustrated at the lack of follow through he gets from potential USA buyers of these windshields. He said it was typical that he'd go to the trouble of building up a quote including latest shipping costs only to hear nothing back. Based on this, it sounds like Schmiedmann does desire to sell windshields to USA customers. Which is at odds with your email reply but like you say maybe that was a low level misinformed response.

Yeah, I'm with ya on the possible fragility...let me know what you do, either here or PM. I'm ready to go....prefer not to wait for the vacation to expire. Maybe we should just try to order online and let things settle out.

I'll wait a few days until Boom let's us all know he got his. I presume he meant he did the whole process online... including shipping, confirmation, etc

Yes, whole process online w/o speaking to anyone. Searched for part number, added to cart, paid with CC and hoped for the best! DHL says delivery by end of day today, but I am thinking it will probably show up tomorrow. Will follow up. Have windshield install scheduled for Wednesday morning!

[HayekFan]

Well I spoke with Schmiedmann and ran into the vacation problem, as expected. They can't ship a windshield until their Odense location reopens in three weeks. They said Odense has packaging equipment they don't have at Nordborg (which is open and handling orders on a limited basis). Technically they could ship from Nordborg but they didn't want to risk broken glass. I asked if there was any point in going ahead and placing a placeholder order and they said no, better to wait three weeks and place a fresh order then. They did recommend using the online system with the caveat that the calculated shipping cost might not be exact.

[boomvader]

Well, the first attempt was a FAIL. Poorly packed and DOA. I refused the order and sent it back.









I'll gladly give them a second chance. They need to double box it for sure. It was LOOSELY packed in a flimsy box with crappy packing materials. It really never stood a chance.

[MisterFixit]

Oy, vey! That look sad, very sad. With as few of these as there are in the world, you'd think they could do a better job packing.

I was about to order one for me (for Sherman, really) and saw a shipping charge of $236... was your shipping charge anything like that much?

Did you purchase insurance on it or did DHL provide insurance? I surely hope the glass was insured.
It almost seems they should ship it in a wooden crate, or at least something braced with wood.

[HayekFan]

Aw geez, hate to see that. Hopefully they do better on #2.

[HayekFan]

Their online form said $236 shipping when I tried it this morning. Funny because the quote I got last month was $250 shipping plus a separate $9 packing fee that included the note "half pallet". It makes me wonder if they have different levels of packaging.

[boomvader]

Aw geez, hate to see that. Hopefully they do better on #2.

Agreed. I feel like I ordered an endangered species and share some of the fault for its demise.


Maybe this ‘sacrifice’ will ensure better quality packaging for future windshield orders.

But really...look at that. Would any of us expect a windshield to survive when packed like that??

[HayekFan]

Aw geez, hate to see that. Hopefully they do better on #2.

Agreed. I feel like I ordered an endangered species and share some of the fault for its demise.


Maybe this ‘sacrifice’ will ensure better quality packaging for future windshield orders.

But really...look at that. Would any of us expect a windshield to survive when packed like that??

Yeah I hear you. On the other thread there's a forum member who got one packed the same way. His arrived intact but he was surprised at the light packaging too. It definitely isn't what you'd expect.

[Bonsaibacker]

Well, the first attempt was a FAIL. Poorly packed and DOA. I refused the order and sent it back.









I'll gladly give them a second chance. They need to double box it for sure. It was LOOSELY packed in a flimsy box with crappy packing materials. It really never stood a chance.

Shocked! That is some eBay level stuff there... Good luck on the next one- looking forward to hear a success story.

[krellboy]

Hey Boom.....too bad on the landing, I was really hopeful.....but now glad I just waited to hear what happened with yours.

But....was the windshield the real deal OEM....Saint Germain or equivalent?

I guess like the other guys....and you, I'm in a holding pattern for the vacation to time out....

Hope they don't change their minds about doing business with US customers....you'd think whoever packaged it would have known better. As least the shipping company is on the hook for the cost....so really no penalty for Schmiedmann except the do over.

[boomvader]

Hey Boom.....too bad on the landing, I was really hopeful.....but now glad I just waited to hear what happened with yours.

