Now how the heck did my windshield develop the crack?!!

Zappo · 17th July 2007, 15:25

I was on a week's break (roughly) and started driving my car once again since yesterday. Now I drove it for 50-60 kms yesterday but did not notice anything unusual.

However today morning as soon as I started driving I was surprised to see a straight white line, like a crack, on the windscreen peering at me from behind the rear view mirror. I immediately stopped and bent forward and looked behind the mirror. I was shocked to find a long L shaped crack from the top-center of the windshield. This crack was so clinically straight all along that it could not have happened by something dropping on the glass. The elbow join of the L shape has a rounded shape.

In fact a little inspection revealed that the glass has no perceptible edge if one runs a finger across the length of the 'L'. Neither from outside nor from inside. It feels as if the crack has appeared internally in one of the layers. I understand that the automotive glass is toughened and has multiple layers.

Now the question is how would it have happened? Any ideas people? One thing I am wondering is whether the ambient temperature build-up inside the car could have caused it. But then the car was parked in shade all this while and the temperature is also keeping low these days.

Jaggu · 17th July 2007, 15:33

very difficult to diagnose but few of the reasons can be:

Manuufacturing defect of the glass.

Chassis flex along with Misalignment which was always there. This could have been happening for some time and the glass just gave away.

Impact on the nerve center, any glass can have certain weak spots which can cause the crack with minor but specific impacts.

Somebody tried to climb on the glass???

Ambient tempertaure will be my last suspect, coz no car is air tight and since you mentioned parking in shade, so temp difference will also be very minimal.

moralfibre · 17th July 2007, 16:04

Zappo, is your car equipped with a rear glass demister? If you accidentally leave the switch on and continue driving, an overheated glass could crack quite easily.

Zappo · 17th July 2007, 16:09

Jaggu talking about that climb part its funny that you mentioned it. There is this small kitty (maybe 2, not sure) that climbs my car, bonnet first, then the windshield and then the roof. I have never seen it do so but have found small paw marks all over the vehicle multiple times. But then a kitty could not have caused this I guess.

If it is a manufacturing defect I guess thats sheer bad luck. Can it be proven? Maybe from the way the crack has appeared... Also, I am not planning to change the windshield. The crack seems to be in an internal layer of the glass. I will keep an eye at it. The problem is it makes me bloody uncomfortable. Whenever the car passes over a rough surface and makes a creaking noise I look at that glass now suspiciously, Lol.

Zappo · 17th July 2007, 16:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Zappo, is your car equipped with a rear glass demister? If you accidentally leave the switch on and continue driving, an overheated glass could crack quite easily.

No yaar. It is not equiped with a demister. However the crack is a very localized one at the center of the front glass. Huge L shaped thing. With edges so straight it feels like someone took a scale and used a surgical precision blade to make a surgical cut. The bent elbow of the L shape has a nice perfectly rounded edge.

In fact I would have thought that someone was trying to break in and gave up midway through. But then why bother with the top of the windscreen? The side glasses and the rear are infinitesimally easier to access. Moreover I live in a very secured gated colony and my car is always parked inside (in the porch). Also, the cut is not from the top or bottom surface of the glass. Looks like it has happened in an inside layer.

hydrashok · 17th July 2007, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zappo

Jaggu talking about that climb part its funny that you mentioned it. There is this small kitty (maybe 2, not sure) that climbs my car, bonnet first, then the windshield and then the roof. I have never seen it do so but have found small paw marks all over the vehicle multiple times. But then a kitty could not have caused this I guess.

Can't be cats.

I have more than a dozen of them at home, all well-fed, and most of them are on the roof of the car 24/7. They have been "using" the car since I bought it, for the past 4+ years. No issues in my car.

They all use the same path - Bonnet > Windshield > Roof

iraghava · 17th July 2007, 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zappo

J
If it is a manufacturing defect I guess thats sheer bad luck. Can it be proven? Maybe from the way the crack has appeared...

Nope, I don't think you can prove this as a manufacturing defect since it has developed a crack. The properties of glass are such that no manufacturer will accept a crack in the glass (after usage) as a manufacturing defect. If it has a warp or distortion in it then yes since you can point it out to be a manufacturing defect (assuming that this defect will be there from day one in your car) but for a crack that also after you've used it for a while is unfair to the company as there can be multiple causes of the same.

Jaggu · 17th July 2007, 18:16

yes its very difficult to claim and it CANNOT be kittens, yes a dog jumping from a height and landing might, but no way it can be cats.

If you look at windshield while parked in shades, carefully follow the reflection, there will be some area, which has depression or out of flow like small dents (usually around the edge some place). Not all but most cars will have this and in varying depth, these are danger spot and even small impacts and sometimes flexing, can leave cracks on the glass.

This is an unfortunate incident and either get glass fixed or keep an eye on the crack, if its extending then attend to it.

