General Cracking Windscreens

[markwo]

So, I am on my second Panda Cross.

The first one had three replacement windscreens down to stone chips developing into cracks and my second one has had one screen replaced and today that has a crack running side to side across it.

All screens were heated and acoustic glass.

Has anyone else had similar problems? I am struggling to believe it is all down to bad luck. At least two were down to stones being flicked up by oncoming traffic.

 

[gar074]

That's really bad luck.

Mine (15 reg, 55k miles) is still on its original screen, but has a long-standing 3cm crack from a stone-chip low down on the centre. It's passed 2 MOTs with only an advisory for the screen, and the crack hasn't propagated any further. I've had a fair few stones smacking on the screen over the years, and TBH, each time (bar the one) I've been surprised that it hasn't cracked. Maybe the heated screens are weaker?

 

[Marcus Daly]

I had a stone chip hit the heated screen on my Panda within a couple of weeks of buying it, right in the driver’s eye-line. I had Autoglass “repair” it, but it soon developed into a crack ten inches long and the whole screen had to be replaced (I think more as a result of the repair than the original chip).

I do get the impression the heated screens are pretty fragile.

 

[Goudrons]

I had two windows just explode on my 4x4.

The rear quarter light went pop one day as I pulled up outside the front door, I didn't even open the car door.
The rear screen shattered as I pulled up at a junction on a country road a few weeks later, nothing else around, just went bang.

Both were tinted as my 4x4 was a special edition Antarctica and there was a wait for them as they were special order.

Both fitters who came out said they has see a lot of Fiat windows go bang or crack, they reckon there are flaws in the glass when manufactured.
They stated it's always the windows that are bonded in as the cars body flexes and flaws cause them to shatter or crack.

 

[Marcus Daly]

I think it’s actually the opposite problem that most often causes the latter. It’s the body *not* flexing that’s to blame. I had a windscreen shatter on a brand new MG ZT. It came down slightly unevenly off the inspection ramp during the PDI and the body was so rigid the force could only dissipate through the glass.

 

[WitleyPanda]

What do you mean by acoustic glass? Passive or active?
On newer vehicle, anything were the screen is bonded in the screen is a structural element. It is possible that a replacement is not fitted to a vehicle in a neutral position, that stresses are applied to the glass because at time of fitment the vehicle shell was not true. Seen a screen go within minutes of fitment because of this. Only screen i have lost, in service, have been to cumulative damage, >200K miles or bird strike.