I replaced my windshield this summer and I already have 2 rock chips that are too large for the epoxy repair. If they don’t become cracks that span the entire windshield directly in my line of vision before winter it will surely happen during winter with the constant heating cooling of the windshield.
Is there an amazing product sold through infomercials or secret after hours clubs that I’m not aware of that can reduce or prevent rock chips? I’m tired of buying a new windshield every summer. When I was more of a construction type dude and drove a truck I didn’t care that my windshield had cracks, they were all below my line of vision. Now that I’m an evil sales guy it bothers me to no end seeing those freakin rock chips and cracks.
I know this has nothing to do with your question, but I wanted to poing out that from what I’ve heard, having a cracked windshied is more dangerous then you realize. If what I heard is true (and it seems that it would be), then windshield helps to keep the car from collapsing during a rollover if you land on the roof. Also, it’s an important part of your airbag system. (Again, this is just what I heard) it’s what the airbag pushes against for support when you hit it, if you don’t have a windshield the airbag won’t be as effective. Now I’m not 100% on the airbag thing, but the rollover makes alot of sense to me.
As for a magic coating, I’m not aware of one. But what about one of those visors that you put on the front of the car. I know their for deflecting bugs, but would the offer any defense against small rocks?
I’ll tell you what we did. In front of the local K-mart here, they have a ‘‘free windshield repair’’ tent set-up in an unused space of the parking lot. I was totally convinced this was some kind of scam, but apparently they just bill your insurance company.
So in about 20 minutes they fixed two rock chips in the windshield, and we weren’t charged a penny. And they used some kind of glue that sinks into the cracks. Visibility of the damage has been reduced about 80%. It looks much better, and prevents the creeping spider cracks that are inevitable if the chips are left untreated.
Joey P, the type of shrapnel I’m routinely subjected to is flung directly at my windshield after being rattled loose from various and sundry construction vehicles and dump trucks. If the force of the initial volley of fodder isn’t borne entirely by my own windshield it’s often ricocheted or redirected from the other average commuter vehicles surrounding me on the highway of hell. a.k.a. Deerfoot Trail here in Calgary. The most recent and largest crack actually came from a rock flung from opposing traffic beyond the concrete barrier that separates north and southbound traffic. I do appreciate the suggestion of a deflector shield of some kind though. Perhaps they have a model that I can re-route air conditioning power through to create a flow of tachyon particles to reinforce the deflection barrier. I really like the idea of a magic coating though. Magic would rock those rocks right back to rockville!
olivesmarch4th, I had the rock chip repair done to last year’s brave soldier of a windshield. In the end it had to succumb to the forces of expansion and contraction as winter wrapped it’s icy fist around my clear vehicular companion and I blasted the windshield defrost heater in vain combat. Though I know that windshield gave every last ounce of strength in it’s valiant fight a vertical crack the full height of the glass sealed it’s fate.
Looks like I’m S.O.L. and wishing for magic. I just get so mad when it’s happens it’s absolutely comical upon reflection. I’ve finally learned to be a calm and patient driver. Burying my road rage deep within and pretending like it no longer exists. All it takes is that unmistakable “twhack” sound and an instant explosion of rage, profanity and spittle will spew forth from my gaping maw like a volcano that hasn’t had it’s quota of virgins. Perhaps I should just budget for an annual windshield replacement and let it go. Stupid rocks.
I am plagued by rock chips in my windshields too. I asked my window tinter recently about such a product. He said 3M (or maybe another manufacturer) was developing a clear plastic film (like window tint but thicker) that could be applied over the windhield to help prevent chips, but he didn’t know when it would be available. What he’s describing is similar to a product out now commonly referred to as Clearbra, which is an 8mil thick clear sheet of film that is applied to the front end of cars to help protect the paint. 3M, XPel, and a few other manufacturers out there make this film. I have Clearbra on the entire front end of my Lexus including headlights. It works as advertised and is almost invisible (see for yourself), so I am anxiously waiting for the windshield film too.
Bad Samaritan you just made my day! I can go to bed filled with hope for a brighter future free from the tyranny of rock chips and windshield replacement! It’s magic I tells ya! Magic!
I have a couple small chips in my windshield and I don’t think they’ve ever grown. What bothers me more is that my windshield seems to have fine pitting all over it. It’s a slight problem when I’m driving into the sun. I’ve wondered if it’s possible to polish the windshield or something.
