Cracking a Windshield?

[gbyler]

Have any of you out there seen an undamaged windshield get broken in a tunnel? The car wash was washed without incident and the lady came back (a little suspicious) 30 minutes later with a cracked windshield. I have seen a crack get bigger, usually hot windshield and cold water sprayed / or cold windshield and hot water, but never seen a windshield damaged without prior damage to the glass. New one on me. My cameras are not aimed at windshields so I don't have a clear shot of the vehicles windshield prior to us washing.

Any of you out there have any ideas?

 

[Danny]

Most of my customers have told me that they will not entertain a suspicious claim on damage if the customer leaves the lot and returns later. How do you know it happened at your location if they left?

I have heard that replaced windshields can crack if it is not fitted properly or rarely but it is possible (I have been told) in severely extreme conditions of high heat and cold cold water usually to have the glass break. Still extremely rare. In my opinion even in these cases there is probably a tiny fracture in the glass that went unnoticed and was over shadowed in the break.

 

[soapy]

I had a brand new Dodge Magnum go through one of my touchless IBA last summer and the windsheild cracked when the warm presoak (120 degrees) hit the windsheild. It was the middle of summer on a 95 degree day. He wanted me to replace it but told him it was a stress crack from improper installation and that th dealer would take care of it. The dealer did take care of it. A friend of mine has a windshield shop and says he sees this on occasion on brand new windsheilds. His supplier takes care of them when this happens which he runs into a few times per year.

 

[tn carwash]

had two windshields crack within a month in a soft cloth. mither only thing that touched the windshield. the cold water rinse did it on a 90 degree day one had a small nick in it before the crack. the police lt. was real nice about it, it was his official police car.

 

[Buzzie8]

My own truck had a small nick in the window for almost a year, recently when the weather warmed up the crack began after running through my iba. Continued to grow each time I went in afterwards. I knew I should've got that nick fixed sooner!

 

[Earl Weiss]

If the crack starts at the edge, it is a stress crack. This has statrted before the ash and not seen. It grew to where it was seen due to temp change

Go to this site http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1997/November/05.html, print copies of the article and keep them on hand. Give it t any customers with an issue. ICA has stuff to, but these guys are well known and not related to the car wash industry.

 

[supersuds]

There usually is an impact mark in the window. There usually is a mark on the hood in front of it where a rock hit the hood and came up to the windshied. I have never had a customer argue when I show them this.

 

[Chiefs]

If it was a replacement windshield, it could have been installed wrong and a stress crack developed but not by anything you did. Check and see if it is her original windshield. Also if you can trace the crack back to an impact point or a star, then washing it could have caused the star to turn into a crack and run.

 

[Scottswashandlube]

glass is an extremely strong material, unless you have a major malfunction in your wash there is no way soft cloth on a mitter can crack glass.Earl is right on in that you can usually see where the crack originated from, usually a small stone chip.I will never pay to replace a windshield.