Joined the Gladiator cracked window club

[Gvsukids]

Yep... mine decided to crack Monday night as I slept. I know there wasn't a crack when I parked at home for the night... woke up Tuesday morning with a 6" crack diagonal from the upper drivers corner smack in the middle of my view. At least this second windshield lasted longer than the first one did... 2 months for the first, and almost 2 years for the second...

There's probably a chip somewhere.

Hadn't noticed the two line cracks until after I posted this. See now it's spread to the edge.
The line under the wiper is just glare from the canopy @ Sheetz. No damage there.
I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do a simple repair. Not really wanting to have to wait on a replacement or have to pay safelite to come out again. Was filling up my tank and that took enough of my dough.

If the crack can not be covered with a dollar bill, then they will replace the windshield.

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[4xjeepr]

There's probably a chip somewhere.


If the crack can not be covered with a dollar bill, then they will replace the windshield.

A dollar will cover this however, it goes to the very bottom edge of the glass. Biggest question I guess is will a repair suffice. I'll find out Friday.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

There's probably a chip somewhere.

In almost every case........ yes. I've seen it where the crack actually hid the original pin-point nick or chip that started it all. You had to really have the glass clean, and use a flashlight and get up really close, but there it was. Once you found it, then you could see there from that spot, the crack wasn't 100% perfectly straight emanating from that teeny chip.
I have some chips so small you can't see them unless the glass is spotless and the sun hits them just right - those are where I figured my crack would start from instead it happened with a new huge SMACK (we never saw the projectile, couldn't figure out what hit us)

From a glass company:

The rule of thumb: If you have chips larger than a quarter or cracks longer than 3.5 inches, plan to get a new windshield. Take note that even smaller cracks and chips that are extremely deep may not be fixable.

Deep cracks or chips that penetrate clear through the outer layer into the resin layer - those are different animals.

A company that makes the resins used in repairs say that rule is too general and they challenged Safelite in court.
Their contention is the opposite of what one might think - they say "depending" there are times a crack that is larger could be repaired.

(I didn't take time to find out the outcome, but I'd guess that some of it depends on where the crack is - for example, having salvaged a few windshields from classic cars, and removed and reinstalled a few - a crack at the edge generally means good bye. You nick that edge and it's history because of the stress you've just released. .....But see what the company that has to cover it with their guarantee says!!!!)

I'll be waiting for the outcome of this one for sure. Safelite fixed a small chip on my new SX4 windshield several years ago. A crack had already just started to form by the time they arrived. You can see the crack when the light is just right, but it's holding fine, thank goodness as there aren't any glass people that know how to replace glass in classic cars using the correct materials, and the ones that try always butcher something.

 

[JD721]

I joined the club 3 days after purchase. Montana roads are horrible so I'm told... moved here in Dec 21. I think I have at least 5 or 6 impacts and cracks all over, but thankfully not in my view. Rare to see a jeep or truck for that matter here without a crack in it. My wife has a 21' Wrangler, Gorilla glass cracked when we moved here from KC in Dec. Temps or was already a crack on the lower edge, first time in the teens, cracks, then an impact which to it's credit has not spread. Thankfully hers will be covered by Gorilla Glass warranty. I just bought a insurance rider for $50 glass breaks. Gorilla glass or not, it's gonna get cracked.

 

[4xjeepr]

I'd be interested in what they say - if nothing else, to let them say what they can or can't do.

As I feared, Safelite said since the crack runs to the edge of the glass, it is something they can't repair. Only option is replacement. He did say if the crack hadn't run to the edge, he could have done the repair and would have had no concern with it.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I'm on this thread somewhere. Safelite wanted an exorbitant amount to replace mine. I don't remember exactly but I think it was like $850!! I would have done it too as I've never had a broken windshield on any car before in my life BUT... apparently Jeeps are subject to this over and over. Why spend more if it's likely it'll just happen again?

I called a local place and had non Mopper glass installed for $400. NO, my insurance would not cover it.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

So are Jeep windshields just trash?

I don't think Jeep windshields are any more "trash" than any other manufacturer's windshield. What is bad is the dead flat design which doesn't allow a rock or whatever to hit slightly askew and NOT break the glass.

The fantasy that Jeeps are still WWII Jeeps-connected keeps them from making a windshield with a curve.

I'm certain Jeep know EXACTLY how much curve it would take to drastically reduce this tendency and they have done customer research that says us Jeep owners would be up in arms at a "Jeep" with other than a flat one.

