Project Chronicle

One of the lingering details about the E30 - the 1987 BMW 325is - that has always bothered me is the lack of an OEM windshield. Or, for that matter, even a windshield from a respected aftermarket manufacturer. About five years ago, when the bulk of the bodywork was done, I had a new windshield put in before I knew how bad the domestic glass market had gotten.

What I'm speaking of is the prevalence of Chinese-made glass from a company called Fuyao. In the blink of an eye, Fuyao has essentially taken over almost every domestic glass manufacturer's operations, leaving virtually no other options when you call the local installer to replace your busted glass. I've made a point of visiting junkyards and grabbing OEM used glass whenever I see it, and had a very nice piece of BMW-stamped Carlite windshield in storage after spotting it at a New Hampshire wrecking yard. 

I finally found a guy willing to install it, despite his protestations that it made no sense to remove a good piece of glass with virtually no imperfections - aside from being made by a Chinese company. The replacement OEM glass also has the very elusive bronze tint strip at the top, which is virtually unheard of with almost every windshield having a teal visor. The final bonus? It still has the factory sticker with break-in instructions. 

Overall, this is yet another one of those projects that got expedited with our upcoming move, and while it wasn't anything I wanted to get done on any sort of timeline, I really dig seeing OEM glass at every corner and the bronze tint is surprisingly distinctive - and handsome.