Usually, when a windshield develops a crack, the cause was a rock or something else hard that struck the glass. This typically happens while the car is traveling along the road if another vehicle kicks up stones, or if stones fly off a dump truck or a flatbed trailer hauling construction equipment. Sometimes, however, a windshield becomes cracked for no apparent reason, resulting in a need for Car Glass Replacement. Why does this happen?
Stress Cracks vs. Impact Cracks
These types of flaws are technically known as stress cracks, as they are not caused by an impact. They usually start at an edge of the windshield, another difference from an impact crack. They tend to spread quickly, which makes them impossible to repair. In contrast, impact damage often starts as a chip that can be filled in by an auto glass technician to prevent a crack from forming.
Manufacturer Issues
To the vehicle owner, stress cracks are both aggravating and mysterious. A technician who does Car Glass Replacement can explain the possible causes. Sometimes the installation was not done properly. The adhesive pressure may be weaker on one part of the glass, for example.
Sometimes the windshield itself is inherently defective due to something going wrong during the manufacturing process. There may have been weak points along the edge resulting from the strengthening process, known as annealing, not being effective.
Trying to verify these circumstances is essentially impossible. That means the vehicle owner can’t expect the manufacturer to pay for the replacement.
Temperature Effects
Sudden changes in extreme temperature can cause stress cracks, although this is less common. For example, blowing cold air conditioning on a hot windshield could have this result. Blowing hot defroster air onto an icy windshield could also cause a crack. This does not happen often because the cool and warm air blowing on the glass usually reach those levels gradually.
Fortunately, windshield replacement by a company such as Auto Glass Factory is relatively inexpensive compared with many other vehicle repairs. In many cases, the owner’s automotive insurance will pay for the replacement without the cost being affected by the deductible. Visit Autoglassfactoryaz.com for details. You can like them on Facebook.