Ricky_63 · 17th July 2007, 18:37

Which car is it ?? I have seen similar things on 800's in Delhi - but then the cars were parked in 47 degrees, with windows rolled up. Unusual happening though

hvkumar · 17th July 2007, 19:38

Check out at Windshield Experts - if your glass is made by Asahi (AIH now, I think), they should examine and give you a warranty replacement, although I think the chances are bleak. WE is a franchisee network of Asahi for sale/ repair of windhsields and other auto glass.

Dinesh99 · 18th July 2007, 00:13

Hi Zappo

Which car do you own ?

Exactly the same thing happened to my friend's corsa. He had this "L" shape cracking. He took it to the GM A.S.S as the car was under warranty.
The guys at A.S.S. refused to change the glass because they said it was a case of vandilism. But it was not. The car was parked in closed garage.

After a month or so , my friend got a call from the G.M A.S.S. ; they were ready to replace the windshield free of charge. They said they were informed that there was a batch of defective windshields.
This happened 2 years ago.

Regards
Dinesh

Anupam · 1st December 2009, 23:06

noticed a 4 inch long (thick to thin) hairline crack stemming from the front windshield bottom of the driver side of my innova

looks harmless so far, but will mark the crack end with a marker and moniter for any increase in crack

looks harmless so far, but will check with toyota & windshield Experts for their opinion, as safety is paramount

was looking on this forum if anyone has found the cause for this, as in my case there is nither any visible impact, dog/cat act nor the car is ever parked in the sun, so heat build-up is certainly out

frame warping may be a remote possibility, but on such a big car and with city tarmac cruising, the car does not go through any jumps where any possibility of warping may occur, barring some unmarked speed breakers which are literally invisible till the last moment where it is practically too late to brake, however, even such speed breakers canot be termed as windshield breakers

simran · 8th December 2009, 11:15

Hi all,

A crack appeared in my car, at first it was as shown in the picture, and I put some tape on it. But it has increased now and it going up and increasing everyday. I think it has to be replaced.

I went to WE, but they do not have ASAHI glass due to some problem with their supply chain. They do have Saint Gobain glass.

Do you recommend I wait for a week or so for the ASAHI glass, or get the Saint Gobain glass? They are saying its the same quality.

TIA,
Simran

tsk1979 · 8th December 2009, 11:30

Can you post pics? If its near the bottom, it can be due to bad wiper blades. I have accidently cracked my indica windshield. Its a pinpoint crack near the bottom.
The wiper had gone bad and rubber had moved. Morning as usual, I pop back the wiper blade(cleaning guy puts it up), and instead of rubber hitting glass, the metal strip corner(sharp) hits the glass, and there is minor small pinpoint crack near the place the wiper hits.

Trust_In_Thrust · 8th December 2009, 12:12

@simran : Saint gobain is also fine .And if i recall correctly is also OEM for many car companies and is also cheaper than Ashahi .Since the crack is at extreme corner you could also suppress further damage by using a small piece of high grade sunfilm at that part .(Most car shops will have some piece lying with them )

Also there is another brand by the name of SFY .But i would suggest you stay away from it if you do good speeds , highway rides as it is prone to chipping .

