A few of you may remember me from earlier this summer. I am the guy who had the king kong of birds take a dump on my car the day after I spent hours washing it. Anyway, on the way to work this morning, in the exact same spot, the car in front of me throws up a nice sized (what I assume was a) rock, I hear a loud pop, and next thing I know, right in my line of sight is a half-inch star-looking crack in the windshield. SOB!

So this all brings me to my question. What the hell do I do? Do I try to get one of those places which can supposedly fix small cracks to take care of it. Are any particular companies reputable at doing this? Or is it better to try to get the entire windshield replaced? I would hate to do that because I know no windshield can ever be installed to the same standards as the factory. And if anyone if familiar with any particular windshield repair/replacement shops in the Chicago area please let me know.

Thanks
-Yuri

 

Ask your insurance if they take care of cracks for free. In Florida they do

 

That's horrible luck! I feel your pain my friend.

Any crack on the windshield would require repair ASAP since the vibrations of driving a car, even as carefully as possible, would potentially do more damage. My suggestion is to ask for a repair quote from the local shops in your area, specifically companies who specialize in windshield repair. I see Safelight commercials on TV all the time so they may be worth a shot, though I've never dealt with them before so I can't vouch for their work. Also, depending on your insurance, usually you can have the whole windshield replaced at the price of your premium.

If you are worried about factory-like quality, your best bet is to have Lexus look at it and take care of you from there, but it goes without saying that be prepared for an expensive solution!

Good luck!

 

First things first.

Put some tape over the full crack on the outside of the windshield, this will keep moisture and dirt from getting in.

I have had medium sized chips repaired before in my other cars (they had cheap Australian Pilkington glass) and the fix worked and was cheap.

Double check your insurance, and see what they say about windhield damage and replacement.

Keep in mind that the IS-F windshield is specific to the car, and make sure you get an OEM replacement.

Windshields are replaced all the time on cars, and can be done at your home in your garage by a company.

 

This is the best option. Happened to me and was taken care if by men insurer for free without any hesitation. I believe its Considered an 'Act of god '. Just make sure that your replacement glass is from lexus and you should be fine .

 

Check out safelite. They did my windshield a few times. A good friend of mine got her windshield change back to stock. They came to my house to repair it. Mine cost < $100 for 2 small cracks. They have an option for your insu to pay for the coast. Get a quote online. http://www.safelite.com/. Good luck.

 

Thanks guys. State farm says they don't cover repairs. Hmmm

 

In Florida insurance pays full replacement cost and i used Safelite for my 350z last yr. I love Florida, free windshield replacements and no emission testing so any mods to cars are totally legal

 

I agree, insurance should cover it. Chips are usually repairable but cracks mostly call for replacement. I would fight for an original Lexus windshield and try to find a reputable installer. If you can't find a good installer call the glass company and ask them to send a senior install because you love and baby your car.

I need to correct a few statements that some of you guys made previously in this thread. No one glass company can be recomended as a whole. It comes down to the glass that's used and ultimately the installer. Dealers typically do not change windshields, they call a glass company to handle the repair and you don't nessecarly get factory glass by going to the dealer.
Water and dust won't come in through a small crack because automotive windshield are made of multiple layers of safety glass with a clear plastic sheathing sandwiched between the layers of glass. If water did come through the crack it would be a very strange occurrence.

Here is a resource about auto glass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windshield

 

Start with the repair and see how it works. I've had decent luck with that approach in the past.

 

I went through this recently with my car. Safelite was about tree fiddy to use there brand which we agreed to try and had the option of switching to OEM glass if I was unsatisfied.

Insurance will pick up the price of replacement glass, but in TX they are not obligated to replace with OEM glass due to the fact the aftermarket glass is still OE for some makes.You can cover the difference in cost to get OEM glass.

I have been through 3 Pilkington (OEM BMW) pieces now. Safelite does great installs but glass has had defects each time. After the next piece of failure we are going to OEM. CL discount at Sewell gets it for about 675.

 

Repairs will not be made in the "acute" veiwing area - Line of sight - this is usually represented by a 6 inch by 10 inch area just above the steering wheel - this includes chips and cracks




...for now don't slam your door shut as the air pressure may increase the damage.

Digger08

 

The damage is under the acute area...actually just right at the steering wheel. Now it's just trying to figure out how much this will be. Safelite says $50 one minute and then the next is $120. Definitely don't need to waste my time on this stuff/

 

Well Safelite will be out for $50 sometime today. Just hope they can do a good job on the repair so that I won't have to replace the windshield. I definitely do not want to get into the arguments of why the Lexus ISF glass is not the same as other OEM glass. But at least my insurance agent called some rep from a glass company that they supposedly have a good relationship with and was told that the ISF glass is different. So maybe that would make things easier if it ever comes down to needing to replace the whole thing.

 

Stupid question, but since I've never had to order from Sewell before, how do you check what their CL discounted prices are? Is there a direct link, or a login page?

Thanks

**EDIT** Never mind. Figured it out