Am I the First BRZ/FRS w/ a Cracked Windshield?!?!?!
 

So my normal commute through Queens in the morning takes me over some rough roads that always have some sort of construction going on. Well this morning I must have gotten a small rock chip and not noticed it. I parked it in our gates lot at work and after it baked in the 90+ degree sun for 8.5 hours I came out to this in the parking lot...

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/w...o/8a3cf43c.jpg

It's about 18" long and stretches all the way from the edge of the windshield on the passenger side to about 1/3 across the windshield. I called my insurance company and they reccomended Safelite. Well they're closed tomorrow for Independence Day so I'll have to wait until at least Thursday to make an appt. does anyone else feel that its unusual that a small chip would crack so quickly. Honestly Im super anal and washed the car Saturday so I didn't notice it then or even last night. Basically I think I'm going to be SOL for a few days since I doubt Subaru has very many spare windshields already and I DEFINITELY want an OE one. :(

I'm sorry that happened. :( If I recall, you aren't the first. I remember seeing a thread a few weeks back where another member got a cracked windshield.

Reminds me of my Integra. A rock hit the windshield in July of 11 and I still haven't replaced it. Because of this, I try to stay as far back from cars in front if possible. I'm paranoid about it happening again.

Ouch!!! Sorry to hear that bro...

dang....sorry to hear, i would go crazy if this happened to me :(

I'd at least report it to the dealer and request they report it to Subaru, just to keep track if it becomes a bigger problem. I had safelite come to my house before and they did a great job, but I agree they probably don't have a BRZ windshield and I would want OEM...

Definitely get OE glass. On such a new car it'd be a shame to sacrifice clarity going with anything else. If it takes a couple weeks to come in I'd just keep driving it like that in the meantime.

That was propably me took a small chip on a road trip, I got the chip repaired and it left a little scar, but nothing too bad as it is lower than my line of sight, if it was a little higher I would probably replace the windshield.

Sorry to hear this happened to you, it must have been the heat that added to the cracking from the chip, good luck on your replacement!

Just got off the phone with Safelite they have to order OE glass from Subaru. Waiting on a call back from them for an ETA....gee this sounds familiar doesn't it? LOL. I already suggested getting the glass from Scion/Toyota if its the same since there are more of them out there.

You should have clear bra'd your windshield + 2 layers of opti-coat! What were you thinking! :P

Update: After waiting for over a week and half for the OE glass from Subaru it arrived on Friday at Safelite here in Queens. My car is at the shop right now getting the new glass, just in time for me to take a 1500 mile round trip road trip next week to Tennessee on a family vacation. My gf and I will be driving so I'm supremely nervous about a repeat crack. I might go and buy one of the chip filler kits just to be safe.

How much did it cost? I'm sure I will have to replace mine at some point. I have had to do it on every car I've owned once.

Glass is expensive enough these days that it's probably worth it to get the $0 deductible glass coverage on your auto insurance if that's offered. Soon as you get a crack, file a claim. Shouldn't raise your premium either.

Gah sorry to hear it man but glad you got it sorted. I think I got a small nick from a rock already. I've never had an issue like this before...maybe our windshields are a bit wimpy on these cars.

These cars are smaller and lower hugging on the roads, you will get rock chips!

It is not unusual for a crack in the windshield to propagate like that. If the crack from a rock chip has a start (is deep enough in the windshield), then the pressure inside the car can cause it to propagate. The car was cooler in the morning. You may have even used the AC on your way to work, cooling the interior and the windshield. When you parked the car, the air in the car was somewhat cool. When the car heated up due to the sun, the pressure of the air trapped inside the car increased to the point where it caused the crack in the windshield to propagate.

I'm glad to hear that you had full glass coverage. I live in Minnesota an usually need a new windshield about every 1.5 years due to cracks caused by rock chips. If I have a bad looking chip, I thump the windshield with my palm to see if it propagates. If it does, I go for a full windshield replacement. This is because of a safety concern. The windshield of most modern cars is part of the support structure that prevents the roof from collapsing fully during a rollover crash. If that structural integrity has been compromised due to a crack, then the windshield should be replaced. If the crack does not propagate (or not very far) after some good thumps, then I go for the chip repair because I feel that the structural integrity is still there. I really don't know if the structural integrity of any windshield has been tested after a chip repair; they may be fine, but I like my method as it errs on the side of caution. Note that a chip repair is not optically transparent, so if the chip is in your line of vision during normal driving, then it is better to replace the entire windshield regardless of any crack propagation.

I have had good luck with Safelite here in Minnesota as they have done some quality work on my cars, so I think this was probably a good choice. It is expected that Subaru is the only source for glass right now for this car. All of these cars (FR-S, BRZ, GT-86) are made in the same Subaru plant in Japan, and all have the same windshield. The aftermarket companies will not make windshields for this car until enough of them are sold to create a market for it. I'm sure there are many aftermarket windshields available for cars such as the the Toyota Camry, but it will be years (if ever!) before another manufacturer makes a windshield for this car as the volume is not there yet.

Cracked window here...ftl

Well, Safelite did a kick ass job. Perfect fit and finish. I've got a lifetime warranty on the labor. About head on a 1500 mile (round trip) trip to Tennessee next Monday. Hopefully no repeats :)

Nice, glad to hear that is all taken care of! Enjoy your trip!!!

