kkltam

I bought a brand new 06 WDP TL 6sp 2 months ago and I can't believe I got hit by a flying pebble while merging onto the Interstate 5 near Valencia, CA. Immediately I noticed a horizontal crack on the front windshield starting from the passager edge midway up, straight across about 6 inches long

Well it has been 3 days since, and this crack has been growing 4 inches a day!!! It is now about to cross the midline point of the windshield. I was going to live with this crack until the car gets "older" but this is ridiculous!!! The crack is going to be in front of my face by Memorial day!

Needless to say, I'm goin' to have to replace it.

What I want to know is how you guys avoid getting hit by all these flying objects on the freeway--drive slower? faster? on the fast lane? avoid the freeways? It seems like every third car on the freeway is a freakin' gravel truck around here in So.Cal.

Have a great weekend y'all!!!

LacViet

Sorry to hear about your cracking windshield! What you could do to temporary stop the crack line gets bigger is to get windshield repair glue (similar to superglue) from any autoparts store and fill the glue on the crack line. It's just bad luck to get pebble fly on your car but try to avoid driving next to big truck.

reloaded

Honestly you really can't control what comes in front of you...this kinda happened to me before but apparently not as bad. I had the normal little gravels shower the front of my car while driving ont he freeway but I was once driving during the nightime with my front windows down when some asshole apparently threw a spraypaint can on my car and almost hit my window but initially hit my hood. I'm glad it didn't hit me either..but yea...couldn't find the guy but now I have a fuckin huge dent on my hood. The guy was on the the opposite lane and threw it over the divider and just so happened to hit my car.

KADAW

^wow that sucked..

tonester

iTrader: (1)

when i see a gravel truck on the freeway, I usually slow down and try to get 2 lanes away from it. Those damn trucks cracked my jeep's windshield twice on the freeway.

KADAW

oOo we was behind one of those and a big clump of dirt fell off the back and me and my sister though it was a BIG @ss rock.... oo man we are happy it was juss dirt.. it could of killed us if it was a rock...
sorrie if it dont make sense as i am drunk rite now...

colossus

Speak of the devil - my new TL had it's first encounter with one of those double rigs hauling rocks. Sheesh - at least make them adhere to some laws - it can't be legal to be dumping rocks all over national highways - they fine people $2K for throwing away a McDonald's wrapper

Only advice is to watch out for those trucks, and when you can either switch lanes away or slow down & tolerate them until you can pass.

There's a thread here with somebody asking about bulletproofing their car. They sell laminants that do a pretty go job of keeping rocks and what not from cracking your windshield. I think to bulletproof the front against .45 it costs about $400.

Considering I was almost killed 10 years ago by a surfboard that took flight off the top of a VW Beetle, I'm now considering getting the front "bullet proofed".

jime

I have only had the broken windshield issue with one vehicle in 40 years of driving, but I replaced the windshield on my 95 Legend coupe 5 times in 140,000 miles. Just was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Check your insurance for windshield replacement. Mine is $100 deductible. And if you have coverage make sure you insist on OEM glass. The “after market” glass is much thinner (breaks easier) and often has “waves” (distortion) in the glass.

dmarcus48

I've also been driving 40 years and have only had one cracked windshield and this is in NJ. My last car a Volvo S80 had 500 miles on it when a pebble cracked the windshield, unfortunation my deductable was $500 and the windshield was over $700. I've since lowered my deductable to $50.

dmarcus48

I've also been driving 40 years and have only had one cracked windshield and this is in NJ. My last car a Volvo S80 had 500 miles on it when a pebble cracked the windshield, unfortunation my deductable was $500 and the windshield was over $700. I've since lowered my deductable to $50.

BTW it's nice to know I'm not the only "old" guy who's crazy about my tl.

flatfoot

[QUOTE=kkltam]I b
Well it has been 3 days since, and this crack has been growing 4 inches a day!!! It is now about to cross the midline point of the windshield. I was going to live with this crack until the car gets "older" but this is ridiculous!!! The crack is going to be in front of my face by Memorial day!

