Rick Hunter

Damn... I'm a little cheesed off today.

I was driving along the highway this morning when I received what seemed to be a very benign pebble flying toward the windshield. Of course, I had no time to react so the car took it like a champ. Well the champ obviously lost, since the pebble carved a nice little crack in the glass. So I thought, "Fine... sooner or later I'd have to deal with this." Before you know it, the crack started to radiate outwards! S#!T. I measured it after I got home and it looks to be a 6" split.

Since this is my first ever windshield split from a rock chip, I am naturally feeling quite traumatized. It also got me thinking, "Was it just my unlucky day or is this windshield actually weaker than normal?" The impact didn't seem nor sound like it hit at high velocity. And the fact that it radiated out so quickly made me feel helpless. It definitely puts a damper on my driving experience, although I'm sure I'm just overreacting.

Any opinions on this matter? And does anybody have any good experience(s) with a reputable autoglass repair shop?

donjuan45i

i got a cracked windshield too but my windshield isnt as new. man that would make me mad. sad part is its only going to get worse in the winter

*edit well depends on your winters lol here in iowa that crack would become the grand canyon

AkaSigFreak

I don't have a cracked windshield but I do have small chips. I have never seen a windshield chip so easily.

c3nthusiast

I chipped mine the first week I brought her home. I think the glass is garbage. I had it repaired but the repair spot is dead center in my field of view. I have a $100 deductable but would still have to $500 extra for factory glass. My OCD prevents me from going aftermarket and losing the white sticker.

Bokx_350

I also have a chip on my windshield. Its on the bottom left corner near the stickers so I dont really mind. But I agree that the glass seems more fragile than my previous cars.

jstaneff

Rick, if this is your first chip/crack in a windshield here in Seattle, consider yourself very lucky.

I carry some of those round stickers from Novus to cover the chips as soon as they happen. Even in the rain, I sometimes pull off, dry the spot and apply a sticker. There's one on the C300 now. Eventually I'll get it fixed.

On my last car, before I had the windshield replaced (it finally cracked from a chip I didn't notice until far too late) it had about 9 of these round stickers on it.

Driving on the roads around Seattle is an exercise in locating rock chips before they crack the windshield. Its also the reason I have a clear bra. If you're looking for someone to blame, consider all those tandem dump trucks carrying dirt everywhere, and those open-gate landscape trucks that never seem to keep from spraying debris all over. This is a terrible place for rocks on the road.

And, worse for those who don't realize this, we don't salt our roads if/when there's ice or snow, we cover them with sand. Sand comes in a variety of sizes and some of it can easily chip a windshield. Your choice, live here and get peppered with small rock, or live in Cleveland and learn to do body work to replace your rusted out sheet metal

I don't think the glass is the problem.

Rick Hunter

I used to drive up and down the I-405 to work, and got peppered quite frequently with those damn pebbles. I agree... Seattle's pretty bad for that. I was just surprised to see that particular tiny star crack radiate outwards so quickly. It's that strange feeling of awe + helplessness watching it from my seat. Oh well... I'll live.

I'll have to look into those stickers you were mentioning. Thanks for that.

Ron Jr

A pebble, I once had a brick dropped onto my windshield from a highway overpass by some kids. Lucky for me I was able to maintain control when my winshield spidered. Very glad I have glass insurance.

RLE

if you live in Seattle, I recommend without reservation Professional Auto Glass on Aurora Ave N. They do Phil Smart MB's glass work and they have replaced windshields for me many times without damage to the car. They direct bill insurance after you pay them your deductible, if any.

I would not use one of those come-to-your-house glass replacers.

Rick Hunter

Thanks for the heads up. I'll use them when the time comes.

In the meantime, I went to a couple of auto glass places today (Speedy & Safelite) just to see if the windshield could be repaired, but both concluded that it has to be replaced. Unfortunately, the crack has extended out to 7 inches as of today, AND, has reached one of the edges. All I need to do now is wait until it travels over to the other side to tease with my OCD. Then I'll replace it.

RLE

If your windshield is as cracked as it sounds, I think it is now illegal. I'm pretty sure there is a Washington traffic law making it so. Do you not have comprehensive coverage?

Rick Hunter

Hmmm... let me rephrase that...

