!@#% damn cracked windshield!

R

r32

New member
I didn't even make it 11,000 miles before I cracked my first windshield! F***!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a rock fly up a few days ago and hit the windshield. I looked all over for the crack and could not find it anywhere. I wanted to make sure if there was a crack, I could quickly get it filled to stop it from cracking.

My problem...I only looked at the windshield from the inside!

So I drive off this morning to go snowboarding. I start to pull away from the house and there is this big gleam coming from behind my rear-view mirror! A nice like 10" ' L ' shaped crack. It started from directly behind the rear-view mirror and cracked a few inches up to the top of the windshield, and also about 6-8" towards the drivers side. In just four cars in my life, I can't believe how many damn windshields I've had cracked!
 
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That sucks. I got nailed by a good sized rock at around that mileage too. Maybe 12,000. It was on my way to go offroading for the day. Needless to say, after a day of rough terrain it ended up splitting all the way across my windshield, top to bottom, side to side in about 3-4 directions.

Luckily it was only about $50 due to insurance.
 
The same thing happened to me this past Friday morning. I'm not sure I saw the rock but I certainly heard the "crack". It hit nearly deadcenter just below the wiper (I was able to see and feel the impact point). Any lower and it would have damaged the hood. Now I have an almost straight vertical crack about 4-5" long from the bottom of the windshield. And I didn't even have 5,000 miles on the clock.

Last winter I had a similar crack occur on my 3rd gen at about 140,000 miles. That was my first ever cracked windshield in over 1,000,000 miles of my lifetime driving. Suckz.
 
That sucks big time. Hopefully you will be able to have the windshield replaced pretty quick. I had a similar experience while driving a now ex girlfriend's car. Damn VW, Im suprised the whole car didnt fall apart due to the rock chip.
 
haha...i hear ya! I got my rock chip at about 3000 miles on the clock. Insurance took care of it for free.....but makes me wonder how quality are these windshields? My Lexus IS300 took a beating from rocks and it never once cracked. Same thing with my Honda civic before the IS300.

I've never dealt with a cracked windshield before. Do you guys think it's quality of the part of just plain luck?
 
The story I got (from the guy that replaced the windshield)

Fuel efficiency.

The glass is thinner on newer cars
Less glass, cuts down weigth
That is also why they are using more plastic for the bodies

Mine went around 50 k
 
boostedprozac said:

I've never dealt with a cracked windshield before. Do you guys think it's quality of the part of just plain luck?
Click to expand...

I've had 3 vehicles and I've had to replace the glass in all of them, sometimes more than once.

84 Voyager, rock cracked glass.

94 Ram. First windshield just cracked. After getting that replaced it caught a stone but that was able to be repaired. 10 years later it finally started to crack from where the stone hit.

04 4Runner. Very small chip shortly after buying it. Never did anything about it. Then a few months ago a big rock hit it and bulls eyed it. The shop said they could repair it but on the day I was to get it repaired it cracked so it had to be replaced.
 
Is it wrong to feel more comfortable that this happens to others?

Just really pissed me off yesterday, because if I would have inspected better, I maybe could have found the initial crack and plugged it, which I had already done to this windshield about 1000 miles ago.

I'm guessing this is not covered by the warranty correct?

Anyone know about what it might cost to replace with OEM?
 
r32 said:
Is it wrong to feel more comfortable that this happens to others?

Just really pissed me off yesterday, because if I would have inspected better, I maybe could have found the initial crack and plugged it, which I had already done to this windshield about 1000 miles ago.

I'm guessing this is not covered by the warranty correct?

Anyone know about what it might cost to replace with OEM?
Click to expand...

Couple hundred bucks. I talked to the owner of a dealership once and he said around 300 if I remember correctly. Or you can have your insurance use one of their pre-chosen window shops to replace it. My deductible was only $50.
 
r32 said:
Is it wrong to feel more comfortable that this happens to others?

Just really pissed me off yesterday, because if I would have inspected better, I maybe could have found the initial crack and plugged it, which I had already done to this windshield about 1000 miles ago.

I'm guessing this is not covered by the warranty correct?

Anyone know about what it might cost to replace with OEM?
Click to expand...

Couple hundred bucks. I talked to the owner of a dealership once and he said around 300 if I remember correctly. Or you can have your insurance use one of their pre-chosen window shops to replace it. My deductible was only $50.
 
i couldn't get an oem from state farm. But then...my windows were free replecments. I had a bad one that had weird vertical lines in it. I had them swap it out. OEM is expensive....but worth the money.
 
