Help! Windshield Crack Growing

"WhatDaFunk" (WhatDaFunk) 02/16/2014 at 11:37 • Filed to: None

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Got a crack in my windshield that's steadily growing, anyone have tips for stopping its spread?

Is it worth contacting my insurance and having them replace the windshield?

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:40

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Sacrificing a Ferrari to the Car Windshield Gods has proven to do the trick. It used to be with a Civic and you had to set it on fire and push it into the ocean, but they changed it when they found out the car sacrificing and fire can be done automatically with a Ferrari.

Sorry, I don't have experience with this, but no harm in putting a Ferrari on Fire joke here :D

syaieya > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:43

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At that point, get a new one. It's only going to be a hazard from here on out.

Maybe if something could have been done when or if it was ever a chip but at this point that windshield is just a liability.

Boss2452stolemylunchmoney > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:43

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Buy new glass.

It's a "Porch-uh" > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:43

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A glass shop can stop it by drilling a hole at the end of the crack and filling it, but I'm not sure they would for liability reasons. Generally, they replace the windshield after a chip turns into a crack. Some insurance companies are better than others for replacing windshields so it might be worth checking with them.

AM3R > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:45

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Same thing happened on my E90 328i, and it was in the middle of a week of having temperature in the teens, so it would pretty much spread everytime I wasn't on a completely smooth road. It got too big to have Safelite fill in, so I filed a claim and got it replaced. I chose to not go OEM because 1) OEM BMW glass is extremely soft and pits really easily and 2) it's really overpriced for how bad it is.

In total I ended up paying like $50 and waiting 2 hours while it was replaced.

So I would recommend getting it replaced, it's just gonna keep spreading. Especially if you live in a place that gets cold winters.

jkm7680 > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:46

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I've heard about superglue, and clear nail polish, but you can get a ticket for having a cracked windshield, in my state at least, I personally would go to a scrap yard and get a new windshield, or go through insurance, but it's your choice.

It's a "Porch-uh" > It's a "Porch-uh" 02/16/2014 at 11:46

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And if you're trying to put this off as long as possible, thermal changes are what cause the crack to grow.

I had a little chip in my that I was going to take care of in the morning and by the time I got up in the morning it had become a 15" crack. And that was in a SoCal garage.

WhatDaFunk > Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna 02/16/2014 at 11:52

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Dang, too bad I can't use my Civic anymore. I saw a Ferrari FF near my house the other day, maybe I can find the owner and ask him to help me out, seems like a fair trade.

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:54

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The car windshield gods will be pleased.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:55

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If it's a danger to the occupants, other drivers, or in the field of vision, insurance will cover it. Get new glass.

WhatDaFunk > It's a "Porch-uh" 02/16/2014 at 11:55

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Yeah, that was what happened to me. Had a small chip near the base of the windshield that I couldn't even see, then a weekend spent driving in the rain grew it a couple of feet :(

desertdog5051 > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 11:55

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When a semi threw a rock and hit my windshield, I had to drive another 80 miles to get cell reception. By that time it had gone from a chip to a foot long crack. Anyway, called my insurance company and after some persistent asking on my part, I found that my rates would go up 20% for 2 years. That is about the cost of a windshield. In my state, 80% of the cars have cracked windshields. I just left it since it stayed along the bottom of the glass. Out of sight unless you look.

Nibby > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 12:04

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Get your insurance to replace it. It'll only keep getting worse.

ttyymmnn > desertdog5051 02/16/2014 at 12:40

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What is your insurance company?? That's awful. We replaced a windshield about 15 years ago, and I think we just paid a reasonable deductible. That was with USAA, though, which is a great company.

desertdog5051 > ttyymmnn 02/16/2014 at 17:01

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It was, and I restate, was Progressive. I have never heard anything bad about USAA.

My dad was in the Navy so I think I qualify?

ttyymmnn > desertdog5051 02/16/2014 at 17:14

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I think you may. We qualified because my father-in-law was a career Marine. We've had the cracked window, a car burglary, an accident, and it was all handled with the utmost professionalism. They've got our home insurance as well.

MM54 > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 17:23

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Unfortunately, you're probably one big pothole away from a lap full of glass. At this point, just replace it.

I recently (had to) replace the original windshield in my '02 Crown Vic Interceptor, it actually was really nice to not have all the little chips and scratches when driving at night.

salmon > WhatDaFunk 02/16/2014 at 17:58

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I went to visit my sister in Malawi (southeast Africa) in summer 2012. The decrepit HiAce and Delica mini-cabs I rode around in had windshields that were invariably more crack than glass.

Waiting for a ride one morning, I saw a guy wearing sunglasses tapping on a van's windshield with a stick. I looked closer and saw that he was curling one of these free cracks around back into itself to stop it from growing. I asked him about what he was doing and apparently the polarized sunglasses allow you to see the stress in the windshield - so how the crack is going to spread.

I couldn't help but notice from then on that all the vans in the country had this little spirals at the end of their windshield cracks.

Sorry for the novel. Worth a shot??

WhatDaFunk > salmon 02/16/2014 at 22:07

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Interesting story, but I don't know how comfortable I would be trying that. I would probably just end up making it worse, lol. If I do get it replaced it might be an interesting experiment to do before having it done.

Daywalker > WhatDaFunk 03/07/2014 at 12:46

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OP: just replace it. Many insurance companies will cover it at zero deductible, and worst case scenario you pay cash and it'll be $200-300 depending on your car, e.g. whether you have auto headlights, auto wipers, etc.

Best tip is to get chips repaired immediately when they occur. Chips smaller in size than a dollar bill can usually be repaired without replacing the windshield, and this service is almost always covered by insurance with no deductible.