Recommendations for Rock Star in Windshield?

[myf16]

A semi truck threw a big rock into the center of my windshield last weekend. It left a star about 1.5 inches in diameter, below my line of sight to the road but maybe in the line of sight for a short driver.

I have read that OEM glass may no longer be available, and I'm uncertain whether the upper molding and other parts are available.

So:

1. Can I get OEM glass or not?

2. Should I go for the spot repair and keep my original ASAHI glass? The upper molding is in good shape because the car has been garaged full time in a temperate climate.

3. If I replace the glass, what parts do I need to pre-order? Are there any tricks to removing the interior and exterior moldings?

4. Who would do a careful job of the replacement in the SF Bay Area?

 

[imflipside]

I was able to order OEM glass from an Acura dealer for my '91 just a few weeks ago.
I'm in Canada and the windshield was imported from Honda Japan.
You'll need the glass and some trim (see attached).

 

[Aluminsx]

I had a similar thing happen a few years ago. I went the repair route because I did not want to have my windshield replaced with an aftermarket one. The repair is holding up well and is almost invisible. I'd try the repair first and if it's too big to be filled effectively then you'll have to replace. Good luck.

 

[myf16]

Thank you, imflipside.

My dealer says all the parts are available. I'm going to try for OEM glass. The crack is actually a little more than 2 inches tall. I expect the insurance company to cooperate after some discussion.

I can't figure out how the top two pieces (fastener and molding) fit in. Mine are in good shape. Should I re-use them? I think the glass shop will not order those parts in advance because NSX parts are often not returnable.

 

[Old Guy]

I had a similar experience, except it was a concrete truck merging onto the highway in front of me. It launched a large lump of something which left a large bulls eye in the lower right corner of my what until then was pretty much perfect glass. I did consider replacement because the bulls eye is quite large; however two factors made me choose the repair option. The first was that with the glass rider in my insurance coverage, repairs are $0 deductible with no effect on premiums. The second and deciding factor was that our regular vehicle is a 2003 Honda Pilot. It still has its original glass; however, it has had 6 or 7 glass repairs in 12 years. It seems with the amount of truck traffic that we have on our highways, rock hits are pretty common. It would really chafe my butt to spend the $ associated with glass replacement and collect another rock next year.

If your existing glass is in poor shape with lots of scratches, then you may have other reasons to consider replacement. If the glass is in reasonably good condition, I would seriously consider trying the repair. The company that did the repair for me guarantees the repair for as long as I own the car. If it fails, they have an arrangement with the insurance company that I just have to pay the deductible for the new glass and the repair shop absorbs the cost of the original repair, so the repair option has no cost risk for me.

 

[BamaFan]

Old Guy, can you still see the chip? I took mine in to have a chip filled, and they told me it would not diminish the appearance of the chip...just stop it from growing.

 

[Old Guy]

Unlike the hits on my Pilot windshield which I really have to search to find, I have no problem spotting the repair on my NSX. Whatever hit the glass took a fairly large chunk out of the outside surface. They filled in the outside surface as much as possible and polished it and it is definitely much less visible than before the repair; but, I do have an opaque dot about 3/16" in diameter at the site of the repair. Other people don't particularly notice it unless you point it out to them; however, I know where it is and have no trouble spotting it. It bugs me; but, that's life!

 

[jeffreygebhart]

I found a really tiny chip in the windshield recently, about the size of the head of a pin. Looks like it might be a good candidate for one of the do-it-yourself repair kits available at the autoparts stores. Has anyone ever tried this, and if so, how did it work out?

 

[Speedmaster]

Ambulance? TMZ?

Kidding! I couldn't resist the "rock star in windshield".

 

[Wavey1]

Just got a small chip from a gravel truck over the weekend, in my near-perfect OEM windshield. My insurance will cover replacement but I'm thinking that could open up a new can of worms, like poor quality replacement glass, leaks, trim damage, etc. I'll probably try the repair first. Damn I hate stuff like this.

 

[myf16]

Ambulance? TMZ?

Kidding! I couldn't resist the "rock star in windshield".

Actually it was Smash Mouth.

AAA agreed to buy me an OEM windshield. Maybe it was based on liking my business, but officially it was the fact that there is only one non-OEM supplier and the local NSXpert Don Lam had told me that the non-OEM windshields often don't fit right in the corners. That would result in AAA having to spend even more money than just buying the OEM in the first place.