Replaced my windshield 3.5 times already. Bad luck or Bad Design/Engineering?

[OXHB619]

GEICO said , SORRY....you must use your $500 deductible. Who is your insurance company?

My first 6 months did not have it, but progressive just added $0 glass, but I had to bump my deductible to $500 from $250.

I dumped Geico for progressive. Last 6 month premium with Progressive was $587 with the new glass option.

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[Blkraven66]

My first 6 months did not have it, but progressive just added $0 glass, but I had to bump my deductible to $500 from $250.

I dumped Geico for progressive. Last 6 month premium with Progressive was $587 with the new glass option.

Thank you for the info. I'll have to check into that .

 

[inline_five]

My 28 year old Volvo w/ 200k is still on its original windshield

Mav has 85 miles on it, but it is as of today as well

 

[gwrace14651]

50 years of driving and never replaced a windshield. Also drove company cars 100K per year all over Texas for 5 years and never had to replace a windshield. Stay away from dump trucks, gravel haulers and semis in general. Don't tailgate and slow down on gravel and freshly paved roads. My 2004 Excursion is still on its first windshield and not a rock chip or crack in site.

 

[billbillw]

Some people just don't understand a safe following distance. 4-seconds if you want to be safe. 2 seconds minimum if you want to take some risk. Less than 2-seconds, you are asking for disaster. When talking about "seconds", that obviously means the distance changes with speed. 4 seconds works out to about 400 feet at 70mph.

 

[ArkAngelx3]

It is obvious that you are following too close....tailgater. Has NOTHING to do with design, how silly.

i think you missed the part where the last time it happened, the truck was almost a half a football field in front of me.....tailgating...yup!!!1

 

[billbillw]

i think you missed the part where the last time it happened, the truck was almost a half a football field in front of me.....tailgating...yup!!!1

At highway speeds, half a football field is less than 2 seconds. That is definitely tailgating! Half a football field would be safe at 30mph, but not at 35mph.

You need to re-think what a safe distance is. Obviously, 3.5 windshields is proof. I've been driving 35 years and only had to replace 1 windshield.

 

[Derwood]

At highway speeds, half a football field is less than 2 seconds. Tailgater!

I use the two second rule as a bare minimum. Usually always more.

 

[Suzukiridr14]

GEICO said , SORRY....you must use your $500 deductible. Who is your insurance company?

Hardford (AARP)

 

[Suzukiridr14]

GEICO said , SORRY....you must use your $500 deductible. Who is your insurance company?

Hardford (AARP)

 

[Blkraven66]

Hardford (AARP)

Thank you, I'll check it out.

 

[DesertSweat]

I'm on my 4th in coming up to 2 years of ownership.

1. Original
2. HIghway resurfacing. Paid out of pocket for OE ~$1150 since I didn't have glass coverage.
3. Random rocks on highway. Glass coverage. Got a garbage aftermarket window that was too small. Way too much gap on top and sides. Also showed damage from window shop cutting out old sealant.
4. Replaced aftermarket with OE free of charge due to said damage. (knock on wood)

When you live in Phoenix. It doesn't matter how you drive. You will be replacing windshields.

 

[DesertSweat]

At highway speeds, half a football field is less than 2 seconds. That is definitely tailgating! Half a football field would be safe at 30mph, but not at 35mph.

You need to re-think what a safe distance is. Obviously, 3.5 windshields is proof. I've been driving 35 years and only had to replace 1 windshield.

More dependent where you drive, and not how you drive. I've replaced one windshield in 11 years and that one was in central PA where they routinely tar and chip vs paving. And the other 8 in 11 years have been in Phoenix.

 

[stoptothink]

Never replaced a windshield in 25yrs of driving and recall maybe a handful of small chips or cracks, that I recall, none of which I ever needed to do anything about. In the last 1.5yrs we've replaced the windshield on our jetta 3x (once less than a month after already replacing it) and filled two rock chips, and we've had to fill 3 pretty bad rock chips in the Maverick. Insane considering we rarely drive on the freeway (2 of the last 4 times I drove the Mav on the freeway I got rock chips) and drive little overall (I work from home and wife is in office maybe 2 days a week).

The local guy who does our glass keeps telling me to get windshield coverage, but even the most basic coverage will increase our monthly premium >50%. I haven't done it yet, hoping we don't have to replace the entire windshield on the Maverick at any point (it's only ~$220 on the jetta). Clearly windshield replacements are becoming super common in our area for insurance to charge that much.

 

[bdaniel230]

Have had to replace my windshield 3.5 times in not even two years since owning, from rocks smashing into glass. One of the times required me to have the pillar repainted. The .5 time was having to stop a crack from spreading from a rock that worked, but the crack remained, until another rock hit the glass.

This last time really pissed me off, as saw the hit happen, and the crack spread across the glass, There was a medium size truck in front of me, but not for at least 45 yards.

The way i see it:
1 time bad luck
2 time bad luck/coincidence
3 times starting to think theres some design aerodynamic issues going on
3.5. Enough is enough.
[/QUOTE/]
Kind of tough to call it aerodynamics on a rock that is in mid-air, especially if it weighs more than a dime. The kinetic force of a rock that is ejected by a tire, even if it is a low-velocity ejection, is still in the range of Kg/m sorry but they rate things in metric.
My county, and neighboring counties, have adopted chip-seal repaving. That means they are laying down crushed rock in the 1/4" to 3/8" size over a thin layer of sealant. They are supposed to spray a sealing top coat and clean up the remaining rock but that seldom happens here which has made the windshield manufacturers very happy and the insurance companies starting to limit the glass breakage coverage. I have my windshield trashed right in the middle of the driver's side. A semi in the left lane on a four-lane road, somehow had a rock approx. 1" on the top of the trailer which came off on the right side and I watched it fall into my windshield. I was traveling at 40 mph and the truck had just entered the highway so it was going slower. I attempted to brake hard but it wasn't hard enough nor fast enough to miss my windshield. But I feel for you brother, I had a 2000 Neon that seemed to be a rock magnet, had to replace that windshield damn near annually during chip-seal season.

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