[Fakir]

Hi all,

out of many I have viewed, only one GL I found with that option. It is quite far from me, though, so I'm not able to check myself the difference.

Now, I'm thinking is it important for me. I want the car to be silent. Does this option matter? Do you know what difference it really makes?

I found in 2007 th GL Brochure, that with 3 zone climate control GL: "is fitted with front, side and rear windows constructed of dual glass and film laminates, which help lessen road wind noise". 3 zone is option 582 (Air conditioner in the rear).
I guess and it might be the answer to my question - so that option 596 appears in vindecoder only for those who have this bought separately, without 3 zone AC.

So that means I should look for cars with 3 zones OR the option 596 in order to have less road noise.

Is it correct?

Thanks for any clues!

 

[StenoPete1911]

Hi all,

out of many I have viewed, only one GL I found with that option. It is quite far from me, though, so I'm not able to check myself the difference.

Now, I'm thinking is it important for me. I want the car to be silent. Does this option matter? Do you know what difference it really makes?

I found in 2007 th GL Brochure, that with 3 zone climate control GL: "is fitted with front, side and rear windows constructed of dual glass and film laminates, which help lessen road wind noise". 3 zone is option 582 (Air conditioner in the rear).
I guess and it might be the answer to my question - so that option 596 appears in vindecoder only for those who have this bought separately, without 3 zone AC.

So that means I should look for cars with 3 zones OR the option 596 in order to have less road noise.

Is it correct?

Thanks for any clues!

Hello. Honestly, you did answer your own question. You just have to decide does it make that much of a difference. Anytime your window(s) break, you have the option to go with aftermarket or OEM. Price is the deciding factor, at the end.

If you live in a very hot climate where every type of protection matters, then I'd suggest, go with the best option available. However, if you live in a temperate climate or seasonal, why don't you just go with the best price possible and save some money for maintenance of the vehicle.

In my opinion, in the end, it doesn't matter which glass you go with because if you don't have properly working AC then no amount of aftermarket/OEM glass will help you from baking inside the car while driving.

From my experience, tires will bring you the most noise in the GL. Not all tires are created equal.

'Pozdrawiam' and GL.

 

[P6tu]

Hi,

If your question was from noise perspective - yeah, it doesn't affect the tire noise and and previous poster stated, you'd hear the tire noise more, so just go with different tires. Regarding heat insulation, then during hot summer days without the car running, it will get hot anyway, but there is a quite good aftermarket option that requires a little tweaking to get power, but basically there are window films that you can have placed that turn your glass reflective, if power is lost. A quick google got me this link:
Smart Tint® Electric Smart Glass Film® Smart Tint, Inc. - Smart Tint® Electric Smart Film® Smart Glass with Genuine Smart Cling® Self Adhesive Technology made in the USA!

With regards,
P6tu

 

[Fakir]

Hello. Honestly, you did answer your own question.

Well, only to some extent

You just have to decide does it make that much of a difference. Anytime your window(s) break, you have the option to go with aftermarket or OEM. Price is the deciding factor, at the end.
If you live in a very hot climate where every type of protection matters, then I'd suggest, go with the best option available. However, if you live in a temperate climate or seasonal, why don't you just go with the best price possible and save some money for maintenance of the vehicle.

In my opinion, in the end, it doesn't matter which glass you go with because if you don't have properly working AC then no amount of aftermarket/OEM glass will help you from baking inside the car while driving.

That's right, so I do not care about thermal insulation. I do care about noise. Climate we have moderate, and there is not a lot fo really hot days - though long journeys happen typically exactly then.

From my experience, tires will bring you the most noise in the GL. Not all tires are created equal.

I think that's especially in US, where there is a lot of old asphalt and highways are really noisy. I'v made thousands of miles in US, with good and bad cars and especially in luxury ones (Lincoln Navigator) I was really surprised how noisy it is on most of the roads at speed.

In Poland it is different, also here we can drive faster. Theoretically it is allowed up to 140km/h which is not much more than yours 85 mph. In practice, it is common to exceed it by 20 which makes air main source of noise. I have also feeling we here use better tyres.

'Pozdrawiam' and GL.

Thanks, nice! Polish roots, or just an internet dictionary ?

