Rear Vent Window Broken Into so hoping for info on replacement

[bssmi]

Hi all,

My 2003 X5 got broken into and whoever did it smashed the rear passenger 'vent window' to get in. It's part #4 in

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=51_3894

I've called around to local glass repair shops and some of them (maybe 20%) have stated that a 'gasket' is needed, but none of them were able to give me any part numbers for the 'gasket' and I can't figure them out on RealOEM. The rest of the shops never mentioned anything about a 'gasket' or anything else besides the window.

Can anyone tell me whether a 'gasket' is actually needed and, if so, point me to a part number? I want the replacement to be done correctly, but I also don't want to pay for some imaginary parts. Also, does anyone know if the replacement requires taking off the door panel?

Thanks a bunch for any help!

[Qsilver7]

If you need #4 in the diagram below that is for the glazing (aka window glass)...also make sure you get the correct one...there's 4 choices... left or right...reg and the privacy (tinted) glass w/option code S761a:

...and glass shops are saying you need a new gasket...then you need to go to the other diagrams for the rear "doors" that lists those parts...which appear to be #26. If you're unfamiliar with the diagrams...the encircled numbers are hardware...and in many cases (like this one)...there's an additional index drawn within the illustration that eludes to what the hardware looks like. You can see that #26 is encircled...and the additional index looks like it can be a gasket. Then when you scroll down to look at the part nbr index...you see that it is indeed "rubber".

click this link to go directly to the diagram to get the 11 digit BMW part nbr...then verify this diagram with the glass repair folks to make sure that's what they want: http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E5...r_door_rear_2/

[bssmi]

If you need #4 in the diagram below that is for the glazing (aka window glass)...also make sure you get the correct one...there's 4 choices... left or right...reg and the privacy (tinted) glass w/option code S761a:

...and glass shops are saying you need a new gasket...then you need to go to the other diagrams for the rear "doors" that lists those parts...which appear to be #26. If you're unfamiliar with the diagrams...the encircled numbers are hardware...and in many cases (like this one)...there's an additional index drawn within the illustration that eludes to what the hardware looks like. You can see that #26 is encircled...and the additional index looks like it can be a gasket. Then when you scroll down to look at the part nbr index...you see that it is indeed "rubber".

click this link to go directly to the diagram to get the 11 digit BMW part nbr...then verify this diagram with the glass repair folks to make sure that's what they want: http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E5...r_door_rear_2/

Thank you for your expertise on this matter as well.

[Qsilver7]

No problem...good luck...I hope things work out smoothly & to your satisfaction.

[bssmi]

For anyone who is unfortunate enough to have their rear vent glass broken on their E53 in the future, I would like to follow up with the info that the rear 'gasket' is actually part 21 in the RealOEM diagram. BMW labels it as a 'frame' but it's really a super thick rubber gasket that goes around the entire vent glass.

[White94RX]

I just saw this thread today. I was actually going to point out the fact that the gasket was part 21 in the diagram, and not 26.

[Qsilver7]

Thanks for the correction. I wonder if you need to get #21 & #26 since they both appear to be needed to "surround" the triangular shaped glass?

[bssmi]

I was hoping to be able to give some conclusive info on whether part #26 is also used, but the repair shop that I chose is making a real mess of things and STILL hasn't finished the repair. I'll update the post if I find out what part #26 is and whether it is necessary.

Thanks again!

[White94RX]

Is it a dealership?

May be an example of you get what you pay for. You'd be shocked how many cars get brought in, or towed in, when another shop botched a repair. Happens all the time. Yet, people still call us the "stealership"

[bssmi]

Is it a dealership?

May be an example of you get what you pay for. You'd be shocked how many cars get brought in, or towed in, when another shop botched a repair. Happens all the time. Yet, people still call us the "stealership"

No, it's not a dealership. The 2 local dealers I called were not keen on attempting the replacement as they said that they don't have experience servicing cars this old very often. They even had problems figuring out the correct part numbers that were needed for the job. Their confusion on the required parts is what caused me to start this thread in the first place as a way to crowd source the knowledge about parts required. They also said that it would take several days (called middle of week and was told earliest install would be Monday) to get the OEM glass while a few local auto glass shops were able to source Saint-Goban Sekurit glass for next day installation.

While I appreciate that you may be a conscientious Master Technician who cares about performing high quality of work and customer service, I have experienced shoddy work and poor customer service from BMW dealerships much more frequently than from independent specialty shops. It all depends on the area, I suppose.

[White94RX]

That sucks. We are very experienced in glass work here. We do all our own windshield and window replacements. Not all the guys like doing glass work, but they'll pass it off to a more experienced guy rather than take a chance screwing it up.

Too bad you don't have a better dealership for your service needs. I'm kind of shocked they told you they don't have much experience on cars that old! That's hilarious to me. We take in E30's if a customer wants us to work on it. I don't like working on anything that old, but an E53 is a far cry from an E30. We still see E53's on a fairly regular basis. I wouldn't consider them old or out of date at all!

[bssmi]

That sucks. We are very experienced in glass work here. We do all our own windshield and window replacements. Not all the guys like doing glass work, but they'll pass it off to a more experienced guy rather than take a chance screwing it up.

Too bad you don't have a better dealership for your service needs. I'm kind of shocked they told you they don't have much experience on cars that old! That's hilarious to me. We take in E30's if a customer wants us to work on it. I don't like working on anything that old, but an E53 is a far cry from an E30. We still see E53's on a fairly regular basis. I wouldn't consider them old or out of date at all!

That's pretty cool that you guys regularly still see E30s etc in your dealership.