Bizarre cracked windsheild

[Wallythacker]

My '17 has the craziest windshield crack I have ever seen. It started in Feb this year. AFAIK the screen had ZERO defects before the nonsense started.

On a chilly night in Feb I chipped off some ice (gently) then brushed the remainder. I thought there was a crack but dismissed what I saw and took off. When I got home the screen was clear of all ice/snow from the defroster and a crack was there. the crack was about dead center and vertical, starting about 1" from the bottom and maybe 4" high. I hoped to get to a shop and have them do whatever was needed to stop the crack from growing. I didn't get the chance. The next eve i cleared some snow/ice off and watched the crack take off to the right. It took about 15 seconds. I still thought a shop might be able to stop it growing. Later that night the crack took off to the left, taking about 15 seconds.

An obvious concern is integrity of the windshield. I'm pretty sure it has lost a great deal of strength. A little known fact is modern windscreens are integral structural items of the body in the same fashion as a door skin or the roof itself. Another concern is leaking. I don't know if water can penetrate a crack like this. I don't know how much water could get through.

1. Do you think there is any chance a shop could repair this ? 2. Has anyone paid out of pocket to replace Mirage screen? How much was it? Has anyone replaced and entire screen as a DIY? Was it difficult? (I have replaced screens in the past.) Has anyone EVER experienced a windshield cracking in such a bizarre fashion?

[Fummins]

My '17 has the craziest windshield crack I have ever seen. It started in Feb this year. AFAIK the screen had ZERO defects before the nonsense started.

On a chilly night in Feb I chipped off some ice (gently) then brushed the remainder. I thought there was a crack but dismissed what I saw and took off. When I got home the screen was clear of all ice/snow from the defroster and a crack was there. the crack was about dead center and vertical, starting about 1" from the bottom and maybe 4" high. I hoped to get to a shop and have them do whatever was needed to stop the crack from growing. I didn't get the chance. The next eve i cleared some snow/ice off and watched the crack take off to the right. It took about 15 seconds. I still thought a shop might be able to stop it growing. Later that night the crack took off to the left, taking about 15 seconds.

An obvious concern is integrity of the windshield. I'm pretty sure it has lost a great deal of strength. A little known fact is modern windscreens are integral structural items of the body in the same fashion as a door skin or the roof itself. Another concern is leaking. I don't know if water can penetrate a crack like this. I don't know how much water could get through.

1. Do you think there is any chance a shop could repair this ? 2. Has anyone paid out of pocket to replace Mirage screen? How much was it? Has anyone replaced and entire screen as a DIY? Was it difficult? (I have replaced screens in the past.) Has anyone EVER experienced a windshield cracking in such a bizarre fashion?

I've never bothered to try to stop a crack. I've had luck using the permatex bulls eye repair kits for chips that haven't began to crack much. I believe my grandpa use to try to stop cracks by drilling into the end of it and filling it with clear nail polish or some glue, I really can't remember.

We usually pay around $200 for a windshield installed for most vehicles including the Mirage. That's basically what I've been paying too for the last 20 years. They Mirage windshields have come down in price from 8 years ago but like everything they probably went up a little. I wouldn't attempt installing a windshield as a diy. It's not a diy job imo. But if you have the skills, tools and proper product, then maybe give it a try. But it'd probably be easier, faster and cheaper to just pay someone once.

I don't buy the windshield commercials claims that the windshield should be replaced if it has a crack cause you could die. They're 2 layers thick. I'm pretty sure they were even 70 years ago? Though the Mirage ones are pretty thin compared to most non-tin-can cars I've seen, like the rest of the glass in the car.

[Top_Fuel]

Do you think there is any chance a shop could repair this?

Fix a crack that's multiple inches/cm's long? ZERO chance.

Shops in the US won't even fix a repairable chip if it's in the driver's line of sight through the windshield (that's probably 98% of chips I've ever had!!!). They say it can distort the view.

I see people driving around here with a lot worse windshield cracking than what you described. If your main concern is safety, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Dirk Diggler]

Canadian Mounties would write you a ticket for that no?

[allrock]

mine is also victim of chips due to small stone. im planning just to repair it until the crack spread and another stone hit it, the windshield is a part of the structural of the car body its prone to flexing, so i ended up replacing the whole windshield with a little story telling on how it happen to the insurance company.

[Wallythacker]

Canadian Mounties would write you a ticket for that no?

Luckily no ticket, the cracks are not in my line is sight!

mine is also victim of chips due to small stone. im planning just to repair it until the crack spread and another stone hit it, the windshield is a part of the structural of the car body its prone to flexing, so i ended up replacing the whole windshield with a little story telling on how it happen to the insurance company.

Ya, the windscreen is a structural member of the car. I know I'll be safe as it is (I forgot it's a laminated multi-layer item) but when I turn my '17 over to my kid I want everything to be right for her.