Cracked windshield

[Rockyherald]

Originally Posted by raptor1956

When I called Safelite this morning they indicated there was only one option for my car -- the OEM glass. Perhaps since the Mk3 Focus is still relatively new the aftermarket glass companies haven't yet come out with other options. How common is it that there be only one option, the OEM glass?


Brian

Aftermarket windshields are in the system and available through at least one of my suppliers(Pilkington) the part number is DW1875GBY with blue shade with green tint and DW1875GTY green tint. Part number for carlite is DW1875GTYCAR. these are rain sensor windshieds. If Geico won't pay for OEM glass on a brand new car then find a better insurance company. As for Safelite stand over the installer with a magnifying glass. Although they're getting better quality installers, many still take shortcuts. watch and be sure they primer any scratches from cutting out the old glass and adhesives.

[raptor1956]

Originally Posted by Rockyherald

Aftermarket windshields are in the system and available through at least one of my suppliers(Pilkington) the part number is DW1875GBY with blue shade with green tint and DW1875GTY green tint. Part number for carlite is DW1875GTYCAR. these are rain sensor windshieds. If Geico won't pay for OEM glass on a brand new car then find a better insurance company. As for Safelite stand over the installer with a magnifying glass. Although they're getting better quality installers, many still take shortcuts. watch and be sure they primer any scratches from cutting out the old glass and adhesives.

That's interesting, the person I spoke with at Safelite indicated only one windshield was available and that's the OEM one. I talked to them before I called my insurance company.

There is some comment that the factory windshield is not very durable and even some comment that it can be scratched with plastic scrapers as you would use to scrape ice/snow in the winter -- does that make sense to you?


Brian

[Rockyherald]

Originally Posted by raptor1956

That's interesting, the person I spoke with at Safelite indicated only one windshield was available and that's the OEM one. I talked to them before I called my insurance company.

There is some comment that the factory windshield is not very durable and even some comment that it can be scratched with plastic scrapers as you would use to scrape ice/snow in the winter -- does that make sense to you?


Brian

You should never use an ice scraper on windshields or tempered glass.
Now as for durability it's kind of luck-of-the-draw as to how long your windshield lasts. Modern unibody car windshields are thinner to reduce weight.
Since Unibody car bodies flex more they are prone to crack out quicker when hit with a rock.
My 2007 Focus with 70,000 miles had the original glass up untill the day I Traded it for the 2012.
Most Carlite is Manufactured in their Nashville plant. But they also subcontract out to other manufacturers to keep up with demand. Sekurit-Saint Gobain and Crinamex are just to name a couple. Both are quality brands.
Ford Owns Carlite. Most other car manufacturers don't make their own glass including Mopar(Fiat) and Mercedes.
PPG, Now called PGW was one of my top 5 choices for glass but recently their quality for windshields and tempered glass have serverely dropped mainly because their plants in China SUCK. PGW is also subbing their work to XYG Glass(XYG, an unpronounceable chinese name)
Next to Safelite Glass(Safelite makes their own glass) XYG is the worst.
If you don't go with Carlite my next choice would be FY glass(FUYAO Glass)5 years ago I hated it but it is has improved 100% since then! It's made in China but it's quality is far superior to PPG. It's OE now for many Asian and European cars such as Hyundai, Bentley, Audi, PACCAR, and has been recognised by Ford. Guardian is another excellent brand but I don't see much of that.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by Rockyherald

You should never use an ice scraper on windshields or tempered glass.

Why is that? If you never used the ice scraper you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for at least an additional 5-15 minutes while you burn gas idling in order to defrost the windows and who has that kind of time in the morning before work, let alone wants to burn the additional fuel rather than what is necessary for the defrost + scraping the window?

Scraping the windows on the older car never did any specific damage afaik, as plastic is softer than glass.

[Rockyherald]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Why is that? If you never used the ice scraper you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for at least an additional 5-15 minutes while you burn gas idling in order to defrost the windows and who has that kind of time in the morning before work, let alone wants to burn the additional fuel rather than what is necessary for the defrost + scraping the window?

Scraping the windows on the older car never did any specific damage afaik, as plastic is softer than glass.

Glass will scratch. There is dirt on the windshield and when you use a scraper that will grind in the dirt. Plastic WILL scratch glass. My Plastic Vacuum cleaner tipped over once and rubbed a windshield I had in the glass rack in the back of my truck. I had to buff out the plastic on glass scratches before I could install the glass. I've done it and i've seen plenty of other cars scratched with plastic scrapers. Even a pine needle caught under the wiper blade will scratch. Done that too. Not deep type scratches but rubs which are scratches nonetheless. I take the time to warm up my vehicles, as a few minutes of gas is cheaper than replacing damaged glass. warm water helps speed up the process also.(might freeze back up immediately though if you live in Minnesota)
If you want to use an ice scraper go ahead.

[Rockyherald]

Originally Posted by TehMark

That must be why our windshields crack so easily. Seems like anything will chip these things. I convinced myself that I was just crazy but an odd type of windshield probably has at least a little effect on the durability. Do you have the option of getting a normal windshield as a replacement?

