Take a rock-hit in the Windshield? You need to know this:

[Dave P.]

Cover the chip right away with plastic tape to keep moisture out.

• Keep the car and windshield dry.
• Call your repair guy as soon as possible and make an appointment.
• If you have to park in the sun prior to repair, crack the side windows to minimize internal pressure that may cause the crack(s) to propagate.

The take-away is: Don't wait. Have it evaluated and repaired as quickly as possible. In the meantime, keep it dry.

[Duke W.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

It you take a minor hit in the windshield and you have comprehensive insurance call your insurance company ASAP. Do not delay!!! Mine will send a mobile guy out within a day or too, and they waive the deductible and pay the bill in full. It's cheaper for them than paying for a new windshield even with me paying the deductible.

If the damage is just a "fisheye" or a small crack it is reparable, but if you wait too long a crack may develop and propagate. At that point, it's too late and you will have to replace the windshield. If the damage is just a surface crater with no evidence of a crack, leave it alone. The epoxy repair process will not fill a surface crater, and they usually don't become a crack, but keep an eye on it.

Keep the car inside if at all possible until the repair. Changes in temperature, such as caused by sunlight to shade or night and back , causes internal stress that can cause a small defect to develop into a propagating crack.

I have one epoxy repair, each, in two cars. Both are in the center of the windshield relatively low, so they are not in my line of sight. The only time I am ever really aware of them is when the sun is low and shining right into the windshield.

Duke

[Paul S.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

Check your policy and state--here in TX as of awhile ago, State Farm will no longer cover windshield chip repairs at all--if it develops into a crack of 6" or longer, they'll cover the windshield replacement (after deductible). They used to cover repairs with no deductible as you said, but too often customers were not satisfied and ended up replacing the windshield with State Farm paying twice, once for the repair and the second time for the windshield (minus deductible). In the past I've had poor results with repairs, as it was visible and I didn't like it.

[Michael J.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

Yes, we took a hit from a small rock on a late fall trip to Wyoming. It started out as a "small star" and after several days of rain, freezing night time temps, warm days, in the 3 days it took to get home, the crack went from top to bottom of the windshield. The whole thing had to be replaced, as the others say, don't wait.

[Gary C.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

Dave,

Good info. After every Road Tour, I get the chip(s) filled in. Luckily, there have only been pinpoint chips.

Gary
....

[Keith W.]

[Mark F.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

One of the reasons I don't like following construction vehicles...even if the load they are carrying doesn't dribble out the back, the gravel and other rock-like debris that gets stuck in their treads on construction sites - or dirt/rocks laying on a flat bed can come loose (centrifugal force and/or air flow) as they get up to cruising speed.

[Russ T.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

I'm well aware of the risks involved when following a gravel truck, but the other day I got a new surprise.
I wound up on a highway behind a small truck (sort of like an S-10) which was spewing pea-gravel
out from under the tailgate. The pea-gravel was bouncing off of the highway in a spraying pattern and was 100 times worse
than anything a gravel truck can deliver.

My windshield got popped a couple of times before I could pull over. Fortunately, there was no damage, but I think that
was only because I was driving a Mercedes. I think the windshields on German cars are made of stronger glass which
doesn't shatter or crack as easily. At least that's been my experience.

[Patrick B.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

I got a nasty stone chip in the windshield of my Mercedes, and I got a repair by Safelite. I turned out better than I expected and has lasted.

[Dave P.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

The guy came out this morning and fixed it. $150. It's better than it was, but I'm not impressed. It looked better when he had just completed it than it does 2 hours later. It seems to be "coming back". It is what it is. It isn't immediately apparent from 20 feet away like it was before the repair.

[Keith W.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

I'm well aware of the risks involved when following a gravel truck, but the other day I got a new surprise.
I wound up on a highway behind a small truck (sort of like an S-10) which was spewing pea-gravel
out from under the tailgate. The pea-gravel was bouncing off of the highway in a spraying pattern and was 100 times worse
than anything a gravel truck can deliver.

My windshield got popped a couple of times before I could pull over. Fortunately, there was no damage, but I think that
was only because I was driving a Mercedes. I think the windshields on German cars are made of stronger glass which
doesn't shatter or crack as easily. At least that's been my experience.

[Duke W.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Winshield? You need to know this:

Attempts to open the attachments in post #10 yield the following error message:

"Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator."

Duke

[Richard M.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Windshield? You need to know this:

Usually if a photo shows up as Blue link Attachment....,

It means the photo was uploaded, but the user had a computer crash or issue and was never submitted.

The server deletes files unused within a hour.

Dave, you'll have to edit your post and upload the photos again.

Rich

[Mark F.]

Re: Take a rock-hit in the Windshield? You need to know this:

While browsing around re: windshield cracks, replacements, etc. I came across this site:

https://tomsglasscompany.com/category/auto-glass/

He has short articles on many topics that have come up on our TDB - and having worked in auto glass plants I can say they are pretty accurate, interesting and helpful.

I particularly liked the brief history...

https://tomsglasscompany.com/2020/01/a-brief-history-of-auto-glass/

You'll have to drill down a bit to find all that he has available; or topics of interest to you.