New Windshield Poll - Please Respond

[itsafj]

Origonal windshield took a pebble a year ago and the " break" stayed within itself...now just last week a second hit....not even aware of what or when....and the crack is snaking around more each day. Pathetic really....whatever caused this was of such magnitude that it went unnoticed.
I am due for state inspection...not sure if it will pass.....and I do need a new one but why replace it just to watch the new one bust up?

[CaliChaos]

im on my second windshield now, already 3 sizable rock chips in it.

the last one had a left to right crack... and 18 rock chips in it before I replaced it. $300 installed locally wasnt too terrible.

[parnass]

I am a new FJ owner. Based on the windshield vulnerability discussion here I contacted my insurance company to ask how much would be covered in the event of windshield damage.

I had a $250 deductable on the comprehensive portion and my agent told me that I could improve coverage to $0 deductable (zero!) for an increase of only $4.71 per 6 month term. The small price was so reasonable that I told the agent to increase my coverage.

[Wapitipoker]

I own a 2009 FJ. I noticed that it comes with PPG windshield glass. Is this the same type as previous years? I went ahead and got zero deductible glass coverage already.

[Chris Sandstorm FJ]

I know the break way to fast, due to the angle..I guess.

But I do love getting a new windshield. No pits and super clear. can't wait to roll up the window shop tomorrow and read my HAM test questions, while my true love gets a new goggle....I know, I have issues...

[ACHlLLES]

I have about 4 cracks that I repaired w/ self repair kit.

I did not replace it because I don't have windshield coverage, and I'm not 100% sure if I'd replace it because I know it's going to crack again.

I think it's coing to cost me about 300 bucks to get it replaced though.. which I'm not going to do.

[Sodbust]

Ok,, we have had our 2007 FJ for a whopping 2800 miles.. Today coming home from a Dr visit we were passed by a semi truck and he cut back into our lane at a safe distance.. I heard a slight "tink".. Then about 2 seconds later I see a 6" long crack running across the passenger side.. Well by the time we got home its now 2/3s across the windshield.

The "SAND" that the truck kicked up was no larger than a small bugger (1/16") from my nose.
I read this post before we got our FJ,, and felt folks were just over reacting,, but no.. This windshield is a POS.. Not happy with Toyota,, or there glass company at all..

Heck I have driven over 10,000,000 miles in my life from old vw bugs and there is nothing flat-er than a old VW windshield! I have driven full sized cars,, mid sized cars and every brand of pu truck ever made. Never have I had more than one crack from ding in windshields my whole life! I have only had to replace 1 windshield in my whole life and that was from a hail stone the size of a softball that fell over 40,000 feet high.

Yes this is a real problem and like I said,, the windshield is a pure crap.. You all here are right for sure,, there is a real problem here. POS,, &^%$(*(^*&%#&^&&^%^ windshield !!!!!!!!!!!

Sodbust,,, Daniel E McAmoil,, RR Penokee, Kansas.

[16_year-old_FJ_Owner]

I have had my FJ for almost 3000 miles and it had 15000 miles on it when I bought it and I am glad to say that I have no cracks. I drive a 60 mile round trip everyday to get to school and its mostly all freeway. (I hope I didn't just jinx myself)

[spincycle]

Have to say I',m at least a little amused/puzzled by the occasional post saying "you knew the windhield's angle when you bought the car, you should just expect this".

Toyoyta knew when they designed the car what the angle was, and knew it would result in many more pits & cracks than in other cars...but did nothing to chg the glass it chose or its mounting method.

There is also another issue, which I've raised from time to time, that I'm pretty sure plays into this issue, the cracks (as opposed to normal pits from rock strikes): we *know* at this point that the way the body is mounted and the fender aprons are/aren't reinforced, in eary models especially (perhaps), so why would we assume that changes in the geometry of the front end body panels (as the droop increases over time an the cracks/bulges stretch/widen/get longer) wouldn't put unplanned for stresses on the frame around the window?

Rocks strikes which create divots can, and will, often spread, getting longer over time or through multiple heating/cooling cycles. But we've also seen situations in which cracks have appeared suddenly, with no apparent strike to point to as a cause. While I don't have hard data as to how many of those cracks ocurred in vehicles with some degree of the bulge/crack situation....but my guess is that probably a higher percentage than would be expected.

I can, as I have before, point to the first crack I experienced: rather than starting at a divot, it began at the edge of the windshield, down in the same area on the side of truck where my cracks were the worst. This crack eventually spread to something like two feet, and before geting it replaced, noted that as I ran my finger perpendicularly to the crack, there was a slight but noticable difference in the height of each side of the crack, as if the crack were relieving tension as it progressed - which is what the engineer in me would expect to find if the geometry of the window housing itself were under stress and changing ever so slightly as a result of the front end droop/bulge/rip issue.

Naturally proving this to Toyota will be damn near impossible, but I stand by the above as possible issues, unanticipated by Toyota due to their lack of complete awareness of future droop issue, and are reasonable in light of the ideas above, even if they aren't actually behind or related to the issue.

[Right Sides Only]

My FJ has a leak at the windshield. On the passenger side in 2 places. Noticed it while sitting in it during a hard rain. It only seems to leak when there is a hard and constant rain.