I have also heard bad things about after-market windows, which makes me believe I should probably go the OEM route.

I'll have to check my insurance and see if it's covered. I think my deductible is to high though.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
 
For OEM glass look for a place that installs either PPG or Pilkington glass.

I had my windshield replaced with PPG at Safelite and it was under $300 before taxes.

If you want glass etched with the Toyota name, you'll be getting that from the dealer and I think Partznet has just the glass listed at ~$800.
 
Last Year I had 2 broken windshields, one on my Jeep Cherokee & one on my Mustang GT, both in the same week! The Jeep was a rock that I saw bounce off the windshield and the Mustang I didn't even see but, it made a heck of a noise when it hit. When I called to get a price on the windshield for the Mustang the girl said "is it the 04 anniversary model with the horse in the windshield?" right away I knew... she said "that windshield is $450 plus labor" I sure hope I don't break another...
 
OEM windshield cost

My windshield lasted just over 5 years before cracking. It had so many chips and dings from highway driving. I had it replaced last month due to the long crack.

Safelite Auto Glass replaced mine with an OEM Toyota brand windshield through Nationwide insurance. On the receipt, the list price says $888.42. I paid $100.00 deductible. "Toyota" was stamped in the lower driver side corner of the window identical to the one that came on it.

Everyone I've talked to says all glass is the same. The non OEM has to meet the same specs. I'm sure if you wanted to buy a non OEM one, you could save some money unless you just go through insurance.
 
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Yeah, I caught a rock with my T4R about a week after I bought it.
I have full glass coverage, though, so it didn't cost me anything except time at the dealership to replace it. (Twice, even, as the first replacement window was defective).

The insurance co. wouldn't cough up for the $1000 dollar price of the OEM glass, however. I can't tell the difference between the OEM and this, though.
 
Re: OEM windshield cost

big04runner said:
My windshield lasted just over 5 years before cracking. It had so many chips and dings from highway driving. I had it replaced last month due to the long crack.

Safelite Auto Glass replaced mine with an OEM Toyota brand windshield through Nationwide insurance. On the receipt, the list price says $888.42. I paid $100.00 deductible. "Toyota" was stamped in the lower driver side corner of the window identical to the one that came on it.

Everyone I've talked to says all glass is the same. The non OEM has to meet the same specs. I'm sure if you wanted to buy a non OEM one, you could save some money unless you just go through insurance.
Click to expand...


Technically OEM glass would be made by companies that make it for the auto makers. PPG, Pilkington, etc. Glass with the Toyota name on it would be called dealer or factory glass.

In any event all of the above, no matter what you call it, would all be equivalent and to the manufactures spec, just with different names on the glass.

You need to be careful with OEE (Original Equipment Equivalent) glass. That may not be up to the same specs and may not even look the same as the factory or OEM glass.
 
Re: OEM windshield cost

big04runner said:
My windshield lasted just over 5 years before cracking. It had so many chips and dings from highway driving. I had it replaced last month due to the long crack.

Safelite Auto Glass replaced mine with an OEM Toyota brand windshield through Nationwide insurance. On the receipt, the list price says $888.42. I paid $100.00 deductible. "Toyota" was stamped in the lower driver side corner of the window identical to the one that came on it.

Everyone I've talked to says all glass is the same. The non OEM has to meet the same specs. I'm sure if you wanted to buy a non OEM one, you could save some money unless you just go through insurance.
Click to expand...

Actually the bill is correct and all glass is not the same.

The 4Runner has hydrophobic glass which repels water and is much more expensive than regular "safelite" glass. I have a high deductable for glass ($500) so I insisted that OEM glass be the replacement. Aftermarket glass is stronger and if I have to have it done again I'll probably go that route.

Cheers
Steve
 
Took my GF to lunch today and as I walked up to the truck was thinking about this thread; did a quick check of the windshield - sure enough 5 newly discovered deep rock chips (never had any before). The roads in/around Chicago are in truly sad shape right now.

Went to the dealership to inquire about replacement and their advice was to wait until windshield was cracked enough to have State Farm replace entire thing, not sure that sounds right. Truck has ~53K 2006 but has been in Florida all it's life until this past winter.
 
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