These windshields are a big target. Also being so aerodynamic and lower to the ground there is not much of a pressure wave in the front so rocks aren't slowed down much before hitting.
Accoustic just means it uses a sound deadning plastic inner layer in the windshield. The windshield is laminated with the outer glass, plastic middle and another layer of glass. A non acoustic windshield may cause you to hear more wind noise around the windshield area. If you are sensitive to sound then stick with the acoustic shield...or turn up the radio.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by Rockyherald

Glass will scratch. There is dirt on the windshield and when you use a scraper that will grind in the dirt. Plastic WILL scratch glass. My Plastic Vacuum cleaner tipped over once and rubbed a windshield I had in the glass rack in the back of my truck. I had to buff out the plastic on glass scratches before I could install the glass. I've done it and i've seen plenty of other cars scratched with plastic scrapers. Even a pine needle caught under the wiper blade will scratch. Done that too. Not deep type scratches but rubs which are scratches nonetheless. I take the time to warm up my vehicles, as a few minutes of gas is cheaper than replacing damaged glass. warm water helps speed up the process also.(might freeze back up immediately though if you live in Minnesota)
If you want to use an ice scraper go ahead.

Warm water increases the risk of thermal shocking and cracking the glass that way. That doesn't seem like a good solution at all as that is more likely to stress crack frozen glass.

Since we don't have the option of the quick clear/ instaclear windshield that they get in Europe it takes a whole lot longer and is a whole lot more inefficient as one must wait for the coolant to get warm enough to defrost the windows. Although the instaclear windshield is a lot more expensive because of the fine metal mesh that is embedded in the glass in order to electrically heat the front windscreen to instantly clear the window (i.e. much quicker than using the coolant and clearing it from the bottom up.)

I didn't say I like having to scrape windshields, but over the lifetime of the vehicle you'd waste a lot more gas idling for extended periods and cause more damage to the engine over time than you'd theoretically save by not scraping the glass.

Cold engines are less efficient and they warm up best by being driven, and although the focus can have the active grille shutters to aid warm up in cold weather its still going to take time to heat up the block and the coolant before it could actually start to defrost the glass.

I've been idling the car of late with the defroster on and the mileage has taken a nose dive even with just 5-10 minutes of idling in the morning while clearing the windows sufficiently to see safely.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Since we don't have the option of the quick clear/ instaclear windshield that they get in Europe it takes a whole lot longer and is a whole lot more inefficient as one must wait for the coolant to get warm enough to defrost the windows. Although the instaclear windshield is a lot more expensive because of the fine metal mesh that is embedded in the glass in order to electrically heat the front windscreen to instantly clear the window (i.e. much quicker than using the coolant and clearing it from the bottom up.)

http://media.ford.com/article_displa...ticle_id=35656

Ford customers, however, need not shudder at the thought of a frosty morning, thanks to the company’s Quickclear windscreen technology. Quickclear uses a mesh of very thin heating wires embedded between two layers of windscreen glass to provide rapid de-icing and de-fogging, providing optimum visibility in a matter of seconds.

The patented system made its debut on the Ford Scorpio 26 years ago, yet remains a highly popular feature across Ford's entire range of cars.

"Some technologies come and go, but Quickclear really has stood the test of time," says Ford fixed glass engineer Abidine Ould-Merzough. "There’s nothing worse than running out of your home, late for work on a frosty morning, to be confronted by a windscreen thick with ice. With Quickclear technology, you simply press a button and watch for a few seconds, as your windscreen’s heating elements quickly clear the ice or snow.

"And because it heats the glass, the system also helps free frozen wipers, lengthening the life of the wiper blades and reducing stress on the wiper motor. Of course, Quickclear is also helpful when your windscreen mists up whilst driving."

Driving with an iced-up windscreen is not only dangerous, but also carries a maximum £1,000 fine plus points on your licence. So what if your car doesn't have Quickclear and temperatures tumble below freezing?

David Glidden, product support manager at Autoglass® advises: "We recommend always using a proper ice-scraper or de-icer, to avoid damaging the glass, to remove ice from car body glass. Also, we would encourage motorists to use a pump-operated de-icer instead of an aerosol as it's better for the environment."

He adds: "We don’t advise using hot water. There is a huge difference in the temperature of the hot water people use and the windscreen itself in freezing conditions. This thermal shock may cause severe damage to the windscreen. Glass is very hard but it is not malleable so it doesn’t permit rapid uneven expansion."

Per Ford/ Ford Europe.

[TehMark]

Well, if I didn't think our windshields sucked before, I sure do now that I've read that. haha

[Rockyherald]

Originally Posted by suss6052

http://media.ford.com/article_displa...ticle_id=35656



Per Ford/ Ford Europe.

I use just warm water not hot water and never had an issue on my personal vehicles. De-icer spray is a good idea but some are corrosive to metal parts.
The car heater/defroster has been the culprit in most cases of windshields I've replaced for customers in the winter time but that's because they had rock chips that they neglected to have repaired. I don't recommend Ice scrapers simply because they Do scratch. Yes plastic scratches. In very cold climates I guess you have to use Ice scrapers but most areas of the U.S. warming up your car before driving suffices. It is a good idea to warm up your car anyway before driving especially at 10 below Just my opinion.