What the hell is wrong with auto glass these days?

A man of class I see

 

Pretty much true of all windshields, these days.
As the plastic laminates have improved, the actual glass has gotten progressively thinner over the last 3 or 4 decades, hence, the glass cracks far easier than it did in the old days.

By way of a personal example, years ago, I owned a '66 Jeep Wagoneer. When the glass got too pitted to see through worth a damn, we played hell trying to find a new windshield that fit, because the glass being manufactured for the then still being built Wagoneers was significantly thinner than the '60s version, and wouldn't fit the old frame. Thank Federal CAFE standards that force manufacturers to find any way possible to reduce weight, and increase milage. Glass is very heavy, and any reduction to its mass will be reflected in economies of scale for vehicle manufacturing.

 

Oh man, I hate that chip-seal.. The small town I used to work for, every 4-5 years the state would come in a chip-seal a bunch of the residential streets. When I plowed in the winter, I couldn't drop the blade all the way to the street surface... If I did, I would end up showering parked cars with rocks, or fill up front yards with rocks...

 

In my case, the windshield crack was right in my line of sight. Very irritating. And here in WA./ID. there are some counties where the cops will write you a fix-it ticket for a cracked windshield. I also think (Don't know for sure, so don't hold me to this) that some eastern states, where you have to pass an inspection to get your car/truck registered... If you have a cracked windshield, they won't pass you..

 

I was weedwacking near my truck, and had both the tailgate and shell window open. The trimmer caught a pebble, flung it inside my open bed, and shattered the front window of my shell. I ordered a new window over a month ago. Still not in yet.

 

Read once...
Windshield integrity supplements the roof structure in roll overs. The passenger airbag depends on its integrity to deploy properly.
So, probably not a good idea to live with cracks.

 

Very true. Auto glass plays a vital roll in the structural integrity of a vehicle. Although glass is becoming thinner, safety specs that this glass must meet have only become more strict over time, so I'm not exactly one to jump on the "glass these days sucks" train. I guarantee 9.9/10 who say their windshield cracked with no impact are wrong. The freak manufacturer defects are beyond rare. To be very clear though, it does happen, but typically points back to an install error.

 

when i had a bmw there were a lot of complaints on the forums about sunroofs shattering while driving or while just parked outside. this definitely is not unique to toyota. i have yet to have any issues on my tacoma so far.

 

my windshield is also super pitted and i only have 10,000 miles on truck. always clean the glass too...

 

I just did glass insurance through my auto policy which i believe is like 100ish dollars a year. ive replaced my windshield twice and expect to do it again in the next 6 months haha. I also asked the insurance company if there is a cap on how many windshields i can replace with the insurance and they assured me there is no cap so at the lost cost of $100ish a year I can get new glass whenever mine decides it no longer wants to play nice. which is great for an area with a ton of dirt roads.

 

They chip seal here in Idaho, every time I go on the interstate rocks are pinging off the windshield, only had the truck 6 months before it got a chip. Bug season currently so can’t even tell where it is, almost impossible to keep the glass clean this time of year.

There is a distortion in the glass too, enough to make my eyes hurt. None of my other vehicles are like that. Was going to have the dealer replace it, but figured I would wait until it cracked, cause soon as you do that it could open up another can of worms. Though don’t notice it as much anymore, must of gotten used to it.

 

You can always use another
They don’t build em like they used to thread.

 

18+ has the sensors and shenanigans and a new windshield needs calibration it's like 750$. Fortunately in new England insurance does one a year, so there's that. But yeah if I had to do it again I'd be in a 17 or a frontier

 

Yeah 18 they start putting that crap in . My wife's camry 2019 totaled and her new 2020 Camry has it , I don't like it

 

They still putting GoPro mounts on the windshield?

 

it's the auto braking crap for people who can't drive

 

The worst part of those sensors and shenanigans is, they don't do anything. They don't make a vehicle any safer. When the driver is paying attention they don't need those sensors and shenanigans. If the drivers isn't paying attention those sensors and shenanigans do not make the vehicle any safer.

 

Yes

 

I love the adaptive cruise. I hate the cruise inthe Tacoma but that's another issue.

The auto braking has only been set off by bridge shadows for me.

not my 2020

 

Damn, rough.
I am on my OEM windshield, 2016
I have a crack on the passenger side I had had for years, not worth replacing it yet as it has not moved in years...