But....was the windshield the real deal OEM....Saint Germain or equivalent?

I guess like the other guys....and you, I'm in a holding pattern for the vacation to time out....

Hope they don't change their minds about doing business with US customers....you'd think whoever packaged it would have known better. As least the shipping company is on the hook for the cost....so really no penalty for Schmiedmann except the do over.

Shoot. I didn't open it up enough to see the brand.

Hard to say who I'd fault in this situation. I can see obvious holes in the box that correlated with the cracks, so that is definitely on DHL. However, Schmiedmann did a horrible job of packing a windshield for a journey of that magnitude. My opinion, but I used to sell electronic drums on eBay and shipped all over the world. Never had an issue with poor packaging!

[HayekFan]

FWIW, regarding the real-dealness of the glass, the guy at Schmiedmann yesterday said that part of the delivery timeline was the time it took them to receive the windshield from BMW. To me that squares with the website description which says "genuine BMW" which would be St. Gobain or equivalent -- or should be.

BTW, I notice the website lists an aftermarket windshield for $60 less. It's the same part number but with "DR" on the end. The page includes a logo which appears to be "HD", which I've never heard of. Has anyone heard of HD? I'm guessing it's just another rebranding of the typical Chinese glass but it would be interesting if it were of European origin.

[Bonsaibacker]

Today's special on Wallothnesch.

https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/newslet ... 5-e28.html

[krellboy]

Today's special on Wallothnesch.

https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/newslet ... 5-e28.html

Any takers??

I don't know glass manufacturers....anybody heard about this company. Turkish. There site says OEM to BMW.... Anybody here trolling European BMW forums?


http://www.doraglass.com/EN,21/home.html

[HayekFan]

Any takers??

I don't know glass manufacturers....anybody heard about this company. Turkish. There site says OEM to BMW.... Anybody here trolling European BMW forums?


http://www.doraglass.com/EN,21/home.html

Interesting, never heard of them. Google pulled up a couple posts on the E9 forums with guys saying they had problems with Noraglass -- the typical thing with the shape not being quite right. There must be something tricky about vintage BMW windshields that makes them hard to replicate.

[boomvader]

Any takers??

I don't know glass manufacturers....anybody heard about this company. Turkish. There site says OEM to BMW.... Anybody here trolling European BMW forums?


http://www.doraglass.com/EN,21/home.html

Interesting, never heard of them. Google pulled up a couple posts on the E9 forums with guys saying they had problems with Noraglass -- the typical thing with the shape not being quite right. There must be something tricky about vintage BMW windshields that makes them hard to replicate.

I'm going to hold out for Schmiedmann. As soon as they return from holiday, I hope to get a replacement shipped properly. Eternal optimist, perhaps?

[krellboy]

I'm going to hold out for Schmiedmann. As soon as they return from holiday, I hope to get a replacement shipped properly. Eternal optimist, perhaps?

Yeah, that's my thoughts as well. Anybody want to contact them and see if we can get a bit of a discount if all 3 of us order at once? Likely not worth it for them but just a thought.....

Anyway, I'm a buyer just waiting until the end of the month like you.....

[HayekFan]

Well I just placed my order with Schmiedmann. Fingers crossed!

[boomvader]

Hope they pack it right. I am in a holding pattern until their claim with DHL is resolved.

[HayekFan]

Yep me too. Something interesting is there was a separate charge for a "half pallet" on my quote. I asked if this meant it would literally be shipped on a pallet and they said yes. I asked if I could further upgrade the shipping materials and they said there was no need, that it would be packed well to survive the trip. At this point I feel like I've done my diligence and I guess we'll see. I will add that they expressed zero hesitation about shipping windshields into the US, so that's good.

[boomvader]

Yep me too. Something interesting is there was a separate charge for a "half pallet" on my quote. I asked if this meant it would literally be shipped on a pallet and they said yes. I asked if I could further upgrade the shipping materials and they said there was no need, that it would be packed well to survive the trip. At this point I feel like I've done my diligence and I guess we'll see. I will add that they expressed zero hesitation about shipping windshields into the US, so that's good.

Excellent. I am hoping they give the same shipment care on the second attempt. Let us know how you fare!