17th July 2007, 15:25	#1
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,915 Thanked: 2,746 Times	Now how the heck did my windshield develop the crack?!! I was on a week's break (roughly) and started driving my car once again since yesterday. Now I drove it for 50-60 kms yesterday but did not notice anything unusual. However today morning as soon as I started driving I was surprised to see a straight white line, like a crack, on the windscreen peering at me from behind the rear view mirror. I immediately stopped and bent forward and looked behind the mirror. I was shocked to find a long L shaped crack from the top-center of the windshield. This crack was so clinically straight all along that it could not have happened by something dropping on the glass. The elbow join of the L shape has a rounded shape. In fact a little inspection revealed that the glass has no perceptible edge if one runs a finger across the length of the 'L'. Neither from outside nor from inside. It feels as if the crack has appeared internally in one of the layers. I understand that the automotive glass is toughened and has multiple layers. Now the question is how would it have happened? Any ideas people? One thing I am wondering is whether the ambient temperature build-up inside the car could have caused it. But then the car was parked in shade all this while and the temperature is also keeping low these days.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 15:33	#2
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,383 Thanked: 17,291 Times	very difficult to diagnose but few of the reasons can be: Manuufacturing defect of the glass. Chassis flex along with Misalignment which was always there. This could have been happening for some time and the glass just gave away. Impact on the nerve center, any glass can have certain weak spots which can cause the crack with minor but specific impacts. Somebody tried to climb on the glass??? Ambient tempertaure will be my last suspect, coz no car is air tight and since you mentioned parking in shade, so temp difference will also be very minimal.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 16:04	#3
moralfibre Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: MH-12 Posts: 8,554 Thanked: 14,426 Times	Zappo, is your car equipped with a rear glass demister? If you accidentally leave the switch on and continue driving, an overheated glass could crack quite easily.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 16:09	#4
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,915 Thanked: 2,746 Times	Jaggu talking about that climb part its funny that you mentioned it. There is this small kitty (maybe 2, not sure) that climbs my car, bonnet first, then the windshield and then the roof. I have never seen it do so but have found small paw marks all over the vehicle multiple times. But then a kitty could not have caused this I guess. If it is a manufacturing defect I guess thats sheer bad luck. Can it be proven? Maybe from the way the crack has appeared... Also, I am not planning to change the windshield. The crack seems to be in an internal layer of the glass. I will keep an eye at it. The problem is it makes me bloody uncomfortable. Whenever the car passes over a rough surface and makes a creaking noise I look at that glass now suspiciously, Lol.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 18:16	#8
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,383 Thanked: 17,291 Times	yes its very difficult to claim and it CANNOT be kittens, yes a dog jumping from a height and landing might, but no way it can be cats. If you look at windshield while parked in shades, carefully follow the reflection, there will be some area, which has depression or out of flow like small dents (usually around the edge some place). Not all but most cars will have this and in varying depth, these are danger spot and even small impacts and sometimes flexing, can leave cracks on the glass. This is an unfortunate incident and either get glass fixed or keep an eye on the crack, if its extending then attend to it.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 18:37	#9
Ricky_63 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 3,880 Thanked: 520 Times View My Garage	Which car is it ?? I have seen similar things on 800's in Delhi - but then the cars were parked in 47 degrees, with windows rolled up. Unusual happening though
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 19:38	#10
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,466 Times	Check out at Windshield Experts - if your glass is made by Asahi (AIH now, I think), they should examine and give you a warranty replacement, although I think the chances are bleak. WE is a franchisee network of Asahi for sale/ repair of windhsields and other auto glass.
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 00:13	#11
Dinesh99 BANNED Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 19 Thanked: 0 Times	Hi Zappo Which car do you own ? Exactly the same thing happened to my friend's corsa. He had this "L" shape cracking. He took it to the GM A.S.S as the car was under warranty. The guys at A.S.S. refused to change the glass because they said it was a case of vandilism. But it was not. The car was parked in closed garage. After a month or so , my friend got a call from the G.M A.S.S. ; they were ready to replace the windshield free of charge. They said they were informed that there was a batch of defective windshields. This happened 2 years ago. Regards Dinesh
	() Thanks

1st December 2009, 23:06	#12
Anupam BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pune - India Posts: 269 Thanked: 40 Times View My Garage	noticed a 4 inch long (thick to thin) hairline crack stemming from the front windshield bottom of the driver side of my innova looks harmless so far, but will mark the crack end with a marker and moniter for any increase in crack looks harmless so far, but will check with toyota & windshield Experts for their opinion, as safety is paramount was looking on this forum if anyone has found the cause for this, as in my case there is nither any visible impact, dog/cat act nor the car is ever parked in the sun, so heat build-up is certainly out frame warping may be a remote possibility, but on such a big car and with city tarmac cruising, the car does not go through any jumps where any possibility of warping may occur, barring some unmarked speed breakers which are literally invisible till the last moment where it is practically too late to brake, however, even such speed breakers canot be termed as windshield breakers Last edited by Anupam : 1st December 2009 at 23:14.
	() Thanks

8th December 2009, 11:15	#13
simran BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 170 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	windshield crack Hi all, A crack appeared in my car, at first it was as shown in the picture, and I put some tape on it. But it has increased now and it going up and increasing everyday. I think it has to be replaced. I went to WE, but they do not have ASAHI glass due to some problem with their supply chain. They do have Saint Gobain glass. Do you recommend I wait for a week or so for the ASAHI glass, or get the Saint Gobain glass? They are saying its the same quality. TIA, Simran Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

8th December 2009, 11:30	#14
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,695 Thanked: 23,484 Times View My Garage	Can you post pics? If its near the bottom, it can be due to bad wiper blades. I have accidently cracked my indica windshield. Its a pinpoint crack near the bottom. The wiper had gone bad and rubber had moved. Morning as usual, I pop back the wiper blade(cleaning guy puts it up), and instead of rubber hitting glass, the metal strip corner(sharp) hits the glass, and there is minor small pinpoint crack near the place the wiper hits.
	(1) Thanks

8th December 2009, 12:12	#15
Trust_In_Thrust BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 768 Thanked: 350 Times	@simran : Saint gobain is also fine .And if i recall correctly is also OEM for many car companies and is also cheaper than Ashahi .Since the crack is at extreme corner you could also suppress further damage by using a small piece of high grade sunfilm at that part .(Most car shops will have some piece lying with them ) Also there is another brand by the name of SFY .But i would suggest you stay away from it if you do good speeds , highway rides as it is prone to chipping . Last edited by Trust_In_Thrust : 8th December 2009 at 12:15.
	() Thanks