Sorry about your crack in windshield. Just a word of caution. I dont know what state you are in, but states have various laws when it comes to cracks in windshields. In certain states you can receive a moving violation for driving with the cracked windshield ove a certain size, and can receive a compliance ticket even if your car is parked and unoccupied. I would call up my local dmv or enforcement agency and find out. You dont want to compound the unfortunate situation, by getting a moving or safety violation and having to pay a fine and or points on license.

Thanks

ding069

bad luck......does anyone know an estimated price on what anew windshield cost for the Tl.
I live in RI and should this ever happen, insurance does NOT cover windsheilds in my state

jmaikamon

Sorry to hear about your windshield. Not sure what insurance company you have but my insurance company, USAA (the best in world...my opinion) will pay to have it repaired when its still small. They fixed about 4 cracks in 12 months on my accord. All I did was call them and the repair company came to my office or my home and did the repair. I paid nothing. After the repair you cant even see it.
I have had my TL for less than two weeks and I got my first ding, windshield chip, and front bumper chip in the same day from the same truck.

JERU

Same here, the best bet is stay away from rear of moving vehicles on the highway (impossible in LA?), an F150 can kick up gravel from the road just like a tractor trailer. Had a truck in another lane kick up a rock and bam on my winshield. My Insurance agent sent Safelite out the next day and took care of it before it turned into a crack, for free. As long as they can repair it, my insurance company covers it. Word of advice, when you get hit, time is the factor. Frost and changes in temperature will send a tiny crack racing across your windshield. I was told they could take care of a 6 inch crack at the worse, they just keep it from increasing, they don't eliminate it. Safe Motoring...

Houstun TL

Sorry to hear of your misfortune but I had the same thing happen to me 4 days after I got my TL... Luckily, I work for a dealership and we have a glass company come out daily to repair/replace windshields on Rovers... They hit me for $10 and the glass looks new. Good luck since it sounds as though your glass is beyond repair...

subinf

I was quoted over 750 from the dealer. There have been other members who have received quotes of about 600 from the dealer. When I eventually decide to replace mine I'm going aftermarket, I have a ton of chips and one large crack in the OEM one, hopefully the aftermarket will fare better.

Maddizm

iTrader: (5)

I've heard if you get a crack because you were behind some truck you can call the number that says "How am I driving?" and tell them your plee. They should repalce your windshield for you. You gotta get the time, place, and of course the license plate. Happened to an acquaintance once with one of those CISCO food trucks... and they replaced it no problem.

subinf

no, not like that anymore. its a pain in the ass to go through the entire process, i guess too many people were taking advantage of that policy and they started fighting back. its a lot harder than people think.

kkltam

[QUOTE=flatfoot]Thanks for all the feedback, y'all. I was very much afraid of getting a ticket drivng around with that damn crack. Several of my friends have had tickets because of that. Maybe the cops in So. Cal. are more vicious when it comes to ticketing windshield cracks. Regardless, it sucks big time that we try to keep our rides spotless and all, only to have these flying projectiles on the road doing all kinds of damages and the worst part of it is we can't do nothin' bout it. What a Shame.

kkltam

Insurance basically would charge the deductible but I got a high deductible. The best price I can get from a local auto repair shop was $600, installed. The dealer was quoting about $800 and they told me they'd give me 10% off since I got the car from them. I decided to just go with whatever's cheapest because I'd never know when I'm goin'be hit with another projectile.

I saw on this forum that some Acura owners claimed that the OEM windshields are not as durable as the aftermarket ones. I'm kinda wondering myself now about that, since this crack literally grew twice the size everyday.

tmitch2315

I had the exact same thing happen on my 2004. Grew like crazy right accross the middle of the windshield. I'm with USAA Insurance and pay for free glass replacement insurance which is very inexpensive as an add on to my regular auto policy. USAA recommended Safelite Glass and they did an excellent job for a total of $239.00. I paid ZERO.

