New car and today I got a crack in the windshield

[Anonymous]

My car is less than two weeks old, has 300 miles on it, and today I have a 3 inch simple crack in the windshield, down near the bottom. I think it's from hard snow, ice, or ice pellet blowing off someone's car.

I went to an auto glass company and the guy came out, looked at the car and said I'd need a new windshield. So that's question one -- do you smell rip-off? He then opines that a small pebble hit the windshield. I told him this was a brand new car and he then recommended that before calling the insurer I go back to the dealership and complain that this was a "stress fracture."

Question two -- is this something that could conceivably have happened? Is this totally out of bounds? I don't really know how to proceed here. Any advice is welcome.

[Anonymous]

If the crack is at the bottom then it's not fixable. We had the same problem, but my windshield is 6 yrs old. I went to 2 places to get quotes and they told me the same thing. the crack just happened during our longer trips.

I don't know anything about stress fracture, but you can definitely call the dealership and see what they say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My car is less than two weeks old, has 300 miles on it, and today I have a 3 inch simple crack in the windshield, down near the bottom. I think it's from hard snow, ice, or ice pellet blowing off someone's car.

I went to an auto glass company and the guy came out, looked at the car and said I'd need a new windshield. So that's question one -- do you smell rip-off? He then opines that a small pebble hit the windshield. I told him this was a brand new car and he then recommended that before calling the insurer I go back to the dealership and complain that this was a "stress fracture."

Question two -- is this something that could conceivably have happened? Is this totally out of bounds? I don't really know how to proceed here. Any advice is welcome.

If yu have a new car then yuor car is definitely under arranty. Why on earth didn't you take it to the dealer initially? You can get a huge ticket for a cracked windshield so I would have it replaced immediately.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure warranties always cover windshields though. Worth checking, for sure.

Didn't know you could get a ticket for a cracked windshield. I drove around with one for years, probably close to a decade, and never got pulled over for it. It wasn't a subtle crack either.

[Anonymous]

Is it by chance a VW?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My car is less than two weeks old, has 300 miles on it, and today I have a 3 inch simple crack in the windshield, down near the bottom. I think it's from hard snow, ice, or ice pellet blowing off someone's car.

I went to an auto glass company and the guy came out, looked at the car and said I'd need a new windshield. So that's question one -- do you smell rip-off? He then opines that a small pebble hit the windshield. I told him this was a brand new car and he then recommended that before calling the insurer I go back to the dealership and complain that this was a "stress fracture."

Question two -- is this something that could conceivably have happened? Is this totally out of bounds? I don't really know how to proceed here. Any advice is welcome.

If yu have a new car then yuor car is definitely under arranty. Why on earth didn't you take it to the dealer initially? You can get a huge ticket for a cracked windshield so I would have it replaced immediately.

The crack is tiny. I doubt anyone can see it but me. But thanks so much for the great advice. I would never have considered that.

[Anonymous]

That happened to me with my Honda element. It ended up being a flaw in the glass and the windshield had to be replaced. Couple years later there was a class action suite and we got $500 out of it

[Anonymous]

Same thing happened to me with a Volvo. Literally less than a week after I bought it. Insurance sent a windshield repair guy to my house. No deductable, nothing out of pocket. He filled the crack, you couldn't see it at all, and never had another issue with it. In our case I hit a pebble on the highway during a road trip. I was livid.

[Anonymous]

I think most (all?) insurance policies cover cracked windshields (even replacement) without a deductible. No one wants you driving around with a cracked windshield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure warranties always cover windshields though. Worth checking, for sure.

Didn't know you could get a ticket for a cracked windshield. I drove around with one for years, probably close to a decade, and never got pulled over for it. It wasn't a subtle crack either.

You must not live in VA because with a cracked wind shield your car would not pass inspection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure warranties always cover windshields though. Worth checking, for sure.

Didn't know you could get a ticket for a cracked windshield. I drove around with one for years, probably close to a decade, and never got pulled over for it. It wasn't a subtle crack either.

You must not live in VA because with a cracked wind shield your car would not pass inspection.

Same with DC. Nothing worse than 2 trips to 1/2 street!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure warranties always cover windshields though. Worth checking, for sure.

Didn't know you could get a ticket for a cracked windshield. I drove around with one for years, probably close to a decade, and never got pulled over for it. It wasn't a subtle crack either.

You must not live in VA because with a cracked wind shield your car would not pass inspection.

Same with DC. Nothing worse than 2 trips to 1/2 street!!

You are both correct, I live in MD. And I'm pretty sure that DH got pulled over in this car for a broken taillight and the cop didn't say anything about the fact that the windshield was cracked all to hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most (all?) insurance policies cover cracked windshields (even replacement) without a deductible. No one wants you driving around with a cracked windshield.

No, you have to ask for glass coverage on your policy to have that. Unless, of course, you live in a state like Florida, where it is law.

OP, it won't hurt to take it to the dealer. They may say "no", but you won't have lost anything. There are rules about the size cracks they can fix. I thought if it was less than an inch or less, you can try to have it patched with a sealant. So, if you have a 3 inch break, it will need to be replaced.

I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket for a broken windshield. You won't pass inspection with it, but that is a far off concern if you just bought the car.

[Anonymous]

I live in VA and my policy covered repair without a deductible. I think the reason is that they would rather get people in to repair small cracks to prevent a total replacement down the road. That said, you need a total replacement.

I'd say that a crack in the first 300 miles might be due to a defect in the windshield. Especially if the crack is at the bottom, where the windshield meets the base of the car I would guess is where the most pressure/vibration occurs.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Called the dealer and I'm bringing it in. They are going to examine and make a determination. Keep your fingers crossed. It is at the bottom of the windshield so I think it is the construction. P.S. As of the ride to work the crack is now a foot long, so I really can't drive this thing.