Mash Boss

Was driving my 2018 A4 the other day on the highway and a small rock shot out of nowhere (I wasn't near any semi's or anything) and chipped the windshield. The next day the chip was a long thin crack. I'm going to need to completely replace the windshield. This really sucks. I don't have HUD but I have all the other sensors. I'm worried to get the replacement windshield from anywhere but the dealership due to this stuff, but the dealership I know will charge an arm and a leg. And really, the windshield should've been able to withstand a freakin pebble on the highway.

superswiss

This stuff happens. It burns if it happens this early. I'm on my third windshield on my current car. Get dealer glass. Most insurance companies should pay for dealer glass on a brand new car, so you are only out your comprehensive deductible and in some states the deductible is waived on glass replacement. Mainly because of my continuous bad luck with windshields, I lowered my comprehensive deductible to $100. Barely changed my premium. Also, at this stage it's unlikely that there is aftermarket glass for your car anyway being such a new model. Some models never have aftermarket glass available. All my three windshields have been dealer glass replacements, because at least as of last time about a year ago there was no like aftermarket glass available for the RS5. Just go through the dealership for everything. They have somebody they work with to make sure the windshield is replaced properly. I never had issues. You wouldn't know that my current windshield is not the original one.

bob m

I'm assuming your current car is an Audi. Three cracked windshields! I've had many cars - new and used over the 50 years I've been driving and the only cracked windshield I ever had was on yep, my Audi Q5. I have to think it's simply a "softer" glass that Audi is using.

superswiss

I don't think the glass is any softer than on other cars. Yes, my current car is an Audi. I've had it for 5 years. My previous car was an Audi, too and I had that one for 8 years. I never had a cracked windshield until the last couple of years with my previous car. I attribute it to ever increasing traffic and the state of the infrastructure. They finally repaved the highways around here, so we had lots of construction and several of the cracks were from rocks thrown up after they scraped off the pavement. There is just a lot more crap on the roads these days than there used to be, but it has quieted down, because most of the constructions are over. Now that I'm thinking about it my last cracked windshield has been 2 or more years ago. Time flies. But I also live near an Interstate that has tons of big rig and dump truck traffic. Still have dump trucks going through to other construction sites. I try to stay off the highway now during the times they go by. The dump trucks are the worst. The come from construction sites with rocks lodged in their tires and eventually they just come flying off. Every single cracked windshield was the result of a severe impact. We've been experiencing a major construction boom and I think that's the main factor..

cuke2u

If the glass was softer then surely it would be less likely to crack but absorb any impact as hard or soft plastic would do. I agree though, roads have deteriorated considerably and in the UK millions in compensation is being claimed by owners of cars either damaged by these potholes or there windscreens damaged by flying debris.
In the UK we can insist that the insurance companies use OEM screens, can you not do the same in your country?

lsbuffs

I had mine replaced at the dealer (believe they sub out the actual labor). Was about $2,100 total, which included $800-ish for alignment of the cameras. Fortunately I have glass replacement coverage with State Farm so no cost to me.

bob m

That makes sense, but IIRC, many moons ago when there were some other postings about Audi's being the first car that they ever experienced a cracked windshield. Who knows?

bob m

Understood and my error for using the word "softer" - which is why I had it in parenthesis. A guess a better word would be more fragile. In the effort to be more eco friendly, doesn't Audi use recycled glass? If so - and I'm not certain they do, perhaps it could be more easily chipped.

kurtatx

Honestly, it's bad luck.

superswiss

What's been taking place across the board is that windshields have been getting thinner to save weight. Audi in particular uses acoustic glass. Acoustic glass is thinner but is laminated with a special polymer that soundproofs the glass. Windshields in the past had to be thicker to achieve the same sound insulation, which made them heavier, but perhaps sturdier.