This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. A car's interior is not completely pressure sealed. If the air inside your cabin expands it will just go out via any one of the many small airways. It will not "pressurize" the interior and cause the glass to crack....LOL!!!!
:bonk:

Surely this must involve the Coriolis effect? I bet Tesla predicted this.

You are correct in your statement, it has nothing to do with air pressure. Now, what does help propagate the crack is the cooling and heat up of the glass. That change in temperature helps expand/contract the glass thus propagating it.

Been in need of a new one for a few weeks now :/
Only had the car a week before I caught a rock....wasn't even broken in yet either.

Just had my winshield crack :(. Heard the lightest tap looked down and saw a 4 inch crack jetting out from my A-pillar. It has since grown all the way across my windshield FML, what did they make these windshields out of styrofoam!!

Came back to my car today after a cross country flight. There was a nice foot long crack waiting for me. Never even noticed the rock chip that made this, it was on the edge by the black part of the glass. A tiny little chip turns into tons of money down the drain. Great!

Just for future reference too, I'm looking at around $650 for OEM glass and OEM seal. Out of pocket! :mad0260: Guess I had to pay for my ridiculously low insurance payments somehow!

Bought the car Saturday, just had a pebble hit me on the highway. Pebble sized chip with a 1 inch spider so far. Seems like this is going to be a recurring theme.

Pulling out of my parking garage at work and a construction truck lost a board in front of me and shattered my windshield. I had not yet put a whole mile on the car.

Wow dude, that's some terrible luck! I hope they aren't as backordered on windshield stuff in texas as they are here. My seal is nowhere to be found. :mad0260:

I agree that the car is not fully sealed, but the pressure can still be different in the car that out. For example, a tire with a small leak will still keep higher air pressure and be drivable, sometimes for several hours before the pressure drops to ambient air pressure. On a trip in the mountains in a full size van I saw a crack grow as we increased the altitude. The seal in the van was enough with the heaters blowing and the decrease in air pressure at the higher altitudes that the crack eventually worked its way across the entire windshield as we climbed. There was very little change in temperature while the crack was expanding.

It may be that the heated glass expanded at a different rate than the surrounding metal to propagate the crack, but I still think the pressure inside the car aided somewhat.

Cracked Windshield
 

My BRZ has a cracked windshield within 1 month of buying it. The impact mark is as small as the tip of a ball point pen, but the crack is nearly 12 inches. Besides the quality of the windshield, what is annoying is the run around I have been getting. I file a claim with GEICO, they automatically close the claim because I have a $500 deductible. I speak to Safelite, they cannot give me a price to replace the windshield because it is an OEM part. I contact the dealer for a price, and he wouldn't give me a price a price at first, he just says if you think it is defective bring it in and maybe my manager will cover it under warranty. I take it in and they say no, you see this slight discoloration, that shows a rock hit it. They said the price of the windshield is $500 plus tax not including installation (which they don't do), but they said it is about $300. I called Safelite again, they said they are not sure, but they think they charge $60 to install plus whatever the price of the OEM glass is. Then I call GEICO and they say we automatically close the claim whenever an individual has a high deductible because the cost of windshield replacement is almost never higher than $500. I still don't know the full price to get a windshield installed. But, I guess I won't have to pay more than $500 unless as one idiot representative at Safelite said, we cannot replace your windshield because your car is too new and we don't have a windshield for it. And, GEICO says they only cover what it costs to get the work done at Safelite. This shouldn't be that difficult, but it is... Besides the money and hassle, my real fear is the mess and damage that may result from the replacement.

How much did it cost to replace?

How much did it cost to replace? I just got a small crack as well and I was driving 1000 ft behind a fcking semi. P.O.S trucks need to GTFO of the road.

I should put some sort of resin on it to keep it from growing. Any tips?

Yes, call your insurance/a windshield repair place ASAP unless you're itching to replace your windshield.

Wouldn't that raise my premium? :(

No, I don't believe glass claims affect your premium. Ask your insurer if you have any doubts; if they say it does, you can elect not to file a clam. They can also refer you someplace to have the repair done.

So I think it's time for Subaru and Scion/Toyota to address this issue. It seems like the thin glass is really causing issues for a lot of us. Has anyone brought it to the dealer yet?

Thanks. I just looked it up online. If its something that can be repaired, they cover the entire cost if its just a small nick which in this case it is.

The agent I spoke with says that if the windshield only needs to be repaired, theres no cost.

So SafeLite will come to my workplace tomorrow so they can repair the crack XD

Maybe first but not only, mine is about 1/4 inch from the top,down and to the right. Most is hidden by the rear view mirror when I'm driving. Living in Houston I'm lucky a rock is the only thing that hit my car!

I got my rock chip at 7,500 miles. Pissed me off. I wasn't even tailgating they guy in front of me. My insurance covered it at no cost. You can only see the 2 chip marks from the rock now which they said they couldn't fix. Attachment 24690

omg. I got really similar rock chip as yours

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps65159c67.jpg

thinking BRZ's winshield is really weak comparing to other vehicles