The chip on the glass is no> than 1/16", and the crack emanating from the chip is currently at 7" long and not anywhere near a sightline. The repair shops said they cannot repair a crack like that once it is >6" in length and recommended that I just wait until it travels over to the other side. Only the outer layer of the windshield is affected, inner layer is intact.

RLE

I neglected to mention that for nearly twenty years, MB considers the windshield to be a structural part of the body which means that when the glass is replaced, the car must not be driven for 24 hours.

My practice has been to leave the car in the late morning and pick it up the next day. They always keep it inside during the night.

2nice4me

Is that to cure the moulding or something? I never had any issues with my other cars windshield, seems that this glass chips easier, it has all these little chips right now.

I just came back from Portland and also got hit by a "rock" I didnt notice anything until this morning. at fist it looked like a fairly round chip, then after coming out of the office I noticed a large 6" crack coming from the chip.

This is my second chip in the windshield, the first one happened few weeks after taking delivery but was fairly small and had it filled. This one is too big and I will get it replaced.

rb23lb

EXACTLY!!!!

Never have i seen so many small chips within the first 10,000 miles on any car I have owned!!!

it is quite ridiculous how soft and fragile this CRAP pilkington glass is....

in the sunlight at the right angle, i have so many tiny chips, it looks like Tree Sap!

Any chance Mercedes would ever do a recall or warranty repair on a widespread defect like this???

Ron Jr

I have a large number of chips but my SAAB was way worse than this. It went through 5 windshields in 6 years.

C300Sport

Thankfully I don't have to do a lot of interstate driving so no windshield chips or even hood chips as yet.
From riding my bike with an open face helmet and no windshield, I can say that the difference in impact energy (pain...) from 70 mph to 80 mph is pretty substantial. If the roads are pretty packed, I try to keep it below 70 to keep the smaller stones from doing big damage...or just stay out front or further back.

aowhaus

Rock chips and cracked windshields are common place here, due to the condition of the roads.

I just don't follow anyone too close and stay away from large trucks and semis.
If anyone tries to tailgate me, I try to drive a little bit on the shoulder to kick up some rocks!

Pilkington usually produces excellent quality glass (I'm an architect and I am quite familiar in their architectural glass which is quite expensive), but for some reason the windshield glass seems not on par.

C300Kid

Weird. There's so many trucks here in Tx I get pebbes hitting me all the time. I have little chips all over the front bumper but so far the glass hasn't chipped at all. And I've heard rocks hitting it.

Rick Hunter

I've gotten quite a few tiny "pits" on my windshield since I bought the car. The one that caused my distress back in November happened while I was several car lengths away from the offending truck. I had no choice but to stay in my lane, and the pebble just seemed to hit the windshield the right way to cause the crack.

Luckily, the crack hasn't widened at all through the winter.

RLE

The MB labels cost a buck or two at the dealer. Sometimes they give them away.

BTW, it's a known fact that new glass attracts rocks.

C300Sport

Yeah, kinda like trailer parks attract tornados...

Philip LeBlanc

For what it is worth, I had the windshield in my ML500 recently replaced. I told State Farm that because of the rain sensing wipers, the dealer said it needed to be a factory Mercedes part. They just made me pay my deductible and didn't press the issue. The local "approved" glass company got the windshield from the dealer, I dropped the car off, and they installed it. By the way, the original MB glass had a little holographic authenticity sticker on the driver's side but there was no white decal on the passenger side. I paid $1 or 2 from the MB Owner's club website for one.

2nice4me

Its funny how we value that white decal on the passenger side. Just picked up my car after getting the windshield replaced, they also placed the sticker back on there. I asked whether they had a lot of MB's in and he went through his 2 day paperwork and pulled 5 MB work orders

Anyway, since my premium doesn't go up, I am not to worried about replacing a windshield.

ongster1

Another Seattle victim here. I had multiple chips during the latter part of last year. Finally decided to get them sealed when I one of them was in danger of spreading. A month later... pow, another rock chip. Had that one repaired the following day. 2 weeks later... another rock goes bouncing off the windshield. Had to get that one sealed too. 3 freaking claims in 3 months! I count about 8 total chips on my windshield, mostly on the passenger side. Oh and of course, one rock went through my foglight.

I guess MB found another way to make more money. Use cheap glass on everything vulnerable to road debris! Genius!