OK, I give up. I can't keep a new windshield on a car. Two weeks on fresh glass in my old GL, and it's already cracked beyond legality :-P
So. Howzabout some discussion on the subject.
It seems to me that the only "safe" distance behind those darned SUV/PUT/SEMI things, at least as far as your windshield is concerned, is dreadfully close; two to three car-legnths at most (at highway speeds). At a reasonable following distance, you catch every pebble; if you really back off, some one will inevitably fill the gap, spraying you with debris as they change lanes.
How about mandating effective mud-flaps on those high-clearance, big tired beasts?
Does anyone besides me notice that aftermarket windshields tend to crack more easily then the OEM glass? Maybe due to unusual stresses induced during handling and installation?
Do the spiffy looking deflector shields actually help, or do they merely move the damage up into your line-of-sight?
Are the 15 minute windshield repair outfits worth the money?
Burning questions, no doubt. Anyone?
ByeBye! S. Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101
Uh.. I've never experienced a cracked windscreen. In any of the cars I've driven, ever. Closest I've come is getting two tiny stone chips in the screen in one day. (
Hope you were knocking on wood while you typed that! I'd say you're about the luckiest guy I've heard of... come on out here to SoCal and interview drivers who commute on two particular local freeways to see who HASN'T had a busted up windshield! Covering the loads, flaps, nothing seems to stop the rocks from gravel haulers that run 24/7. :(
Anyway, in answer to Steve, I think aftermarket glass is somehow a bit less "sturdy" than factory, but I've been told that's not true: most current factory glass is pretty fragile, too. My glass guy told me they're making it thinner to save weight, and owners pay the price. My Subie's on its second windshield that I know of, and considering the condition of the trim around it, the former owner may have gone thru more than I'm aware of. The car's due for at least its third one...
If you want bad luck stories... I had glass replaced in a Toyota truck some years back. Picked it up from the glass shop about 4 p.m. and headed toward the freeway. At 4:20 p.m., I was hit by a rock thrown up from an unknown vehicle. I didn't even see who chucked the rock, so "proper following distance" would be impossible to guess. Nice bullseye! Rats.
I went five whole days on my Subie from the day I bought it used (dealer had JUST replaced the glass) before I hit a sand storm that blasted the glass. Didn't bother replacing it, I just curse every time I'm driving toward the sun. Since then, it's picked up two bullseyes, a star and a LONG crack. They were all repaired. The bullseyes and star came out fine, the crack is still noticeable though theoretically it's "legal" here in CA cuz it's on the passenger side.
OTOH, I bought my Camry from a friend who'd had the glass replaced twice, and it had a coupla chips when I got it. Made it almost six months before getting hit by a rock that yielded a nice crack. It's on the driver's side, and while I don't look thru it, I was told it can't be legally fixed cuz of the area. It needs to be replaced, so that will be No. 4!
So... don't feel alone: there are others of us out here who are rock magnets!
As for the 15 minute "repairs" I can recommend them for bullseyes and stars, but once you get a growing crack, I'm not impressed. Guy who did my last one said they're very effective on cracks only up to about 2", but he'll work on 'em up to about 15" to cut the glare and prism effects, as well as make the glass "legal." So you kinda take your chances...
91 between Riverside and Anaheim Hills, and 15 between the 60 and Temecula are my favorites (along with most everybody else I know) for playing "rockhound!"
You appear to have very dirty roads. Never suffered anything worse than minor stone chips in 40 years motoring...and then only two or three times. (Does worry me when driving cars without full windscreens though, when I always wear flying goggles rather than just wrap-around sun glasses.)
Which is more important, your windscreen or your life? Only a fool breaks the two second rule.
No precise answer to your safe following distance question. A few years ago, I was in my Cherokee following a Mercury Villager minivan, when the Villager kicked up a rock and cracked my windshield from top to bottom.
The glass in my Subaru is still crack free, but I've had all manner of vehicle throw rocks at me.
You could certainly improve your odds by avoiding semis and stearing clear of anyone that's wandering outside their lane onto the median where there's rocks.
