Driving home last night I heard a loud thwack sound as a rock hit my windshield. All the way home I tried to find where the rock hit to see if there was any damage. But it was dark and I couldn't see much. So I get home, pull into the driveway, and under the garage lights I see the mark. It's about thumbprint size, direct center, 6" below the rear view mirror and just above my GPS unit mounter to the lower windshield. So far no cracks anywhere, but it still sucks since it's right in the line of sight.

The exact same thing happened to my Grand Prix when it was only a few months old. I never bothered to get that one fixed.

 

That sucks! I know the feeling and it's really no ones fault, just one of those things that happens. The bad thing is that there is nothing you can do to "upgrade" since you have to replace it. Probably too big to do the injection thing...

 

I always have a concern about replacing a windshield and getting the right seal. I'm sure most places do a good job, but it is a hassle to have it done, and if insurance doesn't cover the cost, you're out a couple hundred bucks for nothing. With my GP, it was compounded by the fact that the windshield was a special order since I have HUD, so it was about twice the cost of a conventional windshield. That's part of why I didn't bother replacing.

 

My HHR had its windshield replaced. Safelite came to my house and did the job in the driveway in about an hour. In Florida glass is covered by insurance, so no charge to me but it was a $500 job to the insurance co.

 

I work on a street that has a concrete delivery company on it. Driving my 06 back from lunch and here comes one of the truck barreling down the street and I see a big rock fly off one of the tires and heading for the windshield directly in front of me....... jam on the brakes and it hit's the hood and puts a big dent in it instead of taking out the windshield... don't know which is worse, a busted windshield or a dented hood, in either case it sucks.

 

Depending on the extent of the damage, I would think the sheetmetal would cost more to fix. It's a lose-lose situation.

 

i'd take the shot to the windshield over the hood...

Oddly enough, i have lived on dirt roads for most of my life, and have never had a stone chip in any vehicle. Guess just lucky...and now i shall jinx myself

 

I have had more windshields replaced than most here in the last 8 years due to the poor Ohio roads falling apart.

Don't worry about the seal if your use a good quality shop. the windshields today are for the most glued in not only to provide a seal but to keep the windshield in place if the air bag goes off. Also today the auto companies use the windshield and rear window as support for the roof. There is very little to todays unibody cars and they use the glass as a supporting structure. It ties the roof together like a roll cage.

As for insurance most coverage for car 5 years and newer will cover most if not all of the glasss. Most have no deductable.

Hint too if you want to save money on a HUD glass. Safelite makes their own glass but they do not make HUD glass. If you get it form them is it the factory PPG with the name not on it. I had the glass in my GP replaced a few years back and the one they put in was the same but in the little lettered box where it says PPG it said all the same things but no PPG. The installer said it was PPG but they leave the lettering off for them. By the way the Hud glass is not as bad as I thought it would cost. I always heard it was like $1,000 but it was not even close. I can't recall exactly but I thought it was like $300.

FYI when they removed the GP glass the roof will move up and down. That is how much the glass holds it in.

 

You can have it "repaired." I had one on my Impala. They use a clear epoxy-type material and pressure seal it. It helps keep it from spreading out and cracking. It will reduce how much you see of it, but will not eliminate it completely. Much less expensive than a new windshield, and most insurance companies will actually pay for this repair in it's entirety as a way to avoid having to pay for a larger repair bill (windshield replacement). I think they are able to repair spots up to about the size of a dime or slightly larger.

 

Yup, to bad that didn't happen car had 200 mile's on and got a lovely rock right in the hood. Nothing more horrible then ordering touch up paint a week after i drove it off the lot.