Cracked windshield

[PandaBear]

Lesson 1: Never turn on the AC on full blast flowing onto the windshield immediately after getting into a hot car under the sun.

It cracked from the driver side lower corner for about 5" long, almost straight line that haven't turn much corner yet. I asked some repair guys and most of them said it should be replaced. One is willing to take the job (a mexican with broken English), I don't know if he is honest or ignorant, but I am planning to keep this otherwise reliable car for another 2 years (95 Corolla with 128k miles, some minor suspension problem, but engine is strong).

Replace: $176
Repair: $55

What would you suggest?

 

[T-Keith]

Wow, a windshield for my car was $400 last time I checked and usually american cars are cheaper. $176 is dirt cheap. Perhaps it's the stupid windshield insurance law in this state that drives up the price.

How would they repair it?


-T

 

[PandaBear]

They said they will use a resin filling to fill in the crack, thats why I am not too sure if a crack from the edge is repairable.

The price is about +/- $60 between shops, so they are cheap.

The reason it is so cheap, I think, is because the car is assembled in the area (Fremont, 20 miles away from me), and the OEM for the glass windows are here. They are probably manufactured locally and have little to no logistic cost.

 

[Mud]

Replace. I have yet to see a crack that was repaired well.

In fact, I don't even know of a repair shop around here that will attempt to fix anything over an inch or so.

 

[Dave H]

I vote for replacement. I just don't see a crack like you described being repaired properly and lasting any length of time.
For replacement, check with your insurance company. I've had 2 windshields repaired from rock chips with my insurance picking up the tab. About 2 years after the last repair, the repair failed and the chip was getting bigger. So my insurance company paid for a full replacement.
Hope this helps.

Dave

 

[michaelc80]

Do it right, replace the windshield. Chances are you had a chip or flaw there anyway and that's why it started cracking. I agree with the others-a crack that long isn't a candidate for repair.

I watched a kid who worked at a local university destroy a windshield when the temperature was -20 one winter morning. He decided to defrost it by dumping hot water on it. The windsheild shattered as soon as the water hit it. Glass doesn't like sudden temperature extremes.

 

[Scooby]

Replace.

I've had some bad luck with windshields this year. Had road debris hit the windshield of our Sienna twice this year. Replaced both times at a cost of nearly $600 EACH. CHanged my deductible to 0$ from $500 after that. Had a rock hit the windshield of my Tacoma a week or so ago. This one will be free.

 

[Tosh]

I agree that it should be replaced, and by the most competent, most experienced person you can find (with the OEM part). It wouldn't hurt to ask for your insurance company's advice.
I would also be curious to confirm Michaelc80's suspicions about a previous flaw, at least as far as determining if the crack is on the outside or inside (and also as a detail to the anecdote for the rest of us).
I didn't know they made Corollas in Fremont.

 

[04SpecV]

Replace it.

I already had to replace the windshield in my 04. Cheapest I found was abt 200.

 

[PandaBear]

Ok, I got it replaced for $173 after tax, from a local immigrants owned business. Talked to them over the phone and they send a van with 2 guys here, drove my car back, and come back in 2 hours with a new windshield (generic).

They use a one-size-fit-all weather strips that are significantly smaller than the OEM, and kept 2 2" wide masking tape on the top to secure it. Instead of going over the pillars like the OEM, it is now inside the pillars glued on. I don't feel very safe with this practice.

Also tell me not to wash car and leave a gap in the windows for 2 days and it came with a "lifetime" warranty.

 

[Matt_S]

I've had windshield replacement companies tell me on at least two separate occasions that the rule of thumb is they don't repair anything that can't be covered completely by a quarter. Furthermore, they won't repair anything in the driver's line of sight.

I certainly hope you don't get any leaks, PandaBear, but you do get what you pay for. Hopefully their repair is good enough.

 

[cousincletus]

I had the w/s replaced on my 2002 Cavalier (rock hit it from a dump trailer) and the repair sounds similar to yours, except the new generic gasket looks ok. Leave the masking tape on overnight. Mine hasn't leaked yet and had a lifetime warranty against leaks. I wouldn't worry as if it doesn't leak in the first couple of weeks or first soaking rain, I doubt if it ever will.

 

[PandaBear]

I had a co-worker looked at it earlier, his family was in the auto-repair business out of town. He said it looks ok and is done right. The gasket is rubber and not plastic so it won't last a very long time, but the way the repair is done seems fine.

If it last 3 years, I get my money worthed. I am planning to keep it for 3 more years only (suspensions is shot and tranny is starting to wear out, saw some copper flakes in the pan).

 

[pinoy99]

Should have just kept the broken windshield until the car gets junked in 2 years.... (suspensions is shot and tranny is starting to wear out, saw some copper flakes in the pan)

 

[Mr Nice]

Panda Bear,

Most states have a law that if the windshield is cracked, your insurance company will pay for the replacement, without a deductible.

And if your insurance company says the crack is not big enough to to replace the windshield........you have to accidentally make the crack bigger.

As a State Farm agent, I replace about 15 windshields per year.

 

[mjo]

Windshields aren't solid glass. They are layered so that during an accident the glass mostly crumbles instead of breaking into huge chunks that could kill everyone inside. I don't think they would have been able to apply the resin into the crack right.

 

[Cutehumor]

is it just me or do toyota corollas use cheap quality glass? I had an 87 toyota corolla the glass got knicked and the crack spread across the rear of the windshield. My best friend has a 96 toyota corolla and he has a huge crack covering 70% of the windshield. He said it's from a rock and within a few hours the crack spread across the entire windshield. the windshield for these cars seem thinner to me than my 92 Mitsu Mirage. Is this how toyota is able to achieve 40 mpg in this car, lighter weight windshields being one component?

 

[Kestas]

It's the same philosophy that the japanese applied to their Zeroes in WWII.... make the machines all-performance with no regard to safety of the occupant.

 

[Propflux01]

No, it is simple economics. As you suspect, lighter glass does help economy-Not to mention cheaper to make. You will notice that in all cars, as most glass is made my one or two companies for a wide range of cars.

 

[brianl703]

I'm pretty sure there are FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) which apply to windshield glass.