IMHO, 15 minute repair kits are not worth the money. If you have a salvageable windshield, take it to the dealer or a glass shop for a fix.
Yeah, well S is posting from Colorado, so I assume he lives there. It's a lot drier there than in the UK. Perhaps all the moisture you have there keeps the dirt and pebbles mixed onto the ground, whereas it rolls around in Colorado and California, which are two fairly dry states.
This observation seems to hold true for me in western New York, where I haven't experienced any serious windscreen chip/crack problems. I've got 3-4 chips that my sister acquired during her ownership of the car, and they haven't grown in the 4 years I've had the car, nor have I acquired any new ones myself.
They help on some cars, and not on others, its really hit or miss :D . On the otherhand $20 for a shield might be worth a try.
In Oregon you have to have mudflaps. not sure about elsewhere. I have begun to see a coating you can put on your windshield (not sure if its a film, spray, or what exactly) that is suposed to help prevent cracks. I?ll lookout for where they sell it and get back to you. I dont know if it works, but a windshield every 2 weeks... somethings gotta be worth a try.
Get it replaced with 6mm bulletproof glass. You might get chips in it from the major impacts, but good luck smashing the thing. Combined with some good high-quality 3m strengthening film on the inside, you'll never replace one again.
Would save probably 20kg in weight but cost a fair bit to have custom made ;)
Sorry I'm late getting back to this; been on vacation.
Ya, I live in Palmer Lake Colorado, on what is termed the Front Range; loosely the Colorado Springs-Denver corridor. And locally, our paved roads vary from merely OK to down right awful; some of what passes for pavement would be better off ripped up and replaced by graded gravel. Colorado Springs is notoriously bad; tire-swallowing pot-holes seem to appear overnight, and the city is months in repairing them.
Even tho I frequently travel back-country dirt/gravel roads, and often drive pretty fast on 'em, all of the windshield damage I've experienced has been on the interstate, and usually on the commute to/from work. I don't think the problem is mine alone; everyone in the region seems to experience it to a greater or lesser degree. Part of it may be related to the explosive growth we are experiencing; there always seem to be sand and gravel trucks out on the highway. And altho Colorado has been moving away from the traditional sand/gravel/salt mix, in favor of Magnesium Chloride (yuk), there still seems to be plenty of gravel being dumped onto the highway in the winter.
Furthermore, at least locally, there are an inordinate number of large SUVs and full-sized pickups; some days, it seems like 50% of the vehicles on the road fall into these categories. Most of these run either snow tires, or the deep-lugged off-road tires, and most do _not_ have adequate mud flaps. This results in a high percentage of vehicles with the capacity to loft fair sized gravel; anything from pea-sized to marble-sized and larger. And while I generally try to allow plenty of distance between myself and the next car, it simply isn't always possible, as I'm sure that those of you who commute thru "rush-hour" traffic understand.
Ummmm, I _will_ comment that the problem was less severe (to the point where I don't recall it even being a problem) back when the speed limit was 55MPH, vs 65-75MPH in most places these days. Not that I'm recommending going back to the "good ol' days", mind you, but surely the higher speeds (75MPH limit = 85-90MPH traffic at times; yea, yea, me too . . .) contribute to the size of the airborne debris, and the severity of the resulting impact.
Finally, someone jokingly suggested a bullet-proof (Lexan) windshield. I've actually considered this, but friends who are required to have them on their "street-legal" (yea, riiight) race cars experience very short usable lifetimes; their wipers scuff the plastic into murky translucency almost immediately. Plus they're awfully expensive ($400-500+); thru contacts, I can generally get a windshield done for about $150. Guess I should stop complaining, and simply budget for new glass once a year, but since the first of this year, 3 new windshields, in 3 different cars, all have rock damage. The last one didn't last two weeks before a golf-ball-sized stone (big enuf that I actually saw it coming, and _ducked_) cracked it badly enough that it is probably illegal to drive with. Guess I'll try again; what's $150;
4-5 tanks of gas? . . . :-P
Sigh.
ByeBye! S.
Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101
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