 

[4xjeepr]

I'm on this thread somewhere. Safelite wanted an exorbitant amount to replace mine. I don't remember exactly but I think it was like $850!! I would have done it too as I've never had a broken windshield on any car before in my life BUT... apparently Jeeps are subject to this over and over. Why spend more if it's likely it'll just happen again?

I called a local place and had non Mopper glass installed for $400. NO, my insurance would not cover it.

After my appointment today I contacted my insurance company which redirected me to safelite. A replacement for me (non oem) is $469.00 installed. Lower than my deductible. This is my second rock hit in a year. Gonna leave it for now and live with it. Might replace it later on if this new one dramatically expands. My previous 06 LJ had a chip in it when I bought it and never got worse. We'll see how it goes.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

As I feared, Safelite said since the crack runs to the edge of the glass, it is something they can't repair. Only option is replacement. He did say if the crack hadn't run to the edge, he could have done the repair and would have had no concern with it.

Rats, ya know there are actually times I hate it when my hunches are right.
I'd much rather learn something or be updated with new methods.
So if not for that, if it had stopped short of the edge, you'd have a repair and I think they have some sort of warranties on their repairs. Well that's a bummer. But it does confirm they can deal with some pretty hefty damage - that's good news for some others, I suspect.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I don't think Jeep windshields are any more "trash" than any other manufacturer's windshield. What is bad is the dead flat design which doesn't allow a rock or whatever to hit slightly askew and NOT break the glass.

The fantasy that Jeeps are still WWII Jeeps-connected keeps them from making a windshield with a curve.

I'm certain Jeep know EXACTLY how much curve it would take to drastically reduce this tendency and they have done customer research that says us Jeep owners would be up in arms at a "Jeep" with other than a flat one.

It's like any projectile - could be a rock, bullet, pellet, BB, baseball, whatever, a direct hit means the object's energy is mostly transferred or absorbed by the glass (or a boxer's fist on a face). A glancing blow, the projectile retains some of that energy.
Or think of pool balls - direct hit on a ball by the cue ball, the cue ball transfers more energy to the target ball. A glancing blow the cue ball keeps most of its energy, little is transferred.
So just leaning the glass back would be a big help, or curves to the side would allow hits on the outer 1/4s of the glass to survive by taking less of a direct hit.
More angle, less energy transfer.

Physics, wish I had retained even half of what I learned.
It's extremely easy for someone who has retained their smarts to figure it out, sample projectile mass, sample speeds, gives them the energy, they could figure out how much would be lost at a given angle.

 

[4xjeepr]

Rats, ya know there are actually times I hate it when my hunches are right.
I'd much rather learn something or be updated with new methods.
So if not for that, if it had stopped short of the edge, you'd have a repair and I think they have some sort of warranties on their repairs. Well that's a bummer. But it does confirm they can deal with some pretty hefty damage - that's good news for some others, I suspect.

You are exactly right. I had my fingers crossed. Yes, he said if it hadn't spread to the edge he wouldn't of had a problem doing the repair and it would have been easily repairable. They do have a warranty on their work. I have a copy with my paperwork from last year's repair. Time will tell what happens so I'll live with it until something happens where I HAVE to replace it.

 

[redman43]

11 months and 9k miles and I am now a card carrying member of the cracked windshield club. ??

On the way home from work last night heard a loud BANG. Didn’t see anything until I got home.

Impact was about an inch up from the bottom edge, just outboard of the drivers wiper. The crack is about 5 inches right now, running down to the bottom edge and up into my field of view.

 

[Free2roam]

No longer a member. Thanks to Safelite and factory glass I get my Jeep badge on my windshield again. See how long this one lasts.

 

[Von1992]

After 1.5 years I am finally able to say I am part of this club now. Had minor chips but nothing noticeable.

A family member had a similar crack on their windshield and had it professionally sealed. Not too noticeable from the outside but from the inside, it’s clear as day.

The chip/crack on my windshield is right about the steering wheel, so right in the middle of my field of view. Replacing it seems like the best option at the moment due to visibility concerns.

My dealer sprayed “Zuridium” on the entire Gladiator and has “lifetime” warranty that I do not believe will cover this large of a crack, but worth a shot. If the warranty doesn’t cover the repair, I’ll have to decide if I want to replace it with a OEM windshield, Mopar GG, or the HGP windshield.
Been reading a few posts and it appears the Mopar GG isn’t worth the money, but have heard great reviews for the HGP windshield.

Does anyone have any input on which windshield I should get if warranty is unable to cover it?

 

[dos0711]

Two things I believe they lightened to a fault...brake rotors and windshields

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