Thanks to one of those stinkin pickup owners who refuses to put mudflaps on their truck I have to replace my windshield. It started out as just a chip when I got home last night so I thought I'd take it in to have it epoxied this morning but as you can see it decided to run like Forrest Gump. Good news is that there is no aftermarket glass available so they had to order it from Toyota and I have glass coverage with a zero deductable
Good luck with the repair process. Wow chip to crack over night....your epoxy planning read like the perfect plan before the cracking. Do you feel body flex in this model Prius? Guessing enough flex to make the chip crack? Again good luck.
I have had my share of these. It makes it so hard for me to drive the freeways anymore without being worried about it. I always look for the big pickup trucks and construction trucks as soon as I am on the freeway and try to avoid being in the same lanes.
Sorry to see that. That's quite a crack! But you will be good-as-new soon. I agree with Montgomery. Avoid big vehicles Do our best to avoid the "rock throwers." When I first got my Prius, I was tucking in behind big rigs and large trucks in an attempt to "draft", and maybe eek out an extra 2 mpg? I would stay in the far right lane (behind all those big trucks) driving somewhat slower... not impeding traffic, and letting all the fast guys pass on the left. But no more! My car is broken in now, and I'm moving to the left to join the fast & furious crowd.
Don't really feel any body flex like my 05 had. There must have been a small crack starting when I parked it then with the cold overnight temp (35) thats all it took. The last 1/3 of the crack happened after I backed it out of the garage and into the sun. It's tough to avoid them out here when there are so many of them but I try my best. It's the rednecks that ignore the "lift laws" that cause a problem along with the cops who don't enforce those laws. Thanks John, That's my garage with some of the tools for doing dirty work. I built a 400qf shop in the backyard for the clean work, painting and such.
Just make sure the installer doesn't use your hood as a table for his tools like most of them do. LG-H901 ?
Thank you - I think. You've just made me even more envious. When I moved into this area I could not afford a house, so I bought a condo with a shop "shared" by the maintenance guys and the owners. Fairly useless, because it's too crammed with machines and you have to carry your tools and materials back and forth all the time. Looks like you could eat dinner in there. The benches look so clean you wouldn't need to bother with plates.
In 35 years of driving, I had one windshield replaced due to stone damage. During the past 3 years, I've had 4 windshields replaced. Three in my Prius v and one in my 2014 Corolla. My driving style has not changed. I don't tailgate. I don't know how to quantify this but it seems that the windshield glass is becoming more fragile. I believe the glass has gotten thinner and more subject to stone damage. Also, the windshield has become a structural element to save weight and subject to more flexing. Does this sound reasonable?
To be honest, that pic was taken right after I finished building the workbenches. It's a bit more cluttered today but I've never been able to work and stay organized. Interesting, you might be on to something there . OEM glass seems to crack much easier than any other. My 01 Tacoma OEM windshield was replaced within the first 3 years with cheap aftermarket glass and that glass went 10 years, developed several stone chips, but never cracked. The only reason I had it replaced again was that it had so many sand pits it was hard to see through when driving into the sun. My 05 Prius, that I bought used, had the windshield replaced by the first owner sometime in its first 5 years before I bought it. I only had it for 6 months before that windshield cracked from a stone and had to be replaced. After it was replaced with cheap aftermarket glass it went 5 years, had a few chips but, never cracked again. In anticipation of the installer coming tomorrow, I decided to remove the pillar moldings myself. Not that it's too difficult, but because they aren't on previous generations and might not be something an installer has seen before and we all know how that goes. I'd rather have all the clips and moldings in tact so when they go back on they will fit tight. Anyway, there are 6 clips on each side pillar that hold the moldings on, with the green one at the last (lower) position before the hood. Each clip has 2 hooks (barbs) that the molding slots lock into. The molding has to be removed starting from the top (roof side) working down to the hood. Once all 6 clips (12 barbs) have been released, using a small screwdriver, the molding can be slid downward toward the hood to release the last clip which is part of the molding. These lower molding clips will break if the moldings are not removed starting from the top!
Thanks Dawg. First thing the Safelite installer did was look at the moldings and said they usually break before the pillar clips do, but being just a few months old they're not brittle yet. Said when they do break, and won't sit flush to the window, installers will use a dab of the polyurethane glue and tape them in place until it dries. Anyway, the installer made it look easy and it's good as new. Only cost the insurance company $1100.00
Glad it all went well. Was going to ask you about the rubber gasket that sits on the top roof frame all the way horizontally across the windshield. Is that part of the glass? LG-H901 ?
Meh, I'd stay in the right lane, behind the truck or whatever, just keep a GOOD following distance. Funny, I find by sticking to the speed limit, I'm rarely following anybody, lol.
No, the seal on the top of the glass is something the installer had on a roll and had to apply to the glass before install. The bottom of the glass had the factory dam installed and the cowl panel snapped into it.
I wonder what that seal does , I'm sure it has nothing to do with water tightness. Perhaps wind noise or debris getting trapped inside that edge. Wish that seal was like some other vehicles which slightly over lap the roof leading edge this prevent rock chips. I asked since when I applied a clear paint protection film on the roof in that area I didn't realize at the time one could use a thin credit card applicator to slightly open the rubber seal and allow the clear paint protection film to adhere behind it. LG-H901 ?
