Cracked windshield with wiper blade heaters?

[Archangel]

Your windshield number is an FW2489 GTN. Foreign Windshield #2489, Green
Tint, No hardware.

These parts can be made at a variety of factories around the world. Suburu,
like many manufacturers, contracts different companies at different times
(pricing and quality contracts) to make your glass. The heater element is
imbedded in the lamination between the two pieces of glass. Or sometimes is
bonded to the surface of the glass.

I work for one of the largest manufacturers of auto glass in the world,
seventeen years, and I have never heard of the heater element causing a
break in the glass. Unless the outside temperature was well below zero and
your heater could generate a extreme amount of heat within the space of a
few seconds, then the possible result is just a stone chip that was
previously not seen that the heater element just aggrivated and caused to
'run'. I have a very difficult time with the analysis of uneven/incomplete
tempering.

The windshield (for that matter all the glass) in you car can be as much as
40% of the structural integrity of your car. That glass was made to handle
stress from vibration, heat, cold, and even impacts from stones. But it is
also glass. It will break. I've seen a person hit the side window of a car
with a hammer and cause no damage at all. I had a large rock hit my
windshield and saw a small pit taken from the glass. No other damage. I also
saw a new car drive out of a mall parking lot and hit a bump. CRACK.
Sometimes the stress from the movement, sometimes the impact of something
hard. Sometimes a small unnoticed stone chip in the winter...

The one thing I will advise is that you should not EVER let you insurance
company choose you place of repair/replacement. That is your choice. They
will try to schedule and may even make comments like "we can't guarantee
their work" or "they will charge you to much". That is a load of bull. They
just have a deal where the replacement company of their choice charges them
less, not you, just them. End of story. Some insurance carriers have their
"glass claims" calls answered by the repair/replacement company directly.
You may not even be calling you insurance company at all. Try asking them
who they work for on the line, NOT who they are answering for, but who the
person you are talking to works for. You may be in for a surprise.

Take a look at the DOT number on the logo of your glass. That is the actual
address of the maker of your glass. Every plant in the world has its own DOT
number if they are selling in the USA and no plant shares its number with
another plant. Your glass might have been replaced already on the lot. It
has happened. Vandalism, test drive stone chip, etc. You should shop around,
check the guarantees. Ask these questions. Years experience of the installer
that will work on you car. Certification. OEM glass? OEM adhesives? Your car
manufacturer states that a certain adhesive must be used due to tensile
strength, airbags, cure times, etc. Call the dealership and get that
information and match it with what you find out. An improper installation
can put your life at risk as well as cause serious damage to your car. Water
leaks can cause rust and electrical damage not to mention taking away from
the fore mentioned structural intregity of the vehicle. Your life, your
choice.

 

[Mike Cook]

Your windshield number is an FW2489 GTN. Foreign Windshield #2489, Green
Tint, No hardware.

These parts can be made at a variety of factories around the world. Suburu,
like many manufacturers, contracts different companies at different times
(pricing and quality contracts) to make your glass. The heater element is
imbedded in the lamination between the two pieces of glass. Or sometimes is
bonded to the surface of the glass.

I work for one of the largest manufacturers of auto glass in the world,
seventeen years, and I have never heard of the heater element causing a
break in the glass. Unless the outside temperature was well below zero and
your heater could generate a extreme amount of heat within the space of a
few seconds, then the possible result is just a stone chip that was
previously not seen that the heater element just aggrivated and caused to
'run'. I have a very difficult time with the analysis of uneven/incomplete
tempering.

The windshield (for that matter all the glass) in you car can be as much as
40% of the structural integrity of your car. That glass was made to handle
stress from vibration, heat, cold, and even impacts from stones. But it is
also glass. It will break. I've seen a person hit the side window of a car
with a hammer and cause no damage at all. I had a large rock hit my
windshield and saw a small pit taken from the glass. No other damage. I also
saw a new car drive out of a mall parking lot and hit a bump. CRACK.
Sometimes the stress from the movement, sometimes the impact of something
hard. Sometimes a small unnoticed stone chip in the winter...

The one thing I will advise is that you should not EVER let you insurance
company choose you place of repair/replacement. That is your choice. They
will try to schedule and may even make comments like "we can't guarantee
their work" or "they will charge you to much". That is a load of bull. They
just have a deal where the replacement company of their choice charges them
less, not you, just them. End of story. Some insurance carriers have their
"glass claims" calls answered by the repair/replacement company directly.
You may not even be calling you insurance company at all. Try asking them
who they work for on the line, NOT who they are answering for, but who the
person you are talking to works for. You may be in for a surprise.

