How many windshields (including replacements) have you gone through?

[rayhil67]

The trick to broken windshields is following distance. I have zero broken windshields including a 2000 miles trip thru the mountain west.

Actually that's not entirely accurate. My last two previous vehicles had windshields chipped from oncoming traffic.

I live in backwoods PA, around here they dont "repave" the roads they lay "Tar and Chips". the first 3-4 days it's a nightmare. Two weeks ago I drove my F250 to work cause they had just T&C about 5 miles of RT82, I had the windows down and a passing truck kicked up a stone and hit me right in the cheek.

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[Fmuguira]

“Man, what are some of you people doing?”

“so why are all these windows breaking? weak glass? something about the height of the car?”

My guess is tailgating/drafting !!
I could most likely break my window daily via rocks off gravel trucks driving Boise freeways; the ones with a small sticker on back that say ‘Stay back 200 feet, Not responsible for broken windshields’. People around here ride those guys butts…. Looking closely from quite a ways back you can see rocks bouncing into the air frequently!!

 

[jgeckeler]

Got exoshield windshield protection installed a few months ago. seems pretty good so far. $300 to save $1200 seems like a good investment.

 

[LA Pick]

My zero deductable glass insurance was only a $15 a year bump over $500 deductable. The first one was painful before I switched. 2nd and 3rd - not so much. And they had nothing to do with following distance. I guess Alabama has lots of quarries...

 

[Fmuguira]

BTW, about 15 years ago a guy I knew (mortician no less) had his business partner KILLED on State St via a rock ( volley ball size) that came out from being stuck on a gravel trucks duals and go all the way through his suburban windshield and hit him in the head. His 12-13 yr old daughter in front passenger seat was unharmed as they went off road at 25-30 mph on way to school!! That taught me a lesson on following distance …

 

[LA Pick]

Got exoshield windshield protection installed a few months ago. seems pretty good so far. $300 to save $1200 seems like a good investment.

Not as good as $15/yr insurance...

 

[mjcutri]

All manufacturers are using thinner glass than they used to

Man, what are some of you people doing?

Almost 50K miles and still on my factory windshield. Y'all need to stop tailgating dump trucks LOL

The trick to broken windshields is following distance. I have zero broken windshields including a 2000 miles trip thru the mountain west.

The poll shows us that Some people follow too closely. The rest of us know how to drive.

So whats the story here - are the windshields awful quality or is it the design that makes it prone to chips/cracks?

Staying 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you substantially reduces the chance of your windshield breaking... nothing you can do to eliminate the risk in every situation.

“Man, what are some of you people doing?”

“so why are all these windows breaking? weak glass? something about the height of the car?”

My guess is tailgating/drafting !!
I could most likely break my window daily via rocks off gravel trucks driving Boise freeways; the ones with a small sticker on back that say ‘Stay back 200 feet, Not responsible for broken windshields’. People around here ride those guys butts…. Looking closely from quite a ways back you can see rocks bouncing into the air frequently!!

Someone please explain to me how following distance has anything to do with the 3 cracks that I got in my windshield at 8,825 mi, started below the plastic trim and TWO of which are on the inside layer underneath the black trim at the bottom?!?

No rock hits, chips, etc.

Yes, the angle of the windshield does contribute to more direct rock hits, but all manufacturers are using thinner windshields to save weight, which makes cracks way more likely to occur, regardless of how they started.

I'm taking mine to the dealer next week to get it "evaluated" for warranty replacement.

 

[Dusty]

All manufacturers are using thinner glass than they used to








Someone please explain to me how following distance has anything to do with the 3 cracks that I got in my windshield at 8,825 mi, started below the plastic trim and TWO of which are on the inside layer underneath the black trim at the bottom?!?

No rock hits, chips, etc.

Yes, the angle of the windshield does contribute to more direct rock hits, but all manufacturers are using thinner windshields to save weight, which makes cracks way more likely to occur, regardless of how they started.

I'm taking mine to the dealer next week to get it "evaluated" for warranty replacement.

Not sure why you tagged me. I have no clue why your windshield broke. I only know about my own experience. Which is 50K miles of shitty Southern California freeways, multiple cross country trips, tons of wheeling, countless miles of dirt roads, freeways, back roads, city streets, you name it. Still on my first windshield. No cracks. No chips. Apparently made in the same factory as your windshield. So what is the determining variable? I dunno. But the obvious one is driver.

 

[Useful_Habits]

All manufacturers are using thinner glass than they used to








Someone please explain to me how following distance has anything to do with the 3 cracks that I got in my windshield at 8,825 mi, started below the plastic trim and TWO of which are on the inside layer underneath the black trim at the bottom?!?

No rock hits, chips, etc.

Yes, the angle of the windshield does contribute to more direct rock hits, but all manufacturers are using thinner windshields to save weight, which makes cracks way more likely to occur, regardless of how they started.

I'm taking mine to the dealer next week to get it "evaluated" for warranty replacement.

I tried the warranty route because mine suddenly cracked at roughly 9K miles and no obvious impact to the windshield. Unfortunately, it was over a year old so I am SOL.

Agree with you about all these “follow at a distance” comments. We have three cars in our household, and have owned multiple cars over my lifetime. I drive them all the same way. Stress crack or chip cracks, Ford windshields have always been a problem. My other cars, not so much.

 

[5GENIDN]

“Man, what are some of you people doing?”

“so why are all these windows breaking? weak glass? something about the height of the car?”

My guess is tailgating/drafting !!
I could most likely break my window daily via rocks off gravel trucks driving Boise freeways; the ones with a small sticker on back that say ‘Stay back 200 feet, Not responsible for broken windshields’. People around here ride those guys butts…. Looking closely from quite a ways back you can see rocks bouncing into the air frequently!!

I am also in Boise... and NO... I follow at a very large distance (at least 3 seconds or further) so people are always cutting in front of me and I have to back off even further... I have not broken my Bronco windshield YET Knock on wood. But typically chipped and broken windshields in my experience have been from vehicles kicking up rocks that are traveling in the opposite direction. and with all of our chip sealing there tends to be a lot of that. Even without the chip sealing, that just seams to be the worst, most dangerous time.

 

[sjjohnny]

You need to add one more selection: Currently cracked with no plans to replace. I've got a low crack from a passing Tacoma throwing a rock. Since i've got a $100 deductible, I'll just wait for the next rock hit.

 

[ctskier]

I know in my state cracked windshield is like a 250 dollar ticket

You need to add one more selection: Currently cracked with no plans to replace. I've got a low crack from a passing Tacoma throwing a rock. Since i've got a $100 deductible, I'll just wait for the next rock hit.

The ticket for driving with the crack may be much more than that, just food for thought.

 

[sjjohnny]

I know in my state cracked windshield is like a 250 dollar ticket

The ticket for driving with the crack may be much more than that, just food for thought.

The crack is not in my line of sight, it's very low, -- so I should be ok... at least here in Texas... don;t know about other states.

 

[GreyZ]

Fix your chips. I have 20k miles and two significant rock impacts. Fixed them both within the hour. The problem is when you have an impact, you basically need to drive straight to a crack guy and have it filled. If you let it sit overnight and heat cycle it will spread nearly every time.

 

[timhood]

I am only a month into ownership on mine but I did add the Aeroskin II and Exoshield which seem to be working quite well for me so far at 2300 miles.

I had hoped that my windshield protection was going to work. First rock (thanks, Idaho!) Hit 1/2" from the top of the windshield. That's basically a guaranteed crack to the edge and then it works its way down from there. So I'm living with it for as long as I can. Though I am thinking about how I could put some rubber stripping around the edges of the new glass to help protect it.

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