Isn't Lexus RX windshield too soft?
 

My RX350' windshield got 2 big cracks in 1 year. I just feel the material of this windshield isn't good enough. Does anyone else has the same concern ?

common issue with modern day windshields. I dont know why. You really just have to avoid bigrigs and large trucks

Cost cutting...cheap, cheap

IMO, just plain bad luck is more of a factor with broken windshields than poor quality etc.

If you could validate your assertion with real facts rather than painting this issue with a broad and uninformed brush, it might be worth discussing or debating, but quite frankly you really did not add any substance to this thread, so... :rolleyes:

Windshields undergo tremendous thermal and mechanical forming processes in manufacturing. There are very few companies in this world that can produce them, so car manufacturers tend to purchase them from this very compact supply stream. Just because it says Lexus, Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Aston Martin or Ferrari on the windshield does not imply they produce their own.

Occasionally, a few of them will fail due to residual thermal stresses, or manufacturing induced stresses either in handling or assembly. However, these rare events are so infrequent, they are replaced without question when/if it happens.

And no, they are not too soft...

I think windshields are thinner and lighter than in the past for less weight and crack and chip easier because of that.

Well,just about everything else is made lighter to cut down weight.
Why not the windshield?No doubt it's thinner glass,IMO.
I'm in my 50's and don't remember all these chip and cracking problems on vehicles from the 60s,70s and 80's.Sure,it happened but not nearly as common as today.
I've only had windshields replaced on my 2000+ vehicles.A 2002 Grand Prix and 2007 Camry.
If I remember correctly,years ago,it took two guys to place the windshield in place on an install.Could be lack of the suction tool that is used today,though.

Agree, lighter and thinner reduces weight and increases the vehicle's MPG.

Even if the windshield is thinner and/or lighter, I would not correlate it with Lexus being cheap or implementing cost cutting measures necessarily.

Could be the accoustic glass..
Windshields have gotten thinner and accoustic glass is lighter than stock non accoustic glass.

"The standard laminated glass windshield was first introduced for the safety benefit of providing occupant retention in the event of a crash. It also has proven vibration damping characteristics. Laminated glass consists of a 'sandwich' of a tough, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer bonded between two sheets of glass under heat and pressure. The PVB interlayer damps vibrations in the glass and, in automotive applications, produces a significant reduction in road and wind noise. Remarkably thin, the 'sandwich' ranges between 3.8 to 5.2 mm in thickness, depending upon its application, and weighs about 11% less than tempered glass of similar thickness. This weight reduction becomes important in overall vehicle design given OEMs' concern with vehicle weight.



http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...2/ai_n9303485/

No cost cutting.I believe Lexus pays more for accoustic glass.Lighter like a lot of parts today for less curb weight for better MPGs for that GOV CAFE number.

Yes, I was just looking up information on acoustic glass windshield! Wonder if it cost less to produce than regular windshields?:thumbup::thumbup: