preventing stone windshield rock chips

[tstex]

Hello to all,

Based on a lot of Interstate driving, having small rocks hit the windshield happens too often. Are there any new technologies that help prevent the chipping and resultant cracks? Never had one installed, but they used to have those plastic "air-lifts" installed on the front of the hood. Do those work or are they obsolete?

thank you in-advance for your suggestions.

 

[lman]

Avoid tailgating.

 

[1 Old Man]

Avoid tailgating.

Don't have to be tailgating. We caught a rock from a truck coming toward us. We were on a
two lane road. Heard it hit, saw the ding. Then the summer heat took over and bingo, the crack
went across the windshield.

 

[anomad]

There are "wraps" for your windshield, like exo shield. I have no experience with any of them. But have seem some sponsored content on the you-toobz in car channels.

I don't know how bad it is in your area, but look up pictures of what the road trains use down under. Very aggressive.

I wish I had something like that back when I lived in Alaska. But I just drove around with a cracked windshield like everyone else. Hitting a cold windshield with the defroster really made the cracks run up there.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Check out any local auto parts store, or Amazon for a specific hood mounted deflector. The last one I bought for my 2020 Ford F150 was around 100 dollars Canadian. They might deflect the odd small rock, but I find they do deflect a lot of small bugs hitting the windshield with the way they have an up curve .

 

[Tinhack]

My GMC has one. Don't know if it works or not. It was there when I bought the truck. It's chrome and looks good though.

 

[greenie]

It's doubtful air deflectors would have much ability to change the course of a rock/stone projectile. Fortunately windshields are usually the least expensive glass to replace on a vehicle.

 

[tstex]

Thank you for your responses.

This is more for my daughter bc she just had her 3rd or 4th windshield replaced in 2yrs.

Looked at the film coverings and they last about a yr b4 getting cloudy, scratches from wiper blades, etc.

Hopefully a product will emerge w a much better ROI & > longevity, but for now, there's nothing really sustainable The last one i received had nothing to do w tailgating. Single lane country rd and truck coming at me dropped rocks snd hit windshield when passing it. That's the luck of the draw.

I also prefer staying in far rt lane snd let gravel based trucks take the far left lane.

 

[dougtrr2]

Might be worth shopping for car insurance that fixes rock chips for free. If you don't fix the chips they have a tendency to develop into cracks.

Doug in SW IA

 

[tstex]

Thx Doug..that's the drill

 

[Torvy]

It's worse in areas up north where they put gravel on the road for ice abatement. We used to get a lot more when we lived up there.

Oddly enough, you may be less likely to get them tailgating as the rocks don't have time to get high enough to hit your windshield.

The worst one we ever had was crossing the lake on I30 in Rockwall. A truck was in the middle lane maybe 40 yards ahead of us. Dropping 2" rocks bounding down the road behind them. Too much traffic to dodge and got hit right on the seal. Instantly spiderwebbed. At least it was on passenger side.

 

[WinterDeere]

Don't have to be tailgating. We caught a rock from a truck coming toward us.

Of course this is true, but also more the exception than the norm. Case in point, every vehicle my wife has ever owned has a front end that appears to have been sandblasted after 50k miles, whereas mine still look like the day they were purchased after a decade or more. The big difference is how closely we follow the vehicles in front of us.

I have friends driving the same exact roads and routes as me, who seem to routinely lose windshields, whereas I never do. At some point, simple statistics should be telling them that no one has "bad luck" as consistently as they do.

 

[RayIN]

Might be worth shopping for car insurance that fixes rock chips for free. If you don't fix the chips they have a tendency to develop into cracks.

Doug in SW IA

Today, auto ins. companies count repairing glass dings/chips as a claim, no deductible but still a claim.

 

[mikester]

Avoid dump trucks, cement trucks, and road salter trucks.

 

[sandman2234]

I had a dumptruck dropping gravel off the rear tailgate where he failed to brush it off. Rock bounced off and hit my windshield in the next lane over. I pulled over, went back on camera memory and got name of company and called them. First thing they said was they weren't responsible for broken windshields of people following too close. When I explained that I had video proof of their driver failing to secure his load, they told me to go to a glass shop and get an estimate. They cut me a check and when I offered it to the company that owned the truck, they told me to keep it.
Getting rocks thrown up from the road is one thing, falling off a truck is another!
David from jax

 

[deserteagle71]

I tried one of those "deflectors" on the front of a Chevy Blazer I used to have. The only thing it deflected was my fuel mileage - dropped it .5 to 1 mpg. Didn't seem to deflect many bugs and for sure didn't deflect any rocks.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Anyone ever try using crazy glue to stop the cracks from spreading? Seen some clips all along, looks plausible...

 

[CliffordK]

Don't have to be tailgating. We caught a rock from a truck coming toward us. We were on a
two lane road. Heard it hit, saw the ding. Then the summer heat took over and bingo, the crack
went across the windshield.

Mom had a crack that spread across her windshield this summer. She blamed it on the heat, but there was a tiny chip at the origin... and then the heat probably took over. The chip was down by the windshield wipers, and would have been easy to miss if there wasn't a big crack to follow back.

Anyone ever try using crazy glue to stop the cracks from spreading? Seen some clips all along, looks plausible...

I haven't tried crazy glue, but there are windshield repair kits that are awfully cheap compared to a new windshield. Perhaps just some type of "super glue".

I don't know how long of a crack they'll repair, but if your entire crack fits within a quarter, it is worth trying them out.

 

[DarkBlack]

Fortunately windshields are usually the least expensive glass to replace on a vehicle.

Older vehicles yes, newer ones, likely, No. Many now have guidance cameras in front of the rear view mirror, and require specialized glass replacement with camera calibration. Pretty much triples the windshield replacement cost

 

[redman135]

I notice you all blame trucks for broken windscreens. In my experience it is cars that are the villan. They flick stones off the road and chip my windscreen. So far I have not had a broken windscreen, but I have to change a windscreen due to accumulated chips and scratches.