Take a look at the DOT number on the logo of your glass. That is the actual
address of the maker of your glass. Every plant in the world has its own DOT
number if they are selling in the USA and no plant shares its number with
another plant. Your glass might have been replaced already on the lot. It
has happened. Vandalism, test drive stone chip, etc. You should shop around,
check the guarantees. Ask these questions. Years experience of the installer
that will work on you car. Certification. OEM glass? OEM adhesives? Your car
manufacturer states that a certain adhesive must be used due to tensile
strength, airbags, cure times, etc. Call the dealership and get that
information and match it with what you find out. An improper installation
can put your life at risk as well as cause serious damage to your car. Water
leaks can cause rust and electrical damage not to mention taking away from
the fore mentioned structural intregity of the vehicle. Your life, your
choice.

certainly

I know two people here locally whose windshield cracked when they turned on
the wiper heater in very cold temps. I stopped using mine. Never had a
crack. Could be coincidence.

 

[Mike]

Years ago I had to replace the w/s on my '82 GL due to sever pitting when
caught in a sandstorm. The replacement went fine, but about 2 years later
all the frame areas around the windshield began to rust and cancer real bad.
I assumed it was due to a poor install, allowing excessive water in. Should
this be a common concern or rather would one assume it was a poor install
whereas most are not? ...2 years later it's hard to file a claim against a
shoddy install for such a pricey repair job like that.

 

[Guido]

If the wiper blades are frozen to the windshield, break the wipers free
with your hands and not the wiper heater to avoid the glass cracking.
After the wipers are running, then apply the wiper heater. After all the
windshields are made of safety glass and not Pyrex glass. I believe the
purpose of the wiper heater is to keep the wipers from freezing up while
using the windshield washer in near or frezing weather so the blades can
make contact with and thouroughly clean the windshield when they are
operating and not in the static or at rest position.

If you want to see an exaggerated example of glass cracking, throw hot
water on a frozen windshield and then see what happens! I doubt no one
in their right mind would do this,........... but you get my point.

G

 

[Archangel]

Poor install.

They installers may have scraped the urethane completely off the pinchweld
and exposed the bare metal. A proper install does not remove all the
urethane but leaves a thin layer and they then reapply a new urethane on top
of the old one. If the metal is exposed they are supposed to use pinchweld
primers to cover the exposed surface. If the surface is exposed then it can
and will rust.

Also, if the incorrect molding or the old molding that goes around the
windshield was used that may have been allowing water in. Pretty sure bet
that the company that did the install charged your insurance company for a
new molding. Not all retail shops use them. They just show a bill saying
they bought it and then bill the insurance. Shortly later they return the
unused molding for credit. Some of the moldings are very low priced, costing
about $10 to $40 dollars each. Some cost over a hundred. Add it up. 5 to 8
windshields a day. 5 days a week. 52 weeks a year. Maybe 2 to 3 installers.
Nice addition to the bottom line????

 

[Bruce Helms]

Archangle - Thanks for the comprehensive reply! Great to have an expert
weigh-in - that's what I was hoping for! I don't believe the heater
(embedded) caused the crack, but it certainly was the factor that
accelerated it. I'll put a 'scope on the alledged origin and look for any
kind of surface defect, but at 4X I couldn't see anything. Until I do, I
suspect the defect is on the edge of the panel, directly below the "fork"
that the dealer is calling the chip. If I could see the broken edge of the
glass, I could tell the origin and direction of propagation for certain. My
comment about the stress comes from the fact that now that some specific
stress has been relieved, you can actually see what seems to be a distortion
between the sections of glass on the two side of the crack, like there's a
slight difference in the refraction - in the lower piece, what now passes
through appears to be "wavy", but still clear above the crack (??)

I'll report back...

PS - You with Guardian by any chance...?

PPS - I'll have the dealer do the replacement so there should be no question
about using the right materials and techniques. Allstate allows me to
choose, but I'm not sure whether they will even be a factor - I have $250
ded. on my comp...

 

[Archangel]

Be careful about going to the dealership also. The dealer normally uses the
company that is the most inexpensive. They do not do the work themselves.
That may not be the case at your dealership but all the ones I know about do
subcontract out their replacement work. Check who they use first and again
do the background check on them.