Windshield Replacement

[Kulbiker]

So Hail busted a corner of omy windshield and I am gonna have to replace it. The people at the glass place asked me whether my car has the rain sensor on the windhield or not?

Now I am sure I have never used the automatic wiper feature but is there anyway of knowing whether my windshield has that sensor? I mean I looked and cannot see anything overtly like a sensor. Any ideas......i have said no to those people but i dont wanna lose a feature just caus I dont know its there.

Any advice?

[Kulbiker]

By the way the car details:

E46 2001 BMW 325xi 4 door sedan

[Ocean02]

Look in your owner's manual. You should have a button to press for the auto rain sensors. The manual should tell you where these are.

[Ocean02]

PS, I have little dings and rock pits in my windshield. The car has almost 80k miles on it and I was wondering if this can be repaired, or what? What would the cost be and where would one take it?

[325isBaby]

If you are 100% sure that you have the rain sensor the glass will have to be ordered from BMW also the sensor module will have to be replaced and re-coded to the car.

[Hootie]

Your rain sensor would be a small box, attached to the windshield on the inside of the car, just below the rear-view mirror. From the outside of the car, it looks like a dark blue void.

[Dirty_Tool]

I just want to reiterate what 325is baby said about getting a FACTORY BMW GLASS. If you do have the rain sensor several aftermarket glass installers will try to use aftermarket glass and simply glue the rain sensor on the glass. This does not work and you will end up replacing the aftermarket glass with factory again to restore your rain sensor operation. Just trying to save you from doing the job twice.
Good Luck

[Kulbiker]

Okay so I DID NOT have the rain sensor thingy turns out. Though the 325xi were supoosed to come with them standard??? Anyways since its a used car have no idea why it did not come with the car. So had the windshield replaced cause the crack was "larger than a dollar bill" in the company's words. The insurance (State Farm) paid for it minus the 200$ deductible of which the glass company waived 100$ (100$ off my pocket). Very painless working with State Farm....awesome service. I did not have to do a single page of paperwork beside do a conference call with them and my glass company. To repair smaller chips ("less than a dollar bill") it costs like 56$ + taxes here. So there ya go. The whole process took like an hour. So far so good.

[mrniceguy]

I've never seen a repaired crack/chip that I could live with. And there is no easy way to remove pits.

[Ocean02]

Yippie. Just one of those vexes that you have to live with, I guess.

[325isBaby]

Rain sensors are not standard equipment on 99-05 3 series...it is an option