The Little Known Cause of Windshield Replacements.
Posted: Wednesday, February 01, 2006
by Tim Evans
Evans Enterprises Inc.
Are you wondering why your windshield cracked
when you do not remember being hit with a rock?
You woke up one morning and your windshield had a crack in it that seems to have come from no where. You are not alone. The most common cause of windshield replacements are very small impacts at the edge of the windshield. The impact is so small that it usually goes unnoticed. Windshields do not just crack for any reason. Over 80% are impacted within the outside 3 inches of the glass edge. We call this exterior 3 inch band around the outside of the glass "The Crack Zone"
With over 20 years of repairing and replacing windshields I have heard this many times. People say, " My windshield just cracked and it was not hit". I show them the tiny spec where the rock impacted their windshield and caused the crack. They say, "That can not be the cause". But I assure them, it is the cause of their windshield crack.
The size of the impact needed to crack your windshield is greatly reduced the closer to the edge the impact is. Rock impacts of this size inside "The Crack Zone" usually makes only a small speck the size of a dot a tip of a pencil would make on a piece of paper. Impacts of this size past the first 3 inches of the windshield out of "The Crack Zone" will usually make surface specks I call sand blasting, and most at this point do not crack. Most of these rock impacts come from stones that are thrown from the tread of another car's tire. These rocks get caught in the groves of the tire and are thrown out as the wheel spins. Once they impact the edge of your windshield you soon will have a crack that will need to be repaired or replaced usually within a day or two.
when you do not remember being hit with a rock?
You woke up one morning and your windshield had a crack in it that seems to have come from no where. You are not alone. The most common cause of windshield replacements are very small impacts at the edge of the windshield. The impact is so small that it usually goes unnoticed. Windshields do not just crack for any reason. Over 80% are impacted within the outside 3 inches of the glass edge. We call this exterior 3 inch band around the outside of the glass "The Crack Zone"
With over 20 years of repairing and replacing windshields I have heard this many times. People say, " My windshield just cracked and it was not hit". I show them the tiny spec where the rock impacted their windshield and caused the crack. They say, "That can not be the cause". But I assure them, it is the cause of their windshield crack.
Now for the good news.
Cracks up to 24 inches can now be repaired with specialized and recently patented technology and the cost is usually paid for by your comprehensive insurance. Check with your insurance company to see if your repairs are covered. Any time you hear the sounds of an impact on your windshield visually inspect your windshield for a tiny impact as in the photos here. Many times these impacts will be in the black part of your windshield called the frit. The frit is a ceramic paint applied to the inside of your windshield to protect the urethane, the glue that holds your windshield in your car from the sun's ultra violet rays. The frit only adds to the problem of cracking because it hides the impact and heats up with the sun.
About the author
Tim Evans has over 20 years in the windshield repair and replacement business.
He owns several patents to repair cracked windshields up to 24 inches and new technology to prevent cracked windshields.
For more information go to
www.windshieldrepairkits.net
www.streakfreewiperblades.com
Tim Evans has over 20 years in the windshield repair and replacement business.
He owns several patents to repair cracked windshields up to 24 inches and new technology to prevent cracked windshields.
For more information go to
www.windshieldrepairkits.net
www.streakfreewiperblades.com
This Article has been viewed 9,970 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Is there anyway to tell if a a cracked windshield was caused by an act of vandalism if there are no witnesses? Are there signs to look for?
Can heat make a crack worse?
Windshield cracks do expand with heat. It is the primary reason cracks expand once the crack has a place to start from such as the tiny spec caused by a rock impact. The impact needs to go down to the lamination but can be very small such as a spec on a piece of paper the size of a period in a sentence. Any source of heat will cause a crack to expand such as the sun heating the windshield or using the defrosters.
i presently have my 2007 tahoe at the dealership for a cracked windshield. The windshield has a TSB for optical distortion or stress cracks (070848001). The service manager insists the windshiled was impacted at the outer edge of the crack. The windshield actually started cracking from below the wiper and under the frit. The truck was parked in very cold weather (snow and freezing rain), do you have any opinions on this matter?This crack, probably got longer due to using the defroster. Heating of a crack or even a tiny speck can make it grow bigger or longer. We have company vehicles and one particular driver must REALLY shoot the heat to the windshield upon getting in the vehicle when it is cold,(winter here in the Hudson Valley) and all three vehicles that this person drives have cracked windshields. ha! I only found this out yesterday, when I drove one of the vehicles, mentioned the huge crack to a worker and he told me about the defrosters. So be careful and don't use the defroster right away but heat the interior of the car first, as you let the car warm up, then as it gets warm, shoot the cooler air on the windshield. Good luck in the future.
My windscreen cracked as a direct result of spraying cool water on the car after the car had been baking in 36 degree heat. I sprayed water on it without opening the doors to cool the air down and left it to dry. As it dried, the winscreen cracked in a 'V' starting from the bottom - lesson learn't!
My car windscreen today got the sharp crack of about 2 feet in circular shape starting from the edge.The car was inside the premises.No stone nearby areas.No sound of smashing.The car was in the sunshine today with 37 degrees celcius.I was watering the plant and unkowingly spread water on the windscreen.I think that may have caused it.Typically windshields do not crack from water being spread on the windshield. If this were the case then each time water was spread on the windshield when it is warm it would crack. It is way more likely you had a tiny impact on the windshield then when the water was spread on the windshield it cracked from the temperature change. This is why the article is called the little know cause of cracked windshields because your assumption is normal but usually incorrect look for and impact pint the size of a dot from a ink pin on a piece of paper. I have been in the glass business for over 30 years and I have customers every day tell me their windshield cracked and was not hit 99 times out of 1,000 I can show them the impact point. Maybe you are the one out of 1,000 it is possible however way more likely you were kit by a rock sometime before.
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