Windshield line crack

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Windshield line crack

freitasm

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#310620 6-Nov-2023 16:45

It's pretty bizarre. A line crack from the left side to the middle, then turning 90 degrees down.

Booked for a replacement now, still on a policy with free glass coverage.

Just curious how could this happen. Any ideas?

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#3156739 6-Nov-2023 16:57

Is there a stone chip where the two lines intersect?

freitasm

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#3156741 6-Nov-2023 17:04

No, nothing. Just a clean 90 degrees turn.

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#3156742 6-Nov-2023 17:13

Stress fracture from hidden fault during manufacturing process?

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#3156743 6-Nov-2023 17:13

Be careful what they replace it with. Typical insurance policies won't replace with an OEM screen, but a cheap knockoff. They will claim that it meets standards and that's sufficient, but my experience is that they are optically inferior.

If the vehicle is relatively new and has smart cameras and stuff you may be able to argue for an OEM replacement. I used Novus last time and they were great at helping me get an OEM one back in there, good as new. I have had terrible experiences with Smith & Smith screens and installs and would never go back there again.

As for your question, didn't run hot water over it on a cold morning or something? Otherwise someone jumped on it or hit a big pothole perhaps? Looks like a stress fracture but odd that there isn't an impact mark to start things off.

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#3156748 6-Nov-2023 17:28

If you poured hot water on it on a cold morning to remove frost that may have caused it? Or a random stress fracture? Or maybe some kid’ basketball landed on your windscreen and they ran off. Could be anything with a windscreen.

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#3156756 6-Nov-2023 18:46

I had it happen once when I washed my car on a hot day, to make it worse the windscreen was only 2 weeks old.

I rarely wash my car now :-)

I know enough to be dangerous

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#3156758 6-Nov-2023 19:05

A related thread concerning the replacement that insurance/auto glass companies will try and force on you.

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumId=162&topicId=169634

freitasm

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#3156760 6-Nov-2023 19:31

Thanks. No hot water was used, and no impact that I'm aware of. It's not a new car, so it's not a smart glass.

Stress fracture seems to be the answer.

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#3156761 6-Nov-2023 19:54

freitasm:

It's pretty bizarre. A line crack from the left side to the middle, then turning 90 degrees down.

Booked for a replacement now, still on a policy with free glass coverage.

Just curious how could this happen. Any ideas?

if it goes all the way to the left edge of the window you probably had a stone hit the edge. hits near the edge split across the windscreen quite easily, it doesn't take much. changes in weather speeds it up, especially the cool nights hot days we are getting.

the other thing is if there was a bit of dirt under the windscreen at the edge from manufacture or previous replacement, which creates a stress point.

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#3156840 7-Nov-2023 08:14

freitasm:

Thanks. No hot water was used, and no impact that I'm aware of. It's not a new car, so it's not a smart glass.

Stress fracture seems to be the answer.

Can confirm, it happened recently to me. The windscreen appears to take some load/stress during hard cornering, big potholes/bumps etc. The split getting larger was quite an experience as it suddenly made a bang, on multiple occasions, as it grew across the whole windscreen, horizontally.

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#3157084 7-Nov-2023 18:01

tstone:

Can confirm, it happened recently to me. The windscreen appears to take some load/stress during hard cornering, big potholes/bumps etc. The split getting larger was quite an experience as it suddenly made a bang, on multiple occasions, as it grew across the whole windscreen, horizontally.

on some vehicles the windscreen is a structural member. they are generally glued in place. once you get that chip, especially near the edges, it will crack and then split.

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#3158137 11-Nov-2023 01:13

My father used to boil the kettle and pour that on the windscreen to get rid of thick winter frost in the UK. I used to volunteer to do it for him when I were a lad.

Never cracked a windscreen as a result of that. Are they more fragile nowadays?

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#3158223 11-Nov-2023 10:29

Geektastic: My father used to boil the kettle and pour that on the windscreen to get rid of thick winter frost in the UK. I used to volunteer to do it for him when I were a lad.

Never cracked a windscreen as a result of that. Are they more fragile nowadays?

if i remember right its just not a thing. there is some testing on that myth.

might have been true in the early days, but these days its laminated screens. what could happen is a existing crack gets made worse, which happens in winter anyway.

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#3158236 11-Nov-2023 11:29

If there is an existing crack or weak spot, I suspect that boiling water might make it worse. Otherwise I wouldn't expect it to cause a problem.

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#3158238 11-Nov-2023 11:44

As they say - Unluggy

I’ve had many a crack and chip. One crack similar to this appeared after road debris hit the pillar…crack appeared a few weeks later.

With the vibrations from bumps and road twists and heat / cold…I saw it grow.

it was like my own mini game of “snake”.