Rock

[nfpgasmask]

Tiny chip in my windshield. I knew this was gonna happen sooner or later out here.

What are peoples' experiences with cracks in the windshield. This one has two small lines coming out of it. I am guessing they will grow with time and eventually I will have two giant cracks going across the whole glass.

What really chaps my arse is that there are NONE on the West coast for sale via car-part.com.


Bart

[tom4bren]

I got two of those rock chips in my Eclipse windshield in month (last summer). One was repaired professionally (if memory serves ~$40) the other I repaired with a kit from Advance Auto (if memory serves ~$10). The home repair looks MUCH better and they are holding up the same so far.

I only took the one in to be professionally done because I thought it would be completely invisible. I was wrong.

I strongly suggest you try the repair immediately because the repair will keep the cracks from spreading.

[nfpgasmask]

Cool, is it just like an epoxy that you put over the crack? Any auto parts store would have it? So far, it is just a tiny chip with only two small lines coming off it.

Bart

[mbeach]

I rarely go a week without picking up a rock chip in my windshield. My wife's ML55 has no less than 8 in there right now, counting the two that I got this weekend.

It's not the end of the world, but it is annoying. If the chips are within a few inches of a corner, they might lead to cracks sooner. If the chips have a "star" shape to them, they will definately crack eventually.
If you're worried, put some clear nailpolish on the inside and outside of the chip -this will slow its spreading.

If it's a true rock chip (rounded edges, small hole), than a decent glass shop can repair it without a problem. If it's a "star", (with straight lines), then there's nothing that they can do without making it worse.

Forget about it ever being perfect, if it really bothers you, you might want call around for new glass now (exact replacement).

My insurance company offers $50 glass deductable -maybe yours does too?
There's so much gravel on the roads up here, that most glass shops will do a replacement for whatever the insurance pays out.
I generally get a new windshield every year.

I was always surprised with the VX's windshields. I had a truck in Canada fling a big stone at the windshield and it bounced off without a problem. The MB (and now my Dmax) will chip a window if you look at them funny.

[nfpgasmask]

I just called my insurance company and they are sending someone out to repair it. Its just a small chip now, so I hope they can fill it or whatever and prevent it from spreading. Its free and does not affect my premium, so hopefully it won't make matters worse.

Reno is bad too, I am constantly hearing rocks hit my windshield.

My insurance said I will pay a $500 deductible to have them replace the glass if that is the route I need to take, so I opted for the repair first.

Bart

[etlsport]

i havent had any chips in the VX windshield knock on wood.. but I keep this stuff called E-6000 in my toolbox.. ive used it on a few rock chips in windshields, just filled it into the chip, press it in with a razor blade and let it cure for a day or two then scrape the excess off with a razor.. i havent had any chips spread after doing this.. i get it at acmoore.. but i dont think they have those out your way.. so maybe a craft store of some kind.. its a silver tube

[nfpgasmask]

Well, since its free and does not affect my insurance, I am having them come out and fix it this afternoon.

I'll report back with the results.

Bart

[Anita]

I had great luck with window repair for a crack (maybe a 1/2 inch wide). WIth a recommendation, I took it to someone and had it fused. You could still see the crack but it never grew.

[tom4bren]

The kits I've used in the past are a UV cure epoxy. The kit comes with a tube, plunger & adhesive disk. Put the adhesive disk over the chip & attach the tube. Then pull the plunger to create a vacuum in the cracks, release the plunger to allow the epoxy to fill the crack. Repeat the process a few times to make sure there is no air in left in the cracks (any remaining air will be visible after the epoxy cures). Let it sit in the sun for 40 minutes then remove the adhesive disk & clean. The only draw back is that it NEEDS to be a sunny day when you do it & probably above 50 degrees. I've had great luck with it & you should be able to pick it up at any parts store.

BTW - the professional treatment is basically the same - just fancier (electric pump to pull the vacuum & a UV light for curing).

Most insurance companies will now waive the deductable if the repair works since it is far cheaper for them than replacement (even with deductable). That's why you should take care of it sooner rather than later - everyone loses when it reaches the point of needing to be replaced. Remember that it's the thermal cycling that causes the cracks to spread (& pushing on it to see what happens) so this is the worst time of year to get one. If you have one, fix it now.

Keep us informed on the repair. Curious to see if you get better professional results than I did.

I would not recommend the clear finger nail polish repair. I'm sure it will make the blemish look better but will do nothing to stop the cracks from spreading. The sealant needs to get down in the crack.

Never heard of E6000 so I can't say from experience if it works or not.

Shop around for the repair kit but don't buy it now. Wait till you need it. Most UV epoxy has a limited shelf life.

[nfpgasmask]

The guy is here repairing the chip as I type. Fingers crossed it will look decent.

Bart

PS - The Joker is dead...

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

A few years back I had a jeep toss a stone at my VX's windshield and got something like a "fisheye". I tried to get a glass place repair it that day; but, they were all closing for the day. So the best I could do was to take it in the next day. After getting repaired....it lasted until a cold winter day when I had the defrosters on..then...crack! I actually watched it crack from the passenger-side all the way over to the driver-side under the inspection sticker!

Got a new windshield installed by these guys and they even knocked $25 off of my $50 deductible. I left $25 lighter in the wallet but with a new (aftermarket) windshield. The only difference was the blue tint now at the top. I tried to get them to move the rearview mirror up just a tad but they said they couldn't.

http://www.diamondtriumph.com/

[MSHardeman]

Bart,

Most insurance companies will pay to have your windshield repaired. When a huge rock hit my windshield, I called to put in a claim and my insurance company kept asking me if it was repairable because they would pay for it. It wasn't, so I had to shell out the big bucks to have the windshield replaced. The cost of the replacement was just below my deductable so it was all on me.

I've had windshields repaired before, and in most cases you can't tell where the cracks where.

Good luck.

[CrnCnn]

PS - The Joker is dead...

So he was set to play the Joker?. I was unsure how that wouldve come out.

[nfpgasmask]

So he was set to play the Joker?. I was unsure how that wouldve come out.

He already did. Hopefully his croaking won't affect The Dark Knight. I would imagine they are already in post production, I hope.

So the insurance company came out and filled the chip. I can still see it, but that's fine, so long as it doesn't grow.

Bart

[geshaw30]

Additional problem to consider. If you've used any RainX product on the exterior glass in the past few months the repair won't hold. Most repair places (of any quality) will ask you that before starting to work on it. Within a short time the crack will start to spread again. I learned this the hard way