Windshield glass is trash

[HarisonAltDelete]

I've previously read several comments re the windshield glass and when my 1st windshield got a 10" crack from small pebble in Month 2 of ownership, I chalked it up to bad luck. But now in month 6 of ownership and windshield #2 cracked from a smaller than small, barely bigger than a grain of sand @ 60mph, the glass is crap!

Having had many vehicles hit by rocks, stones, pebbles, etc and not getting cracks for decades and now taking two tiny hits that result in large cracks is not bad luck but bad glass.

And this is an adventure vehicle? Not when any little particle will result in failure of your windshield! @Rivian, you gotta do better!

I have a G63 with 18k miles. I'm on my fourth windshield which is also currently cracked. This crack happened at 20 mph from a small pebble stuck in a trucks tire. My windshields cost $3100 each to replace.. wholesale.

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[bd5400]

I think it's just more of an "upright windshield" kinda thing. I have a 2021 Bronco, and, oh boy, the forums were going nuts regarding broken glass for months.

My '97 Jeep went through windshields like candy.

Same with the Defender. I've seen lots of forum posts complaining about the windshield glass and people wanting to file class actions because it cracks so easily.

The difference is that many Defenders have fully heated windshields with small wires running throughout the glass. Definitely a pricier replacement compared to a normal glass windshield.

 

[hayduke]

got a noticeable rock chip after 3k miles (car passing me at high speed kicked up a rock)

after a snowstorm i came out to the truck and there’s a 6 inch hairline crack. maybe a piece of ice.

could be worse. my friend with a model y is on his 3rd glass roof of the season. first 2 got moon cratered by ice/snow falling from a tree while parked.

i’m even more nervous the roof will get destroyed.

when i got the windshield chip repaired the guy told me i was lucky it could be repaired because there were no windshields he could order. not sure if that was his issue or rivian doesn’t have extra windshields.

 

[CascadianApe]

The glass is indeed complete trash. It's very very soft and pits extremely fast. If you live anywhere the roads are sanded good luck!

 

[CascadianApe]

FYI if you live in WA you have the option for $0 glass deductible!

 

[Arky]

*My* 4Runner has 23 years of tough use and I need to get a new windshield every two or three years. IMO this has more to do with the angle of the windshield rather than the quality of the glass.

That's a lot easier to stomach when the windshield isn't $1800.

These things break, but it's *glass*, glass isn't that expensive, the cost of repairing a wear item can't be that high if this is going to be sustainable. If I lose a windshield every 2 years it blows out whatever I was saving on gas before (from a not-too-efficient car either.)

 

[tbolts10]

I'm very interested in the windshield protection films. Any experience here?

My truck had 2 cracks in less than 2k miles. Rivian actually replaced it for free (idk why) but I always tint my windshield so I don't want to be out 250 bucks for tint every time it cracks.

 

[Zybane]

Rivian insurance costs are going to keep going up due to this garbage glass.

 

[FL_EV]

I am on my third windshield on my R1T In 10 months. Since I live almost 2 hours away from the nearest SC I had my tint/PPF vendor install glass protection film on the exterior of the windshield. After 1 month it has absorbed 2 rocks with only a little nick in the film. Like others have mentioned, I now avoid large trucks on the highway like the plague. Coincidentally, I have driven the same roads with my wife’s Tesla Model Y with no such bad luck.

 

[brancky3]

That's a lot easier to stomach when the windshield isn't $1800.

These things break, but it's *glass*, glass isn't that expensive, the cost of repairing a wear item can't be that high if this is going to be sustainable. If I lose a windshield every 2 years it blows out whatever I was saving on gas before (from a not-too-efficient car either.)

Is glass insurance a thing where you live? I've never paid for a windshield in any of my vehicles out of pocket.

 

[iansriv]

We need better quality domestic sourcing. Depending on potentially unfriendly countries for sourcing parts is not a good long-term strategy.

 

[mwexler2]

I don't think this is just a Rivian thing. Talking to non-Rivian owners and looking to my own roughly 60 years driving experience, well, to use an old guy phrase, they just don't seem to make window glass as tough as it used to be. There may be reasons for this (heated windshield, maybe), but boy, if there were an option for bullet-proof glass, I might just go there.

Elon has (or will have eventually), a truck for you. Just don’t hit it with a sledgehammer before getting hit by a rock.
Just watch out for curbs. Apparently it’s better with rocks than curbs.

 

[Arky]

Is glass insurance a thing where you live? I've never paid for a windshield in any of my vehicles out of pocket.

Insurance isn't a solution to excessive costs - my issue is not that I can't afford a windshield replacement, it's that needing one at that price isn't economical. If anything concealing the costs behind insurance allows them to balloon out of control more easily because there's less 'sticker shock' at a fix.

If I pay for insurance to do it they're just passing the cost of this onto me averaged across the pool. That average will be high and it will reflect in our insurance costs. For what it's worth I don't think I've seen a 0 deductible glass option on any of my insurance here (CO) because I probably would have picked it.

 

[brancky3]

Insurance isn't a solution to excessive costs - my issue is not that I can't afford a windshield replacement, it's that needing one at that price isn't economical. If anything concealing the costs behind insurance allows them to balloon out of control more easily because there's less 'sticker shock' at a fix.

If I pay for insurance to do it they're just passing the cost of this onto me averaged across the pool. That average will be high and it will reflect in our insurance costs. For what it's worth I don't think I've seen a 0 deductible glass option on any of my insurance here (CO) because I probably would have picked it.

Of course, insurance is a trade off one way or another. When I lived in Michigan my glass insurance deductible was $100 and basically everywhere would waive that anyway, so nothing out of pocket. South Carolina guarantees windshield replacement at no charge so long as you have an active comprehensive coverage, so I guess I'm lucky

 

[ATL_Canes]

I just joined the club - got a small chip yesterday. Is it worth patching with one of those repair kits? I've never dealt with this before.

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