Windscreen cracked multiple times ... Common occurounce?

[smarties89]

Hi so I've just bought my first car yesterday, and today I stupidly without thinking put the heater on max when I jumped in and crack goes the windscreen! Dumb I know I accept full stupidity/moron/dumbass'ness for it.

I was just wondering is it common for the screen to crack in four different places? I'd imagined it only be one normally, trying to claw back some self respect/dignity and blaming a slightly worn windscreen

[Meoricin]

That's one pretty insane heater. Are you sure you didn't pour the kettle over it?

[Codswallop]

Very unusual for a screen to crack like that. Check who made it - certainly not something you would expect from a quality windscreen if it cracked just from the heater being turned on.

[P I Staker]

With a heater like that i'm surprised your dash doesn't just melt.

[lazyitus]

That's not normal. It's weird!

[Six Fiend]

Jikes that's weird!

[CoolC]

When you say cracked in 4 places, what do you mean? what car is it? Heated screen or normal blower type heater?

[Defcon5]

Had you run the car up to temp and then turned the heaters on full? Or turned them on as soon as you turned the car on so it warmed up gradually?

[Fastdruid]

Odder than an odd thing in even land.

Screens don't "just" crack, either its been chipped, slightly cracked already, badly fitted, bad screen, boiling water on a cold screen, very flimsy chassis or just a GT40 replica where the passenger has hauled on the A pillar ...

The heater shouldn't do it. I doubt it was your fault.

[pscl227]

When you say put the heater on max, you actually mean poured over a full boiling kettle.....don't you?

[smarties89]

Seat ibiza FR - cold morning late for work jumped in blower on full as couldn't see sod all out the window, not iced over either! There a small crack about 1cm and 4 minuscule chips surrounding it!

Is it likely to get much worse soon? Should I get it fixed and is it likely to be a new windscreen or a repair job? Thanks

[RichCh]

Its your first car... When you jumped in ... You didnt literally jump in? Noob mistake.

[mrmr96]

Sounds really weird that, I've NEVER heard of a windscreen cracking from having the blowers put on it, because the air heats up gradually and hence heats the window slowly. I guess yours must have had a pre-existing crack you'd never noticed, and it happened to grow longer while you noticed.

[CoolC]

So you've got a stone chipped screen then

It probably happened on the drive home the evening before but you didn't notice it.

Edit: Just noticed you bought the car yesterday, so it was probably already on there but you didn't notice it when viewing.

Edited by CoolC on Wednesday 1st February 22:03

[jwo]

Mine cracked today - a chip that had been there for ages had enough of the heater and expanded across the whole screen... New one being fitted tomorrow...

[pscl227]

When you say put the heater on max, you actually mean poured over a full boiling kettle.....don't you?

[smarties89]

I might not have noticed it, well I'll get it sorted tomorrow hopefully won't happen again!
And no, no kettle as it wasn't frozen!

[davepoth]

If there's a chip in the windscreen, and you heat it up quickly from very cold, it will cause the screen to stretch and distort a bit. Normally it'd be fine, but if the screen is weakened it could crack.

[Glassman]

smarties89 said:

I was just wondering is it common for the screen to crack in four different places?

No.

As unheard of as a windscreen cracking in four different places.

Is it possible?

Yes. Caused by either stonechips and/or torsions ripping through the chassis when tearing through the hillsides like Stig Blomqvist

[Meoricin]

smarties89 said:

I might not have noticed it, well I'll get it sorted tomorrow hopefully won't happen again!
And no, no kettle as it wasn't frozen!

!! In case you're not saying that in jest - a kettle of boiling or even very hot water over a frozen screen will NOT end up well.