Is the BRZ Windshield softer than other glass?
 

I saw some threads around here saying the Subaru paint is softer/more chip prone thus the recommendation of paint protection. I followed this advice on my new BRZ but something I never considered was windshield protection too.

Is the windshield on the Subarus softer than other cars as well? Within a week I had multiple 1-2mm chips from highway driving. After a few months now I have alot of little white specks from chips. They are just cosmetic but all these white dots on a new car windshield is kind of frustrating.

I felt like my previous crappy Ford/GM cars never chipped this easily going down the same highway. Maybe its just more noticeable on a tinted window? I was looking for some sort of "filler" I could possibly use or a way to polish out something that small but I'm not really sure if there is anything I can do about it if it keeps happening.

I don't know if the glass is "softer", but I have noticed that by FR-S windshield is plagued by hundreds of tiny white chips/specs as well. My guess is that it results from a combination of the low ride height and the fairly upright angle of the windshield (compared to many other low-slung sports cars).

That said, I too would like to know if there is a safe & easy way to polish away these specks.

My windshield is dotted with small imprefections that makes it harder to see out when it's actually clean...lol

I would imagine that windshield glass has to meet certain safety aspects and hardness requirements. I know back in 2000 when I got my PT Cruiser many of the owners suffered chips and cracks from stones hitting just below the windshield wipers on the passenger side of the car, mine being one of them.

If they are small pits that you can feel with your fingernail, you're not going to be able to polish them out. Eastwood makes a polish that will remove streaks made by old wipers but you have to be careful not to polish too long/hard in one spot or you can actually damage the optical clarity of the glass. It is like jewelers rouge and uses a special buffing wheel which they sell too.

http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=...olishing%20kit

Most of the white specks are actually not chips. It takes some time but get some car soap and a clay bar. Don't know what it is, it seems similar to mini droplets of tree sap.
There's a few products out there to prevent glass chips as well, my local glass shop had clear vinyl overlays and this military grade spray applications that essentially creates a chip free film over the windshield. But in reality, debris chips are just more common in a lower slung car. And the rear glass is really really thin for weight saving.

I agree on the lower stance of the car as well, I see myself replacing the glass eventually.

That's interesting... I never thought about it being because the car is lower but that makes alot of sense. My old SUV has nothing on the windshield.


Yea I thought about getting some jewelers/glass polish and a small Dremel head and just polishing out the "bowl" of the chip is to remove the white flakes. I can probably deal with the chip if its not stark white. As a test I chipped a glass bottle and tried a few ghetto solutions. Epoxy and super glue didn't hold. The holes were too small. Toothpaste and some sharpening compound didn't really work. I will probably get some actual auto glass compound at some point when it gets worse.

My previous car was a 2001 celica and it was lower with lowering springs and the windshield did not had this problem. My BRZ is full of tiny dots from rock chips that like somebody mentioned is more noticeable when the windshield is clean, its so annoying I believe the windshield is softer weaker on this car.

I wiped off some bug poop and it left giant scratches in my car. I had made this mistake on the paint of my old car but I thought I was OK for glass. Spray it off with water if this happens to you! In my experience with this car the paint and glass is more easily damaged at least compared to a '08 civic si and a '99 civic ex

I've heard that it's more prone to cracks than windshields on other vehicles. I actually got a windshield crack about 6 months ago. (Started off as a small 4 inch crack on a Sunday evening, by Monday morning the crack as extended to 12 inches)
This is the first car that I've had that's gotten a windshield crack. The cost of replacement and installation at the time was $580, and my deductible is $500...so I just paid $50 to get it "repaired"...which has helped a little, although the crack finally did extend further after another 4-5 months.
Eventually I'll just try to find a use replacement for cheap or go through my insurance if the crack gets a lot worse.
From what I was told, the black boarder around the windshield absorbs a lot of heat, which in turn weakens the windshield on the edges. If you get a small chip along the edge near or on the black boarder then it will likely turn into a crack shortly after.
It seems pretty common on our cars unfortunately.

It's car being so low that it gets dirty from the road quicker. Use the bug remover spray. Spray it on, then scrub a bit, rinse, clean with windex or dish detergent, spray with windshield polish, and then it should be good for dirt and grime.

Mine has 2 cracks. One from a semi I was passing full of dirt, the second happened at night so I didnt notice where or how I got it.

It is not softer nor weaker. Like has been said there are very stringent requirements for glass to meet. The glass on modern cars is a safety device and they all have to meet the same standards either too hard or too soft and they fail and the cars can not be imported.

Its bugs me seeing two very small chips in my windshield having the car for not even 5k miles yet but makes me feel a little better knowing that some of you guys share the same problem. I stay just enough of a distance away from vehicles so they dont kick debris at my frs... although the other day it was hard not to do some spirited driving behind an old 911 carrera hahah

Prepare yourself to deal with the same store with the paint on these cars. If you dont have any sort of clear bra you will start getting road rash easily on the bumper and front end.

The twins are awesome cars, but one of their weak points is their fragile exterior.