What is this about insurance paying for it? Isn’t there a deductible?
Airbags come out fast. We studies them a bit in my pyrotechnics class. They come out so fast, in fact, that people sometimes complain that the airbag didn’t even work, and just came out of the wheel looking like a sock. Until you show a woman* that her mascara, blush, and lipstick are all on the bag. The chemical reaction is measured in in miliseconds, and there’s simply no time for the airbag to come out, be pushed by your face, use the windshield for support, and then push back against your face. By the time that would have happened, the airbag would have already been deflated.
It can’t be imagined as a latex balloon, placed up against a solid surface and pressed against. Airbags are made of nylon, and therefore have plenty of holes for the nitrogen to escape from. Ideally, the airbag will be completely full when it is impacted by the driver. In other words, it will have barely finished expanding towards him, when he hits it and the bag begins deflating. The entire process probably lasts a quarter second.
*I only use a woman in this example because men don’t usually wear makeup.
I have seen pickups with a little clear plastic sheild around 6" high over the front of the hood (these are what Joey P is talking about?. I was told these cut down rock chips (and bugs) on the windshield by a fairly large factor. Of course the plastic shield has to be replaced, but it is cheaper.
As far as insurance- *you * (generally) choose the deductable. 0 deductable Comprehensive is fairly cheap (but low deductable Collision is not). I have Comp set @0 and Coll set @$500.
While the windshield does supply some support to the roof of the car, I doubt you could point to a cracked windshield as the cause of the death of a driver in a rollover accident.
As far as the airbags go, you are 100% incorrect. The only part the windshield plays in an airbag deployment is the door over the passenger bag smacks the shit out of the windshield and breaks it as the bag comes out.
The windshield plays no part in the successful deployment of an airbag system
The solution of choice around here would be to just purchase a bigger, higher truck. :dubious:
Me, I just avoid the Deerfoot.
No one on the local car forums seem to have a very good answer to it, and these are guys who drive fairly pricey, low-to-the-ground kind of cars. I think we’ve just resigned it to being one of the costs of living here.
That’s what I figured, it didn’t seem like it would matter. It just seemed like the force of it coming at you is all you would need. Like I said, it was just something I heard (from an autoglass company).
Some day, you just wait and see, you’ll get to use the line… “Sir, sir calm down, sir the air bag did work, you see, you’re makeup is smuged all over it”
I know this is off topic, but I’ve been meaning to ask, what is that little box that appears to be some sort of an access cover? I seem to see them on a lot of them on high end vehicles.
I had the same problem with my VW Beetle after driving back and forth from Reno to Carson City every day for 6 years. On my next car (Toyota Prius), I got something called Diamond-Fusion coating on the windshield. I’ve only had the car for a year and 9 months, but I haven’t seen any pitting, chips or cracks yet. It cost $500 and came with a limited 4 year warranty. They put it on at the dealership. I also got the invisible bra for the front of the car for $650.
Joey, I have that little box on my Prius too, but it’s circular. I don’t know what it is either.
**JoeyP, Nuveena, **the little outline in that bumper is not an access cover, it just shows you where to hold your garage door remote in order to program the home-link system included in some modern vehicles (so you can chuck the ugly-ass clicker and just push a pretty little button in your car, usually on the sun visor).
Huh? I’ve had a handful of cars with the homelink transmitters in them and in every case, you program those by holding your old garage opener remote up by the homelink button on your visor or mirror and pushing the buttons on the remote and the homelink button you want to program. Those little cover plates in the bumpers have tow hooks behind them. I have two on the rear bumper also. BMW’s have these too, maybe a few others. Cars that have several small, round, raised covers arrayed along the bumper –those are parking assist sensors.
I don’t think that’s it. That wouldn’t make any sense, as Bad Samaritan said, the homelink is usually located in the consoul or on the ceiling of the car. There would be no reason to have it in the bumper. Besides, that picture was the first time I’ve seen it on the front. I’ve always seen them on the back of cars. Not to say, those cars didn’t have them on the front, it’s just that I was behind them when I noticed it.
Bad, why would they put tow hooks there? I can’t think of a good way to get a chain/hook through a hole that small and onto a hook, and then use it, without scratching the body.