 

[Fakir]

Hi,

If your question was from noise perspective - yeah, it doesn't affect the tire noise and and previous poster stated, you'd hear the tire noise more, so just go with different tires. Regarding heat insulation, then during hot summer days without the car running, it will get hot anyway, but there is a quite good aftermarket option that requires a little tweaking to get power, but basically there are window films that you can have placed that turn your glass reflective, if power is lost. A quick google got me this link:
Smart Tint® Electric Smart Glass Film® Smart Tint, Inc. - Smart Tint® Electric Smart Film® Smart Glass with Genuine Smart Cling® Self Adhesive Technology made in the USA!

With regards,
P6tu

As said, I'm more concerned about noise. The booklet says that this "596" glass reduces road noise ... but that's marketing after all.

I agree that tires matter, but better tires + better glass are better than only better tires.

PS.
Thanx for your take, BTW I see you are owner of an early diesel, that's one of the most affordable versions here. Happy with it?

 

[etyppo]

I have a GL550, which came with the 3 zone system, but not the thermal glass, and it is very quiet on the highway (at 80ish MPH) relative to other cars I've owned. I'm not sure how much of an improvement the thermal glass would make, but it is quiet without it. I recently picked up a W164. and the GL is noticeably quieter at higher speeds.

I don't miss the IR reflectivity of the thermal glass either. Even on 110F days, the HVAC system is more than adequate - it is the best A/C system I've had in a car.

 

[Fakir]

I have a GL550, which came with the 3 zone system, but not the thermal glass, and it is very quiet on the highway (at 80ish MPH) relative to other cars I've owned. I'm not sure how much of an improvement the thermal glass would make, but it is quiet without it. I recently picked up a W164. and the GL is noticeably quieter at higher speeds.

I don't miss the IR reflectivity of the thermal glass either. Even on 110F days, the HVAC system is more than adequate - it is the best A/C system I've had in a car.

Now I'm a bit lost again .

Looks like it is possible to have both options (582+596) - see here: Mercedes VIN Decoder | Decode Your Mercedes-Benz VIN, which is in line with what you etyppo said.
What's the year of your car? Maybe this was a package before facelift, and later it was separate?

 

[P6tu]

As said, I'm more concerned about noise. The booklet says that this "596" glass reduces road noise ... but that's marketing after all.

I agree that tires matter, but better tires + better glass are better than only better tires.

PS.
Thanx for your take, BTW I see you are owner of an early diesel, that's one of the most affordable versions here. Happy with it?

Ouh, I am very happy with it. And the fuel economy concidering the raw power is still amazing. I've never had problems passing anyone and it has never struggled towing cars. And I the parts aren't that expencive =).

By the way, I also have the 3 zone climate thing (581 + 582) and I don't have any special glass... Nor do I have the 596 option. And I haven't seen any GL with windows that I had in my BMW E38 which had the double windows which were awesome...

OT: Regarding the E38 double windows, I have a security cam video that I would not like to share, but a thief tried to smash the window to grab the laptop that I left on the passanger seat. At first he hit the window with elbow (got hurt), then he grabber a concrete tile block and threw it at the window. The window didn't break and I got a dent on the door + silent alarm went of (only lights blinking, but not siren). After that the thief just stood there being shocked about the glass not breaking and then scratched the back of his head and walked away clearly confused by the situation.

 

[Fakir]

Ouh, I am very happy with it. And the fuel economy concidering the raw power is still amazing. I've never had problems passing anyone and it has never struggled towing cars. And I the parts aren't that expencive =).

By the way, I also have the 3 zone climate thing (581 + 582) and I don't have any special glass... Nor do I have the 596 option. And I haven't seen any GL with windows that I had in my BMW E38 which had the double windows which were awesome...

OT: Regarding the E38 double windows, I have a security cam video that I would not like to share, but a thief tried to smash the window to grab the laptop that I left on the passanger seat. At first he hit the window with elbow (got hurt), then he grabber a concrete tile block and threw it at the window. The window didn't break and I got a dent on the door + silent alarm went of (only lights blinking, but not siren). After that the thief just stood there being shocked about the glass not breaking and then scratched the back of his head and walked away clearly confused by the situation.

It's always fun look at a bad guy failed with his malicious attempt
Thanks for those insights. I haven't seen any x164 or w251 with security glass, though. It's pretty heavy I guess.