Feck!! Rock cracked windshield! How best to fix?

Was driving at highway speed behind someone pulling a
utility trailer when what looked like a big piece of
rock fell off, bounced on highway, and hit my
windshield HARD!!

Has a big quarter size star crack in it now! feck!

Is it best to just replace the windshield? Or can it
be fixed as is?

I only have liability.... so cost will be out of
pocket.

On Jun 19, 2:49*pm, wrote:
> Was driving at highway speed behind someone pulling a
> utility trailer when what looked like a big piece of
> rock fell off, bounced on highway, and hit my
> windshield HARD!!
>
> Has a big quarter size star crack in it now! *feck!
>
> Is it best to just replace the windshield? *Or can it
> be fixed as is?
>
> I only have liability.... so cost will be out of
> pocket.

if it is a newer vehicle with a glued in windshield, your best bet is
just to drive by a glass shop and let them have a look at it. They'll
be able to tell you whether it can be repaired or if it can be
replaced.

If it has the old style windshield that just floats in a gasket, you
can replace it yourself if you can find a good piece of glass in a
junkyard.

nate

wrote:
> Was driving at highway speed behind someone pulling a
> utility trailer when what looked like a big piece of
> rock fell off, bounced on highway, and hit my
> windshield HARD!!
>
> Has a big quarter size star crack in it now! feck!
>
> Is it best to just replace the windshield? Or can it
> be fixed as is?
>
> I only have liability.... so cost will be out of
> pocket.


I've actually had good luck with the windshield crack-filler kits you
can buy at the parts stores. Or you can get a professional to do it with
slightly better equipment- they used to offer it at the local Genie car
washes, I don't know where I'd go to actually look for such a service
but they are out there.

Worst case for trying the filler- you're out $10 (kit) or $30 (having it
done) and you still decide to replace the windshield.

N8N > wrote:

>if it is a newer vehicle with a glued in windshield, your best bet is
>just to drive by a glass shop and let them have a look at it. They'll
>be able to tell you whether it can be repaired or if it can be
>replaced.


Oops sorry...didn't give enough info...

Its a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 153k miles on it. So
its getting up there in years and miles!!

Local auto body shop said it would cost $208 for new
glass

BUT....car also needs $500 worth new tires and new cat
converter or O2 sensors.....

So to get the new glass and above repairs done looks
like abt a $1200 investment overall. Just not sure if
putting that kind of money into it is wise given its
age and miles

Steve > wrote:

>I've actually had good luck with the windshield crack-filler kits you
>can buy at the parts stores

Ok thanks I'm gonna give that a try!!

What the heck its only $15 for the kit..... what's to
lose if it doesn't work well.

> Local auto body shop said it would cost $208 for new
> glass
>
> BUT....car also needs $500 worth new tires and new cat
> converter or O2 sensors.....
>
> So to get the new glass and above repairs done looks
> like abt a $1200 investment overall. Just not sure if
> putting that kind of money into it is wise given its
> age and miles

Hmmm... $1200 to get it back to Good. That's what, three or four car
payments?

How much would you end up spending if you replaced the car?

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wrote in :

> Steve > wrote:
>
>>I've actually had good luck with the windshield crack-filler kits you
>>can buy at the parts stores
>
> Ok thanks I'm gonna give that a try!!
>
> What the heck its only $15 for the kit..... what's to
> lose if it doesn't work well.
>



What's to lose is that you may muck the job up. And once you do that, the
glass places won't be able to salvage it, and then you're definitely faced
with a replacement.

Pay $60 to an auto glass place to do their professional resin-fill repair.
If the crack hasn't spread far before the fix, this will be a permanent
fix, and will be just about invisible. I've had this done several times to
a variety of cars with 100% success. Highly recommended. Get it done
immediately. The longer you wait, the more the crack will spread.

By the way, it's highly unlikely the auto body shop you went even does
glass. Most likely all they would do is farm the job out to a glass place
and resell it to you.

--
Tegger

wrote:
>Steve > wrote:
>
>>I've actually had good luck with the windshield crack-filler kits you
>>can buy at the parts stores
>
>Ok thanks I'm gonna give that a try!!
>
>What the heck its only $15 for the kit..... what's to
>lose if it doesn't work well.

For a perfect repair you've gotta keep all traces of dirt and and
moisture out of the cracked area until it's been filled... it pays to
cover it immediately after the damage occurs.

Pro repairers will usually supply transparent cover patches for the
purpose.

--
John H

wrote:
> Was driving at highway speed behind someone pulling a
> utility trailer when what looked like a big piece of
> rock fell off, bounced on highway, and hit my
> windshield HARD!!
>
> Has a big quarter size star crack in it now! feck!
>
> Is it best to just replace the windshield? Or can it
> be fixed as is?
>
> I only have liability.... so cost will be out of
> pocket.

We had one the size of a silver dollar in our two day old windshield so
had it 'patched' at the replacement place. It held for more than 7
years up here in Canada with our hot defrost on frozen windshield shots.

Mike

> We had one the size of a silver dollar in our two day old windshield so

Hey our 'northern' friend and Jeep expert! Maybe you could be a tad
clearer--many of us may not be familiar with what a silver dollar looked
like. Luckily, I recall seeing, and actually trading with, them; however,
my age clouds the precision of such long-ago memories;( sdlomi2