[G. McCurdy]

Only three months old and I've collected two rock hits. Most flying rocks appear to be flung off by the larger tread of SUV's and trucks.

First was merely a crater and no crack -- but I know it's there!

Today's was a loud crack. Didn't see anything unusual until I got out of the car in the sheepskin seat cover place and there it was, a big 3-legged spider crack that was in the upper blackout portion of the windshield and a new crack extending down into the clear area of the windshield ahead of the visor.

I've noticed that I seem to pick up more rock hits with this car's windshield maybe due to the slope of the hood or shield. Bug smashes seem less, but these rock hits are getting on my nerves.

Anyone have anything good to say about the outcome of one of those windshield crack-fixing places? I may need to invest in a kit if this keeps up.

 

[ehurtley]

I've had good luck (on 3 cars) with CHIP repair places, but I've never tried a CRACK repair place. (I didn't know they could repair cracks.)

Yeah, my Prius windshield looks like the moon, full of little tiny (repaired) craters. None of the chips has expanded since getting chip repair done on them, though.

 

[Hep]

The fog lights are the worst. Is there anyone with 10K or more who doesn't have at least one fog light lens cracked?

 

[G. McCurdy]

The Novus Windshield fixer man came and went. He did it while I was at work. Called me on the cell and said, "It's ready. $45."

Met him in the parking lot. Nice and flat although one can still see the spin of the crack if the light is right. He did say it was a "Dangerous crack." By that he met it was in the blackened edge of the windshield (about 1-2 inches). If it had gone out to the edge that would have opened the crack going downward into the middle of the windshield like a zipper due to flexure. He says it's best to get them fixed as soon as possible (within a few days) in dry weather before the mositure and expansion starts up and creates a longer crack that could cost upwards of $400 to replace the shield. He also said to stay off high speed roads and highways where a lot of new housing starts are going on which drag more gravel and rocks onto the road.

Now out to dodge some more rock throwing trucks and SUV's.

 

[mikepaul]

There has been some (possibly unscientific) thought given to the idea that the aerodynamics of the car are enabling rocks to hit the windshield more easily than they do other vehicles. No 'cushion' of air to push them aside.

I have one stone bruise in a blind-spot behind the rearview mirror, so only a passenger can see it. Sort of a good spin on a bad deal...

 

[DanMan32]

Actually, I think there is a cushioning of air. I have seen light objects, like bugs and leaves, seem to float right over the car.

 

[Thomme]

A bird flew into my windshield several months ago. Late night, dark, highway speed, and suddenly - WHACK! a sound like a baseball bat hitting the windshield. Miraculously, the windshield was fine. The bird almost certainly met its demise, based on the stain I Windexed off the windshield when I got home.

 

[kjb516]

I have become convinced that my Prius becomes completely invisible to anything heavier than a bumble bee.

While lighter objects such as bugs seem to glide right up and over my Prius, I have had to instinctively duck a few times with the shock of watching rocks remain completely uninfluenced as they smacked into my windshield. Thankfully I have not experienced a cracked windshield or fog light as of yet (though a have a nice little rock dink on my hood), but I have become quite leery of taking my Prius onto gravel and sanded roads (more like gravel in the Northwest) after one particularly scary winter trip home from Mount Hood. While driving my wife's small brick-shaped SUV through the same conditions, it is well obvious that rocks are strongly influenced away from the vehicle by the horrific aerodynamics.

On another note, in the 16 months I've owned my Prius, I've had one fool back into me at a stop sign, another idiot rear-ended me during a clear day while I was fully stopped at a red light and countless other fools tailgating and cutting me off. Considering I have had a perfect driving record for nearly ten years previous, I'm considering the theory that either the Prius does in fact become invisible, or the electro-magnetic fields are attracting objects towards me. Either way, I have become a VERY defensive driver!

 

[allenlux]

This windshield seems to attract rocks like nothing else!

I can confirm this. I've had 2 incidents in 9000 km of driving (8 months) wth the Prius, against none for our other cars in 16 years of driving in Luxembourg.

First time, the windshield was cracked and I had it replaced by Toyota, it was fully covered by insurance (cost 700+ euros).

The second time it was a small chunk knocked out with short cracks (around 5mm). It is still covered by insurance and I could probably get a new windshield, but I'm wondering whether to try a repair. I fear that too many windshield replacements cause wear and tear on the car (the first time Toyota had to do it twice - for reasons too long to go into here - so the car is already on its third windshield).

I think maybe the streamlined shape of the car leaves the windshield more exposed to small rocks flying up from the road.

 

[TucsonPrius]

The fog lights are the worst. Is there anyone with 10K or more who doesn't have at least one fog light lens cracked?

Yep, nearly 30K miles and not even a chip (knock wood).

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[Tideland Prius]

18,000kms and no chip yet. The foglights get sooo hot. You can burn yourself if you touch the cover.

I only have one stone chip on the windshield. Two big stone dents on the lower left side of each door.

 

[G. McCurdy]

Picked up my third stone hit. This one is more of a chip than one with cracks radiating from it.

This one I saw coming from the rear of a passing SUV in the next lane. Seems like they cast off stones about 10-15 degrees from centerline, which means they tend to hit the lanes on either side of them.

It may be safer to get in directly behind them as the stones may be blocked from being thrown by the undercarriage and mudflaps (if they have them)?

Think I'll name the car "Cracker." :roll:

 

[San_Carlos_Jeff]

allenlux wrote:

I think maybe the streamlined shape of the car leaves the windshield more exposed to small rocks flying up from the road.

I think allenlux nailed it. If (that's still a question mark in my mind) this car picks up more rocks in the windshield it could be due to the shape of the hood. Cars with squarer longer hoods are probably taking hits there, rather than on their windshields.

 

[Sanny]

Think I'll name the car "Cracker." :roll:

...She think Cracker's saxy when the sun goes down....

(When the Sun Goes Down, by Kenny Chesney)

Stream of consciousness is not always a good thing...Especially when the dam breaks.

 

[Guest]

~35k miles of HEAVY duty driving. Long Island, NYC etc. No cracks no chips. Knock wood!!! I hope the WS isn't expensive if I ever have to replace it.

 

[John Baker]

12000 miles, and we just had the windshield replaced. According to the glass shop, it is the same winshield as a Corolla!

I had a chip repaired in my truck for $20. You can still see a small imperfection, but at least it isn't growing.

 

[DanMan32]

Same as the corolla? I didn't think the Corolla would have such a sloping windshield.

 

[hyperion]

That was my first thought after reading all the info put out by Toyota about the Prius being designed in a wind tunnel. Maybe if we reverse the premise and say the windshield in the Coralla is the same as that in the Prius the statement would work. The Corolla could have had the Prius windshield adaptded to it. Still, I have to take another look next time I go by the dealer.

 

[DavePrius]

Windshield

Seems to me that the slope of the windshield and the design of the front of the car would tend to minimize damage to the windshield from stones and pebbles...compared to average motor vehicles. Just an impression I have...not an engineer.

 

[rpm]

The fog lights are the worst. Is there anyone with 10K or more who doesn't have at least one fog light lens cracked?

yeah, me, because I refuse to look at them to check!

rpm