Cracked Windshield

I saw on all the news stations everybody is blaming Trump.

 

Which part is false?

I'm asking because I've spent the past 13 years in the auto glass industry...11 of which have been at a Toyota dealership in a Toyota Certified Collision Center. I've gone behind COUNTLESS Safelite jobs using their "SGC" branded glass and seen jobs by them that would blow your mind. Currently I've been working on a '16 Camry where the Safelite tech completely missed the corner of a pinchweld with urethane which led to a car flooded with water. He cut the headliner, the dashboard, THRU THE VIN PLATE AND UNDERLYING SHEET METAL, and numerous scratches on the A-pillars and roof. Flooding ruined carpeting, upholstery and sound deadening material in the floorboard and firewall. There was rust on the pinchweld from where he didn't prime where he scratched the metal. $13k worth of damage to the point that Safelite had to send out corporate reps to check out the damage.

If it's about the quality of the glass, feel free to call Toyota corporate in Torrence, California and ask them...because that's who I heard it from when they visited my shop during our re-certification process.

 

I think it's just bad luck. I believe Pilkington makes the glass as they do for many manufacturers. Normally the people that get rick chips or cracks always get rock chips or cracks. I've never had either

On side note that Tacoma that went all " dukes of hazard "seemed to do ok with the windshield given the incredible stresses on the entire shell. Perhaps people are unlucky? Just sayin

 

I got nailed by a huge rock yesterday. Glass place is getting a new windshield from Toyota directly.

 

I had a tiny rock chip the glass (that I needed to get filled). I've also had a huge chunk of concrete fly up, take paint off the hood and hit the windshield...no crack. Left a few marks but no crack. Guess it's all just angles/luck.

 

Yah. Glad mine hit the windshield. The size of this rock would have dented the truck in some fashion for sure.

 

I must have had a small rock hit me on my trip to San Francisco a couple weekends ago, by the time I got home it looked like this.

 

If you look at them the wrong way here in AZ they can crack!

 

My twin!

 

Any one have a 2018 with the TSS replace their windshield? I was going to do it through safelite but at the end they asked if i want the ADAS re-calibrated which costs an additional $300 bucks.. I dont really want to spend that much more and im not sure if its necessary?

 

I do auto glass for a Toyota Certified Collision Center (I work for THEM, not a vendor) and I've replaced dozens of Toyotas with TSS cameras and haven't had one that required calibrating. They were all plug and play....however, they all had Toyota OEM replacement glass go in it as opposed to aftermarket. We've had one Rav4 that *had* to get OEM installed because whatever aftermarket glass they had in first screwed up their TSS and it wasn't able to be calibrated.

 

Over my 53 years of owning vehicles I have had several windshields broken, luckily I live in Florida and they are replaced free if you have the right insurance.

 

I had to have my windshield replaced last year the first time I turned on the defrost on a cold day... if there was anything there before that it was invisible to me and at the time it happened I was 1/2 mile from the nearest vehicle on the highway. Had it replaced with another OEM. Now a little over a year later I have a couple of chips in the glass and tiny chips all over (almost looks like lint in the sunlight). Folks can defend these windshields all day long but I had a 4Runner and a Rav4 and each I had for over 5 years and never once had to replace glass or deal with any kind of microchips and I've driven the exact same roads, same conditions.

Is there any decent DIY solution to fill any chips or should I use the dealer or safelight?