Windshield - Too easy to get chips/ cracks.....Any experience

[bijlee]

Have an R1T 2024; developed a chip on a small suburban road- no construction vehicles in front of me. No idea where it came from. Has to get it filled so it wouldn’t spider. Never had chips before.

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[RDMD]

In my one year of ownership I’ve had two cracks that were able to be sealed in my R1S gen 1. I don’t think this is just a Rivian problem as Tesla’s windshields are also easily susceptible. Then again I live in California…take your pick

 

[bigsky]

Rivian windshield probably is on the soft side. So is Tesla windshield.
Have window tint on it to keep UV out.
Stopped fretting over windshield long ago. Purchased full glass coverage with no deductible. $152 per year. Total peace of mind for me. Already paid for itself with one of my Teslas.
I also have found that one good thing to keep rocks off your windshield is to keep a good distance away from cars in front of you.

 

[R1Thor]

I had xpel done on my front windshield and believe it definitely helped with a stone that nailed me on the highway. Small dent, but no cracking, although without the same thing hitting a windshield without xpel, we'd never know for sure...

I think a lot of this is for people coming from more regular 'cars' where the angle of the windshield is less than the Rivian. I came from a jeep wrangler, which is even more 'upright' and closer to 90 degrees, and I used to have to replace that sucker every year. It's the angle of the impact, more than anything else imo. Colorado roads are covered in stones, so it's just a matter of time here. You can get additional insurance for it if you're concerned.

I'll second this. STEK DynoShield and I've been NAILED by rocks, peppered by road debris especially in roadwork areas, and have to drive 50 miles of highway (one way) to work at least 2 days/week. I've had all kinds of cracks, chips, and divots in my previous vehicles, which where lower to the ground and had better slanted windshields (Subaru STi, Volvo V60). I was concerned about having a truck with a more vertical windscreen (higher cross sectional area, vertically).

All of those impacts, and my windscreen itself is in perfect condition. (Knock on all the wood!!)

 

[Noah Arc]

We need Project Farm to do a windshield protection film test. The package states 'protects windshields from rock chips, road debris and cracks' .. "We're gonna test that!"

After my THIRD replacement (yes I'm on my fourth windshield...read my past posts) I've installed an exterior protection film called ExoShield. So far its working well.

 

[Luc Lavigne]

Bonjour à tous,

J'ai un R1S de première génération 2024 et je l'utilise depuis 6 mois. J'ai remarqué que mon pare-brise avant avait déjà 2 éclats, ce qui, selon moi, n'aurait pas dû se produire. Il se pourrait que les deux fois, ils aient été heurtés à un angle spécifique et à l'extrémité pointue par des pierres, mais je n'ai jamais eu une expérience similaire au cours de mes nombreuses années de conduite sur des routes similaires. Je me demande quelle est la qualité du pare-brise ?

Je voudrais juste savoir si quelqu’un d’autre a rencontré un problème similaire ?

Merci
[/CITATION]

 

[SwampNut]

I expect the Rivian to chip less than most, because of the angle and the shape of the front of the vehicle. My Jeep was the worst; straight up glass that had very little angle. It's a well known problem with them. The Tesla was fine too, never got any damage at all.

I tried a windhield film and it was awful. Never fully clear, and then got a little hazed and was easily scratched by using the wipers to clean the windshield on trips. I took it off after three months.

 

[Upland]

Two and a half years and no chips, cracks, etc. Google Federal safety standards for passenger vehicle glass. Every manufacturer has to meet those standards, so there really is nothing different about Rivian glass. Chips and cracks just happen.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Confirmation bias. We're saying it happens "a lot" because we're in a Rivian forum, and there are a lot of threads about it. Same as if I went to my Chevy truck forum and looked for threads about blown engines. Every day. Does that mean Chevy trucks engines fail more frequently than other manufacturers? On second thought, don't answer that, LOL.

Regardless, agree that safe following distance is key. And probably also speed is a factor. If you follow close but are stuck in stop & go traffic all day, vs flying down a highway tailgating dump trucks. Slow it down, folks. Just because you paid for all that horsepower doesn't mean you need to *use* all that horsepower every day.

