windshield

[h1h0silver]

hawaii has the stupid safety inspections and the drag strip has a dumb rule too. so i can't get a sticker or SHO off. got a 4" long crack in the upper driver corner of the windshield. what can i put on it to seal/fix or prevent from getting worse? i have a feeling with the weather here (hot days, cool nights, rains more often than the rest of the year and rains HARD), the crack is going to get worse.

 

[masho95]

Get glass coverage on your insurance, and then say a rock hit the windshield on the highway... Oh wait that's insurance fraud.. don't do that.

 

[SonicRiot]

h1hOsilver:

Don't bother. The sealer will let go in a week and your windshield will fall into your lap at speed. The windshield actually gets torqued lightly with the frame upon hard acceleration. And it can vibrate heavily. Plus it will never pass inspection at the track, even sealed up.


My dilemma:

My windsheild just randomly developed a 6" crack in the driver's lower corner when I came back from class one day. It has grown to 18" and I watch it get worse dayly.

I have no class coverage... rant headbang Don't know how that happened.

I just got an estiate from Glass America for $250... eek! I think that is an insane estimate. These cars are a dime a dozen. The windsheild should be no more than $150. I'd pull one off a junker myself, but that is a real pain and I don't really know how to do this myself.

Any suggestions? Anyone think $250 for a 1991 TAURUS windsheild is reasonable??

 

[Rob94]

That windshield needs to be replaced. There is no way to repair a cracked windshield. It is also a serious safety hazard. This is one thing you do not want to be cheap about. Call around to a few different glass places, and just go with who ever will do it the cheapest.

 

[Bizzy]

Bahhh 4inches is nothing. Pick up a chip and crack kit from Prestone or Pennzoil (i can't remember which it was) from your local wallymart. They have an adhesive in there that works nicely on cracks. You have to do the work in a garage cause the stuff is UV sensitive.

I repaired a crack in my windshield that was about 10in long in the lower pass corner, and it isn't noticable from the outside of the car. I plan to replace the windshield, but it's not getting any bigger, and no-one notices it till I point it out to them. I even was able to sneak it thru inspection here in NY state and no-one noticed it Went to the SHO convention with the crack, ran on Balckhawk Farms with the crack, Ran on teh Drag Stripp with the crack.

windshields are a 2 piece system, a crack on the outside layer doen't diminish the protective ability of the windshield at all. But the more you drive it without fixing it the worst it will get as they do flex under wind load. My crack started out as a chip from a rock on my way back from FL last april. 100 miles down the road the crack had grown to 4 in long. By the time I got home it was 8-9inches, then I glued it and it's been the same 10 or so inches since.

 

[h1h0silver]

well, im going out to sea for 5 weeks. hate to see what happens to it when i get back. gonna put some adhesive on it for now and see what happens.

thanks guys.

 

[Bizzy]

try if possible to park it in a shady spot. The less times it cycles thru the heat the smallyer the crack will stay.

 

[SonicRiot]

Just get it replaced. It will keep growing bigger. I hit a big bump tonight and my 18" crack just doubled in size...right across my line of vision into the passenger side. headbang

And this d@mn snow ain't helpy any! rant

Luckily I am getting my windshield replaced tommorrow. Got a figure of $160, installed. MUCH better than the Glass America estimate of $250!!!

I hope all goes well with this company.

 

[SolidState]

A replacement windsheild for my 91 was 225 cdn installed...

 

[SonicRiot]

Solidstate: that's a lotta skeetish for a taurus windshield!

Just got my windshield done tonight by Plymouth Glass and Mineral in Thomaston, CT. They came in this horrible 15 degree weather + windchill and did it witout complaint, mishap or snag. I would recommend anyone in the area to them. I will check my car tomorrow to see if the gasket and stuff is set right and that there are no scratches or dmage to my paint(it was dark). So far, though, no complaints, especially for $169.

 

[Zap]

Just a note for anyone replacing glass on their SHO. Especially in the case of insurance claims, i.e. break ins and stuff. The '94 was broken into a while back, and Joy ended up taking it into the insurance place and they replaced the window. As soon as I saw it, I knew she had been ripped off. The blue tint on the window was extremely too dark, and the glass was "toughened" instead of tempered. So, I decided to be nice and take care of the problem by calling up and complaining about the insurance company's facility, since they said it would be original bs . A few days later we had a rep out to replace the crappy window an original Carlite one! thumb

Moral of the story: Check the glass before they put it on, cuz it may be cheap junk. BTW, these places don't pay squat for the glass, so keep that in mind when shopping around!

 

[SonicRiot]

I made sure I got a factory spec (for taurus w/ A/C) PPG tempered safety-glass windsheild. $169 total, installed.

I even tipped them because it was about 5 deg. outside and dark!