We had a discussion over the last few weeks about replacing windshields, but I would like to get feedback from other members on how fragile or not the windlshields are in our RX. I was returning home from a weeks holiday Sunday and a small rock hit the windshield and cracked it. The sound was not much more than what you hear from a bug hit and the crack was a real surprise. The stone hit about 2" down from the top about 10" from the left side of the vehicle, just above and in front of me. I've travelled this highway many times over the years; it was a clear day and traffic was realatively light. The stone came from the new small GM SUV; he had no mudflaps. Was going hwy speed, nothing out of the ordinary.

This is the first windshield I've replaced in over 10 years. The crack is about 2" long. No bullet formed, just the crack about 2" long, diagonally at about 30 degrees. It's now grown to about 10". Fortunately I have 0 deductible insurance, but I'm concerned that if this repeats, I'll loose that coverage.

Let me know what you think.

 

Toyota / Lexus windshields do crack easily. I am lucky that I havent had a crack windshield on my Lexus yet. I had the windshield replaced on 2 other Toyotas. The funny thing is, it seem like the cheaper after market windshield held up better than the OEM.

 

My last vehicle was a Sienna. In the 6 years I owned it, I never replaced the windshield. We had driven this same highway on numerous occasions. This is one reason why I'm checking to see if others have the same concern about the relative fragility of the RX glass.

 

Guys:

Although personal experience will make us believe one way or the other but the reality is different.

The crack vs bounce off depends upon the surface contact of the rock predominantly and the kinetic energy (your vehicle's and the rock's).

Granted the strength/weakness play a part but the most important is the shape of the impact point. If the rock corner hits your windshield it will crack.

Don't test, but just examine one of those little hammers (size of bottle openers) to break down the vehicle glass ... it does not need much energy, all it needs is a point.

Salim

 

yeh, a rock hit my windshield 3 years ago. right behind the rear mirror, so not that bad. it was just a little tick in the glass. i quickly ran to the local auto shop and had it professionally "stopped"(i dont know the proper name) so that it wouldnt spread. so now, its just a small tick.

i also agree with salim. you always see those tools that help you brake your window when you fall through water. they are small little hammers that you can keep in your glove compartment. every rock has a different shape so its hard to come to a conclusion

 

The slope of the windshield has alot to do with it too.

 

Have been through this with both the RX and the IS. On the RX we are now on the 3rd windshield, which appears to be holding up much better than the original (second had severe optical distortion so really doesn’t count). The IS has had several dings, so far all have been fixable, but the latest may be the bellwether for a replacement glass. We have had several Toyota vehicles and it was rare to have to replace the glass. My old ford ranger however had some stress related issues and I went through 5 windshields in 2 years.

Bottom line, like Salim states, it’s a function of impact angle, velocity, internal stress (in the glass) and point of impact. I really don’t think that the glass in the RX is any more fragile than in other vehicles, it’s just that we tend to be a little more conscious of our Lexus’.

 

i agree w/ salim and the others -- it has more to do w/ the object and angle and location at which your windshield gets hit.

i've had my RX for 4 1/2 yrs and still no replaced windshield (knock on wood). i got hit pretty hard by some rock flying at me and it caused a small chip that never cracked or became a bullet hole. i did have a glass repair company come within a few days to repair it (i think they fill w/ some sort of resin and it makes it look nice again, no more weird little x right there).

also one time i was driving down the freeway at about 70-75mph and we saw something come straight at us and we didn't know what it was (thought it might be a paper cup or something like that). after the loudest SMACK you can imagine, we realized it was a golf ball flying down the highway (we were adjacent to a golf course) and it was so hard it left white dimples marks on the glass. still no damage to the windshield!

i've had cracks in other car windows and i think the edges and corners are most susceptible, but who knows...

 

I can't really say one way or the other how fragile the Lexus/Toyota glass is compared to other cars. My RX330 never had any problems. Not even a single chip that I was aware of. I've had rocks hit it while I have been driving as well. However, I have only had one glass replaced in my lifetime and that was on my Lexus SC400. I believe the rake angle of the windshield on my NSX is far greater than on the RX, and I had many rocks hit my windshield considering the car is so low and rides about 4" off the ground. I've had rocks hit my windshield a lot, but it never cracked. I do have 2 small pits from rock hits though, but it has never cracked or spread. This is on a 92 so it held up for nearly 18 years. Since I'm on the IS forums a lot I do recall topics of members having cracks in their IS windshields.