Chipped windshield: Leave it in or pull it out?

[gibbons]

Did your big brother ever grab your skin, and pinch really hard, and say, "there's an arrow in you, should I leave it in or pull it out?" If you "leave it in", the pain continues. If you "pull it out", it's lots worse as he twists and pulls the pinch like removing an arrow. But then after, it's OK. Leave/pull was a big decision if dad wasn't in shouting distance.

I feel the same way with our chipped windshield. I swear, this thing is a rock magnet, and in my opinion, this Pilkington glass is more brittle than what I am used to. So, at 17K miles, it is pretty noticeably chipped up. And then my wife got a center punch right in the middle, which left a quarter-sized mess. It isn't in the line of vision, but it bugs us.

For the big hit, we tried one of those $10 chip repairs which did absolutely nothing. So I asked the glass monkey if he had ever replaced a windshield in a Volvo before. He said, "no, I wonder how you do that". Then he started yanking an prying on the mouldings and weather strip. "Whoa, hold on there", I said before he broke or scratched something.

So, I think I would rather look at the chips than have someone ruin something else on the car trying to put in a new windshield. What do y'all think, is this a no-win procedure? It seemes like bonded stuff just never comes off and goes on like it did the first time at the factory.

[Desertxc]

For me I would leave it in till it had to come out.

I agree with you that once it is replaced what are the chances of it not leaking.

I have driven the roads in utah for lets say 35 years and you will get a lot more rocks thrown at it. They love to put the small pea gravel on all the new asphalt.

[John@CdnRockies]

Guess it's a question of finding an experienced practicioner.

When we lived in Quebec, windows were rarely replaced and cost a small fortune. In Alberta they only last a few years (use rock chips instead of salt) but the cost is half what we paid in Quebec. For the record, every window changed out here (4 of them now) has been smoothly handled without any subsequent wind noise or damage to the car.

My general philosophy is that if the chip doesn't bother you, then leave it be until such time as it starts to crack.

John

[XCS]

With my last car, I had to have the windshield replaced 5 times because of cracks caused by flying rocks. It was a Ford T-Bird so there was nothing special about it. The first 3 times, the repairmen caused collateral damage (molding, frame, leaks). They never fixed any of it to my satisfaction but it would have cost more to take them to court than to get it fixed elsewhere.

The last shop I went to was very good. They did the last 2. But, finding a shop like that is hard.

I would vote to not replace it unless it is cracked or giving you vision problems, especially if the repairman wants to experiment on yours.

[littlewaywelt]

I'd leave it in unless it starts to crack becoming a safety issue or is a visual distraction. When it comes time to replace it I'd have the dealer do it since OEM Volvo glass is probably nicer than what the body shop / glass guys use.

I agree with other posters re leaking. Ususally you won't have any, but why risk it?

[nwxc70]

I have had the windshield changed in mine, went to Novus and paid extra for the "Volvo" glass. Turned out to be Pilkington, not Volvo, but whatever. No problems whatsoever, except for the registration holder thingy. It is a bit loose now, not sure if the shape of the new glass is slightly different or if the installer just wasn't as careful as he should have been.

Lifetime warranty against leakage and having watched them install it I don't see how it could possibly leak. 1/2" bead of sealant all the way around. No problems with them damaging anything else. I was reasonably happy except for the $$ I had to fork out, which was $400+. My windshield had a running crack in it though and I just couldn't stand living with that.

[gibbons]

When I do get it replaced, it will be a plain one, I plan to ditch the rain sensor. That inconsistent thing drives me crazy! I have had it unplugged most of the time, using the wipers in manual intermittent speed selection (you can do that). I occasionally hook it up for fun, and quickly disconnect it again. Without the rain sensor, the glass won't have that larger black out area, and may make the cabin feel a little more open.

I feel kinda dumb for my disrespectful "monkey" generalization. But sometimes I feel like guys who work on my cars, and can't afford a similar themselves, have a chip on their shoulder and therefore purposely aren't as careful as I would be myself. That's why I change my own oil and rotate my own tires, even though it's included in the free service with '04's.

And finally, I had a windshield put in the Sube, and it cost $129 cash. That guy did a good job, but it was pretty easy compared to the XC. That risen moulding along the A-pillar has me nervous. I couldn't find the procedure on my Vadis DVD to print out and hand to a potential replacement guy.

[Ocean1]

If I put on my safe hat, i would say get it repaired. The damaged glass is likely not as strong as the "clean" glass. If a second impact occurs, it is more likely to spread or worse. That being said, I have put up with chips in the windshield for a long time in the past on my own cars.

I have had anumber of windshields replaced, and never had a problem with a leak or other damage resulting from the repairs. I have always gone to reputable glass shops. (2 in my old 244DL, 2 in a VW Jetta at least that i can remember).

The bigger irritant, that i can't stand, is when the chip is in the swept area of the wipers and eventually this nicks the wiper blade, and you get that lovely streak accross the entire viewing area when driving in the rail or snow.

Usually (here anyway), damage caused by a stone being thrown up on the road is covered under comprehesive insurance, so i have only ever had to pay the deductible, which used to be about $50. I know the industry has pushed this number up in recent years, so i dont know what it is now.

[mastiha]

I got a huge "L" shaped crack in my windscreen back in January. The annoying thing is that the crack occurred because I use the windscreen washer and the water on the hot glass cracked it (I'm in Australia and the temp on that particular day reached around 40 degrees celsius).

I had the windsreen replaced and it cost around $380 Australia for a Pilkingtonn one. It fits perfectly and looks exactly the same apart from the lack of any Volvo references.