New windscreen cracked after less than 1 month
New windscreen cracked after less than 1 month
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MiddayGun

Original Poster:

63 posts

61 months

Yesterday (09:29)
quotequote all
I had my windscreen on my 2010 Impreza STI replaced in January, due to a big rock strike on the old one.

Unfortunately the new screen has already cracked after less than 1000 miles.
Now to me this seems crazy, it looks like there is a tiny surface chip on it, but from that the crack extends to the roof line & halfway across the windscreen!

Because mine is an import with special lightweight thinner glass according to Subaru, we went with a locally sourced heated screen (still fully marked and road legal to use) as the OEM glass had a lead time of nearly 5 months from Japan!

To me a windscreen shouldn't crack like that, the old one took a massive impact and still didn't actually crack, just had a huge chip, it was bad enough that glass shards ended up inside the car, but no crack.
But I'm not an expert & before I start firing off emails, I should run it by some other people.

Does this look like a manufacturing / fitting issue? Or am I just unlucky?




bad company

21,383 posts

289 months

Yesterday (09:32)
quotequote all
You need to contact PH member Glassman.

Glassman

24,441 posts

238 months

Yesterday (09:53)
quotequote all


Possibly been there for a period of time before the crack travelled. You wouldn't have spotted it in the frit until it appeared in the transparent part of the screen.

MiddayGun

Original Poster:

63 posts

61 months

Yesterday (17:19)
quotequote all
Glassman said:


Possibly been there for a period of time before the crack travelled. You wouldn't have spotted it in the frit until it appeared in the transparent part of the screen.
Thanks.
Bad luck I guess, I checked I've done about 400 miles since it was replaced frown
And I washed the car two days before spotting it, so I don't think it was there long.

Its going to be an interesting chat with my insurance company.

Edited by MiddayGun on Tuesday 3rd March 17:24

Glassman

24,441 posts

238 months

Yesterday (17:27)
quotequote all
MiddayGun said:
Its going to be an interesting chat with my insurance company.
It's totally legitimate.


Mad Maximus

881 posts

26 months

Yesterday (18:02)
quotequote all
Luck of the draw isn’t it? Sometimes stuff just hits the right spot other times you get lucky.

VTC

2,305 posts

207 months

Yesterday (18:11)
quotequote all
Our Hymer screen was replaced,cracked,replaced,leaked,cracked when they tried to seal it
replaced again, 3 new v expensive screens, isurers just paid Autoglass, (whom I think could well have been the issue)

Glassman

24,441 posts

238 months

Yesterday (18:16)
quotequote all
Mad Maximus said:
Luck of the draw isn t it? Sometimes stuff just hits the right spot other times you get lucky.
I (eventually) replaced the windscreen on my van and the first bleedin' outing in it heading up the M1 to Bletchley: a stone strike; it cracked immediately. No chance to arrest its development. Then, as if that wasn't enough of a kick in the teeth, on the way back. the top of the windscreen: another stone.


MustangGT

13,664 posts

303 months

Yesterday (18:51)
quotequote all
Don't sweat it. I had a new screen in my C-class, on the way home I acquired a new stone chip that necessitated a new screen. Insurance covered both screens but was still £180 x 2 for me to pay.

MiddayGun

Original Poster:

63 posts

61 months

Yesterday (18:57)
quotequote all
I'm still waiting for them to pay me from the first time!

Since their provider (National) couldn't get hold of the glass I had to do all the legwork and organisation as well.

I think this time I'll play it safe & just get a regular overweight UK Impreza windscreen (that's hopefully tougher) and maybe use a different fitting service, just in case that contributed.

Cheers guys.

Sixpackpert

5,058 posts

237 months

Yesterday (18:57)
quotequote all
6 months ago I had mine replaced and chatting with the guy he said he gets delivery vans in on a weekly or monthly basis!

Just got another crack yesterday so back there again. I swear they are making them thinner to save weight.

State of our roads grumble grumble.

valiant

13,241 posts

183 months

Yesterday (19:03)
quotequote all
Subaru windscreens can be crack prone and seem to suffer more than most (probably, as you say, they’re thinner).

Saying that I cracked a Ford Mustang screen within 10 miles of picking it up so maybe it’s just bad luck frown

Hackney2

901 posts

116 months

Yesterday (19:52)
quotequote all
MiddayGun said:
I had my windscreen on my 2010 Impreza STI replaced in January, due to a big rock strike on the old one.

Unfortunately the new screen has already cracked after less than 1000 miles.
Now to me this seems crazy, it looks like there is a tiny surface chip on it, but from that the crack extends to the roof line & halfway across the windscreen!

Because mine is an import with special lightweight thinner glass according to Subaru, we went with a locally sourced heated screen (still fully marked and road legal to use) as the OEM glass had a lead time of nearly 5 months from Japan!

To me a windscreen shouldn't crack like that, the old one took a massive impact and still didn't actually crack, just had a huge chip, it was bad enough that glass shards ended up inside the car, but no crack.
But I'm not an expert & before I start firing off emails, I should run it by some other people.

Does this look like a manufacturing / fitting issue? Or am I just unlucky?



I would say just say rotten bad luck,it does happen unfortunately.

R26 Lee

6 posts

14 months

Yesterday (20:37)
quotequote all
Had similar luck in my old clio track car. My buddy's car throw a large stone on the way home from Donny once, chipped my windscreen. I got it replaced 2 weeks later at a track day at combe a tiny little stone flown up and hit the corner of windscreen causing a chip by the end of the day the stress from the track day left me with a hell of a crack... I had to get another one.

Just the luck mate.... unfortunately it happens...I feel your pain 😕

B'stard Child

30,770 posts

269 months

Yesterday (20:38)
quotequote all
Years ago (back in the mid 80's) I had a Peugeot 205, bought it at 6 mths old and it had a screen put it before purchase due to a crack, 3 months later it needed another - I put that down to bad luck and crappy roads except something was nagging me about the location of the crack it was in a very similar place to the one the car had when I looked at in the dealer.

6 mths later and it needed another screen not because of a stone strike but a bird strike - this time I was sure - the crack was in exactly the same place

I asked the windscreen fitter to check the aperture before fitting another one - spike on a weld was creating a high point and if anything hit the screen which sat in a rubber seal the spike would contact the screen and start off a crack

It never had another screen the rest of the years I owned it..........

MiddayGun

Original Poster:

63 posts

61 months

I'll make sure that they check that when I go for the new one. Cheers.

@R26. I actually just did a track day, so that would have put a lot of stress on it, but it didn't appear until a couple of weeks later, so maybe not related. Its also a screen sold for rally cars as well, so you'd hope it could take more than a little chip. Hey ho.

Time to break out the wallet again biggrin