 

[Ingo B]

I got a chip that was right at the frunk horizon, so I never saw it until it spidered big time, and even then, two of the three legs were parallel to said horizon. I only happened to see it while walking back to my truck with the sun hitting it just right. Had it replaced via Satellite. $50 co-pay with Geico. Pretty painless.

I drove a Ridgeline from 2006-2022, and never had a chip. Could be that it was not a fast truck so the whole speed thing makes a lot of sense.

 

[NY_Rob]

I expect the Rivian to chip less than most, because of the angle and the shape of the front of the vehicle. My Jeep was the worst; straight up glass that had very little angle. It's a well known problem with them.

Just curious, how much was the replacement?
Wrangler windshield is a tiny flat piece of glass with no sensors or cameras involved so no "recalibration" necessary afterward. I know Rivian is $1,600 and it's a huge windshield compared to the Wrangler.

 

[mcclajb]

I'll second this. STEK DynoShield and I've been NAILED by rocks, peppered by road debris especially in roadwork areas, and have to drive 50 miles of highway (one way) to work at least 2 days/week. I've had all kinds of cracks, chips, and divots in my previous vehicles, which where lower to the ground and had better slanted windshields (Subaru STi, Volvo V60). I was concerned about having a truck with a more vertical windscreen (higher cross sectional area, vertically).

All of those impacts, and my windscreen itself is in perfect condition. (Knock on all the wood!!)

Has the film developed any haze or noticeable streaks?

 

[R1Thor]

Has the film developed any haze or noticeable streaks?

Not at all.

I was instructed by my installers never to do a 'dry wipe,' and with that advice (only ever using it when it's actively precipitating or when using the washer fluid), it's been perfectly fine. It also has the self-healing properties of PPF in general, so even if I manage to scuff it a bit when really trying to clean the windscreen, it seems to heal perfectly well in the sun.

I had 2 issues: the first was that it didn't 'set' properly--it was supposed to take about 2 weeks, but when I saw a bit of optical distortion in my direct line of sight, I took it back and my installer tore it of and reinstalled a fresh sheet, which cured properly.
The second is that I did get a tiny bit of edge peal around the top, but it was so minute, I just cut it with a razor blade and peeled the peel off to prevent it from propagating any more, and it's been fine ever since (that was almost 6 months ago now).

It does seem to smear a bit worse than glass (because it's not glass...) when it does come to bug splatter and bird droppings, but it cleans off just fine.

 

[mcclajb]

Not at all.

I was instructed by my installers never to do a 'dry wipe,' and with that advice (only ever using it when it's actively precipitating or when using the washer fluid), it's been perfectly fine. It also has the self-healing properties of PPF in general, so even if I manage to scuff it a bit when really trying to clean the windscreen, it seems to heal perfectly well in the sun.

I had 2 issues: the first was that it didn't 'set' properly--it was supposed to take about 2 weeks, but when I saw a bit of optical distortion in my direct line of sight, I took it back and my installer tore it of and reinstalled a fresh sheet, which cured properly.
The second is that I did get a tiny bit of edge peal around the top, but it was so minute, I just cut it with a razor blade and peeled the peel off to prevent it from propagating any more, and it's been fine ever since (that was almost 6 months ago now).

It does seem to smear a bit worse than glass (because it's not glass...) when it does come to bug splatter and bird droppings, but it cleans off just fine.

Good to hear. I considered this when I first got my R1S, but I wasn’t confident enough to pull the trigger. I’m now on my second windshield and have been driving around with a massive crack for months. I have no deductible, full windshield coverage, but I don’t want to keep using it and cause my rates to skyrocket. Now, I’m back to considering STEK. Thanks for the info.

 

[JustPokingAround]

Hello everyone,

I have a First Gen 2024 R1S and have been using it for the last 6 months. I have noticed that, my front wind shield already has 2 chips from what I feel shouldn't have happened. It could be that, both times they were hit at a specific angle and sharp end to it the stones, but never had similar experience of the same in many many years of my driving on the similar roads. Makes me wonder the quality of the wind shield?

I just want to know, whether someone else have experienced similar concern?

Thank you

Yup. Several chips in mine. Waiting for my service appt to get it replaced. Fortunately I have full glass coverage.

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