Wavy Windshield / Distorted Windshield?

rtrelkins

I took delivery of my M3 SR+ yesterday (12/14/2020) in Chicago. On the way home I also noticed a wavy windshield... similar to how window glass looked in older homes. I mentioned this to my sales associate and he suggested I make a service appointment. The next available appointment for me was 5 weeks away at the end of January.

Has anyone else had to deal with this? Did Tesla just replace the whole windshield?

M3phan

Not common, and yes Tesla will cover this under warranty and replace the entire windshield.

Tronguy

And bum windshields with waves aren't exactly a new phenomenon. I've seen reports in CU dating back to the '60's where people had to get the windshields on new cars replaced for this reason.

janandmike_98533569

I am on my 3rd windshield with my 2020 SR+. They all have had a million tiny pits in them that can only be seen when the sun is low. Tesla has NOT covered any of this under warranty.

M3phan

Tron is exactly right. Been around a lonnnng time. Not unique to one brand.

jan, did your car on delivery have pits? How soon after delivery did you request replacement? Where are you driving?
I hear of pitted windshield on this forum but after 2 1/2 years, city and freeway spirited driving I am almost completely pit free.

janandmike_98533569

Yes the windshield problem was reported on delivery day. But we did not know it was from pitting until later. I thought it would clean up but it did not. When i first tried to clean it there was a ton of black soot like residue on the glass. I thought it might be diesel soot from the transport truck. We are in Ohio.

Tronguy

@janandmike_98533569: If they won't replace a pitted windshield on a new car, that's why there's arbitration and small claims court. I've had to have old windshields replaced when the OEM windshield developed tiny little bubbles/pits making it almost impossible to see through with a level sun present; a '71 VW Bug had its windshield replaced in '77 for that reason and, man, it was amazing how clear the glass was after the replacement, so that has stuck in my mind.
I always had the impression that it wasn't the outer layer of glass that was the issue, but rather the plastic layer in the middle of the sandwich deteriorating over time.
In your case, was it actually on the surface of the glass or in the interior? If it's on the interior, then it's not like you could drive through a sandstorm or something and get the effect.

WW_Iсefree

I am telling you, you live you learn. I have never heard about things I read on this forum. So many crazy complaints. Unbelievable. Panel gaps, wavy windshields and etc. I have no clue how I managed to own 12 cars in 19 years I live in US and never think about all this stuff.

Tronguy

@WW_icefree: Just kidding, sort of, but welcome to a public car forum :smile:. My opinion is that the vast majority of buyers don't have issues. If something does seem odd or broken, then a subset of those, "It's odd!" types are going to look for advice. Natural place to show up and ask is a forum like this one, or maybe over at Tesla Motors Club.
Then, one looks at the population of a forum like this one, excluding the "it's broken" crowd. My bet is that less than 10% of car owners visit the forum; over the long term, the population of owners who regularly hang out here is probably 1% or less.
What this means: One really runs into high proportion of squeaky wheel complaints. Doesn't mean that Teslas are limping around with parts falling off more so, or even less than any other car; it just means that the (very probably) low percentage of factory issues get magnified. In a way.. I'd say that Teslas tend to get bought by technically adept types (and that's _tend_ to. Again, I'd bet that the majority of buyers wouldn't know a transistor from a hole in the ground.), so, when a problem comes up, a higher proportion than usual would head for a forum for advice.
In reality, the only people who've got a half-decent idea of car FIT rates and issues is Tesla, themselves. And possibly places like Consumers' Union, who do send out those questionnaires and at least attempt to play proper statistics with the results. JD Powers and those guys.. Too much money floating around to trust their results.

rtrelkins

Good morning! I am the original poster... I just picked up my repaired M3 yesterday, and they replaced the windshield (and a few other minor things) in 1 day. The new windshield appears to be DISTORTION FREE, although I only drove it from the service center to my house (a few miles). They recommended that it sit for 24 hours to "cure" the adhesives & seals. So far, so good!

Joshan

Thanks for the update!