Hey All,

Unfortunately, I earned 2 small rock chips on my windshield yesterday while driving on the freeway. A rock came from nowhere and hit the windshield. Not sure if it will expand or turn into cracks.

Safelite quoted $200 over the phone for the 2 penny sized cracks.

Anyone had those repaired or it's worth repairing?

 

If you have a heads up display you have a special windshield with an additional reflective feature added so as for the ability to see the hud on your windscreen. Plus I think there's a de icer feature for the wiper blades built into it as well. So I would most definitely try to preserve your OE windshield if at all possible by taking care of the rock chips sooner rather than later.

Also I would seriously consider if replacement needed going with an Lexus branded windshield which will have features listed above plus enhanced (acoustic windshield) sound isolation from outside noises.

 

I had a stone chip filled. It didn't really look any better, and it's out of the sight line, but did it just to stop any crack tendencies.

 

If the chip is outside your normal viewable area and/or hasn't started to spread these filler repairs can be quite effective. Over the years I've had this done two or three times. Mostly pretty happy with the results but in one situation it wasn't good enough because the crack had spread a wee bit (maybe 2 or 3mm) and it was high up just above the viewable area sort of just below the rear view mirror area. On sunny days the sunlight would still catch the edge of the little spread that the filler material just couldn't 100% fill and the edge would glisten when the light shone on it at a certain angle, was annoying. Down low near the wiper resting position I would not hesitate to do it again.

 

Was driving on highway 46 , backroads in Calif , just north of San Luis Obispo last month.
Two lane highway, Semi truck in opposite lane kicked up rock and I hit it at 65 mph.... I was 5 hrs away from home.....
The stone/rock caused a 3/4 inch star shaped spider web under the surface.... there was rain, dirt etc on the windshield...
I vividly recall sitting w the Lexus sales guy telling me the complex windshield was several thousand dollars to replace..... "do you want insurance" $900 I think, I declined.....
As soon as I could the next day I did a Yelp search, found a guy w the best rating quoted me $95 to do a repair....... I met him, paid him $120 and asked him to do a great job......
Short story long..... dirt migrated into the spider tentacles of the crack and he had to do extra work to arrest the crack..... told me that not too many repair pro's go to this extent and ensured that the crack was arrested...
He gave me some clear adhesive dots that WILL go on the next crack or rock intrusion to protect it from migrating into the spider cracks.....
So, if you dont wanna spend a few thousand dollars on a future migrating crack.....arrest the existing chip/crack.... yo may get lucky, you may not...... fix it properly.
The intrusion is visible , but so is the balance on my checking account if I have to spend thousands on a new windshield...
STRONG advice.... cover the Chip/Crack to prevent intrusion of dirt/moisture, w adhesive tape or whatever you have available....
IF the crack was on my daily driver , I would have attempted a DIY fix....on my New Vehicle.....nope....

 

If it is just a chipped glass, fix them ASAP If they already spread and have a crack, then you out of luck and get ready to spend over $2k for replacement, and wait for 3+ month for your new glass

 

I get chips repaired all the time. Catch them before they crack and you are good. Some of mine completely disappear after repair, some are still visible, but they don't continue to grow. $200 for 2 chips is a bit high. Do a google search for windshield repair in your area, you should be able to find someone in the $100 range.

 

I'm dealing with two small chips this week. They are in the center of the glass and high up - not really visible for driver or passenger. My insurance company (Progressive) gave me choice - $0 for repair or $249 deductible for replacement. I chose repair and took it to Safelite yesterday. They said they definitely can repair it, but due to the location it made them nervous that the repair would mess with the front camera - something about the electronics being more susceptible to damage when they have to push the resin (or something ???) into the crack. I decided to switch to the replacement so they ordered one for me yesterday.

The order sheet/quote specifies a part with this description - "Replace with new-Rain Sensor-Solar-Heads Up Disc-Acoustic" with list price of $994.49. There is also a line item for a new Rain Sensor Kit Pad.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Amazon has this one:


Not sure if any good, comments if DIY works or better to go professional?

Anyone try to windshield film?

 

I really am interested in the windshield film if I ever get a new one installed. You would think the insurance companies would be offering steep discounts on glass coverage for that.

 

A local shop that installed windshield film no longer does, these are the reasons they posted on their website:

Reason 1

You will still get rock chips even if overall volume is diminished.

Reason 2

The film prevents glass shops from being able to fix these before they spider.

Reason 3

The process of removing the film to fix these chips often forces the chip to spider out, ruining the windshield.

Reason 4

These films constantly de-laminate and become scuffed and scratched within less than a year of driving, obstructing vision and marring the appearance of the vehicle.

These issues can create extremely dangerous driving conditions due to markedly poor visibility. This issue also presents extreme liability issues for the driver in the event of an accident.

Reason 5

These films are prohibitively expensive both for the end consumer and installation shops.

Reason 6

It is impossible to install these films to a high degree of aesthetic perfection. Burn marks and creases are common.

Reason 7

These films are not legal within ​some jurisdictions

 

Progressive can work with your local Lexus Dealer to replace your windshield with an OEM windshield. If you're going to pay 250 for your deductible, just get an OEM one. Talk to Progressive and have them direct you to Safelite to file a claim, then tell them you're going to a Lexus dealership. Give them the name and address of the dealership you're going to. They will cover the cost of the new windshield plus labor "within reason". It should cost somewhere around 2.5k with parts and labor. After the dealership is done with the repair, take a picture of the receipt, email it to them with the relevant information and they'll send you a check within 2 weeks to cover the cost after deductible. I've done this 3 times.

 

This kit has worked for me in the past.
Easy and inexpensive to apply, fills in the impact crater and reduces the visibility of the effected area to absolute minimum:

I got this kit after spending better half of a day getting "free" chip repair through Safelite many years ago.
Even though my insurance had $0 glass deductible, the time penalty of collecting on that provision was not worth the bother.
The $15 repair kit worked as well or better than what Safelite did for me. Just remember to let it cure under direct sunlight to cure.

HTH,
a

 

Most insurance companies will pay for a small chip repair with zero cost to you. This way they avoid the cost of having to pay for the entire windshield replacement when the crack propagates.

 

Thanks, Good reasons.