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Windshield chip! Ugh

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6.5K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  Danny Booth  
#1 ·
Small pebble from out of no where, quarter-sized chip in windshield...car is 3 months old...NICE. Safelite did a repair and it sucks. So has anyone had a windshield replaced at Toyota? I’m concerned about more seals and anything else getting messed up. My experience has been, one thing fixed, two more get scratched or dinged ?. Thanks
 
#2 ·
Its the natural breakdown from a shiny new car you just dumped a load of cash on....To having a car, as any other car to take you from point A to B
It cant stay new forever if you use it :)


Dealerships do not replace or repair glass. They call the local or vetted glass company they have a relation with to do the work. They come to the dealership and replace the glass. I would make sure they are using OEM, and the exact vin model of your car to get the right glass as some trim models have a different glass. You can check if your insurance covers it, but most don't.
hope this helps.
 
#4 ·
Safelite blows on their repairs. I had a quarter-inch ding in my Highlander's windshield they tried to repair and it sucked, but in the end the ding happened to be close to the passenger's side center of the windshield so I ended up living with it. Wasn't worth the time and expense to change out the entire windshield IMO.
 
#8 ·
I have 2 chips in my windshield on my 2011 Camry. I want a windshield that will not crack. I know they are out there, but I can't find any information on them. For example. A windshield made from the same polycarbonate that is used in either teller windows with a kevlar layer in the middle or something similar to what jets have for their windows.

There are also the 2.5 inch thick bullet proof windshields. Those will resist cracking when a rock hits them that is kicked up from a dump truck or something on the road. Google it, it is hard to find anything on crack resistant or crack proof windshields, but that is what I am looking for.

It might be expensive, but it can be done.
 
#9 ·
Tryin2decide indicated that the replacement by Safelite 'sucks'. Can you expand on this?
What issues are you encountering? When you look through it at an angle is the image badly distorted?
It was reported by some Prius owners that when looking at stoplights, there are sometimes double reds, ambers and greens vertically.
The Prius windshield is very raked to cheat the wind and maybe during the manufacturing process, some specifications were outside tolerance levels contributing to the faulty windshield.

I had mine replaced and I would like to know what to look for to indicate it was a bad job. Just because it is installed may not imply it was done correctly.
Can there be leaks down the road? Where might the leak most likely to occur. Is it possible to examine it by shining a special light around the border/perimeter to confirm that it was done correctly?
I had the windshield replaced on a previous car and it leaked and ruin my electrical harness below the dashboard!
 
#11 ·
Oh no, the epoxy repair sucked. Only that the Safelite commercials make it seem like technology is where it can be repaired without any permanent damage. But the repair is only about 70%, which is a bummer, but we’ll have to see how we feel in a week or so. Thanks for all the constructive replies.
 
#12 ·
So has anyone had a windshield replaced at Toyota? I’m concerned about more seals and anything else getting messed up.

Around where I live..... You take your vehicle to the Toyota dealer to have any glass replaced or fixed - they call a glass company (usually Portland Glass). In fact I know of no dealer by any manufacturer that replaces/fixes glass anymore.


I HATE any national chain company for any kind of repairs.


Find a good local glass shop that does auto glass repair. They'll be the ones far more likely to do a good repair over anyone else.
 
#14 ·
I have had a chip in my windshield about 6inchs from the lower corner. Over time a crack has traveled to the end of the corner, Its about 4 years now, and it cant get any worse as it cracked to the edge. So, either I replace it and not know if I will get a clear visibility warp free thick glass, or if I should just leave it as I have.Its low enough not bother when driving and easy to ignore, yet high enough to just see it.

I wonder if glass companies have different ratings on visibility, uniformity, strength, noise, and such. You would think with a glass that you are facing in a car everyday would certainly have such, but it doesn't look like its the case. At this point IF I replace it I would be looking for "better than OEM"
 
#15 ·
I have had a chip in my windshield about 6inchs from the lower corner. Over time a crack has traveled to the end of the corner, Its about 4 years now, and it cant get any worse as it cracked to the edge. So, either I replace it and not know if I will get a clear visibility warp free thick glass, or if I should just leave it as I have.Its low enough not bother when driving and easy to ignore, yet high enough to just see it.

I wonder if glass companies have different ratings on visibility, uniformity, strength, noise, and such. You would think with a glass that you are facing in a car everyday would certainly have such, but it doesn't look like its the case. At this point IF I replace it I would be looking for "better than OEM"
If it’s not bothering you don’t replace it. Wait until something else hits it and get it fixed then. Sooner or later it will happen.