Jesstzn

As far as keeping away from things .. give up .. I put a new windshield in my Passat and out on the highway, I flipped a rock out of the tread on the front tire and fired it forward and ran into it at 70 MPH.. Chipped my own brand new windshield.

Give up .. you can't beat Murphys Law.

sftroy

Are you SURE that the crack formed from debris hitting the windshield? Others, including myself, have reported cracks forming from under the trim and extending across the windshield with no visible signs of being hit.

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/night-vision-device-130989/

Acura called it a stress fracture and replaced it.

Actuary

I got 4 chips on my hood by a flying object driving in city @ 40MPH. What the heck... It ate up clearcoat and to the bottom layer. I can see dark gray color on hood and is about a 1mm-2mm deep.

I guess there is no way you can avoid them.

deep_spaceus

I drive between the Washington area and Richmond Virginia almost every week on I-95. Until recently I had a Honda Accord EX Couple on which I had to replace two cracked windshields in six years, not counting the numerous paint chips and scratches from those cursed gravel trucks.

Today is the one month aniversary of my 06 TL. This week, I was driving down to Richmond and saw a large strip of tire that had exploded off a truck two cars ahead of me . The first car avoided it easily since it was a matter of swerving the car about a foot to the left. But the idiot in front of me was talking on his cell phone and just drove over the torn tire. It went flying out to the middle of the road exactly in front of me. I had no time to avoid it so I had to drive over it. It made a sickening sound as it hit my front bumper and went under the car. When I stopped and looked at the bumper, sure enough, there were two scratches. Later, on the left exit from I-95 to I-295 a gravel truck pulled in front of me and I heard the rain of pebbels hitting my front bumper and hood. This accounted for two more paint chips. All this is a single trip.

Ironically, I have an appointmemnt next Wednesday to have a clearbra installed on my TL. I hope I don't get any more damage before then.

You should call your insurance company about the windshield. They may or may not pay for it. My insurance did fix mine with a $50 deductible as long as the work was done by a windshield replacement company that they provided.

kkltam

You lucked out man. The shops in in LA all tell me how expensive even the aftermarket glass is for the TL. Supply vs. demand? Most are quoting anywhere from $650-800, essentially no different than the OEM glass, which I can't trust anymore.

kkltam

The crack does start right from the passage side edge, and I do notice a chip right there. I was hoping that I would find any chipping, hoping this is a "stress fracture," and that the dealer would consider replacing the glass. No such luck, however.

Brettg

We got a stone that cracked our windshield, and made the mistake of having safelight fix it for about $60.00.

I should have had them replace the windshield, as people report the safelight windshield is a lot stronger than the oem one, and it DOES have the sound deadining layer between the glass.

Next time it gets a hit, I will have it replaced with an aftermarket part, it can not be worse then the oem glass!
I have scratches from the wipers also, as the wife will use the spray to clean the glass, which does not get the dirt off before wiping....

The glass really looks like hell in 12,000 miles...

Brett

MR1

Coming home from Las Vegas just before Christmas, my windshield received a bullseye chip in Barstow. Bad thing is, it's right in front of my face. (Yes, we left money in Vegas).

My insurance 3A would pay 100% only to repair it but shops will not fix it because of the location. I have a $ 500 deductible which is usually OK. The shop offered to provide OEM Glass (1 year warranty) or aftermarket (Lifetime) for the same $850.

I suspect I will go aftermarket when I feel like spending the $500. Why go with cheap when your portion remains unchanged?

It is doubtful that you can avoid these occasional mishaps. This is the worst one I have received in only 40 years of driving. Drive only on 30 MPH streets?

baby_igor

I just had first hand experience with a non-Acura windshield replacement. Banner glass here in DC area put in a PPG which had optical distortion right above the VIN number. The white lines looked like they were curving in while driving. (note: my insurance would not cover the difference between third party and Acura glass)

Took it back to Banner, and they did the right thing. They got the Acura windshield, installed it next day, at no cost to me.