Windshield OEM BMW or Pilkington

for Hondas and Acuras that need recalibration with the ADAS camera systems, It’s best to use PILKINGTON. It seems to have a lower Failure rate.

There are differences, as you found, in the manufacturer, but VW uses different glass manufacturers in different parts of the world. I, myself, have the roof, front & rear windshield made by Pilkington, and the side windows are from Saint Gobain.

If you go with aftermarket at a place like Safelite, make sure to get the Pilkington brand if you have a HUD

Pilkington glass has never let me down, except their distribution centers. A bit of the best and the worst bundled into one name.

I've had good luck with Pilkington.

We replaced our entire front windshield a few months ago after a rock cracked it on the road. We made sure it was OEM (Pilkington) and the calibration was completed. The shop ordered the windshield from a local Toyota dealership they work with. Process was fast and quick. Took about a few days (2-3) for the windshield to come in and even after it came, they didn’t like it due to some blemishes on the window so they re-ordered another one. Installation took about > 1 hour and is 100% exactly as the original one.

I've found that its more common with Pilkington than any other brand, but as another said, defects and delamination can happen with OEM parts as well.

On my 2022 540i, I went through 3 windshields during my 3 year lease. Felt like the glass with HUD is made of sugar these days.

I had a Pilkington windshield put on my 2008 Malibu to replace the OEM. It chipped extremely easy compared to the OEM. Even the tiniest little pebbles caused big chips in the glass. I replaced the OEM glass in 2021 due to a tree limb falling on it and shattering it. The Pilkington windshield now has several cracks along the entire windshield. Also took Safelite 4 attempts to find a windshield that wasn't wavy or scratched.

'22 and on my third windshield. One was covered by Subaru and one had to pay insurance deductible. I had both Carlex and Pilkington glass and both cracked