Neils Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I have had my 2019 Ford Transit Connect about 2 months and I live in Florida and don’t travel highways and I have 3 or 4 chips in my windshield I have under 3,000 miles anyone else have ing this concern thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 The 1st week I owned mine, I got a big divot. More followed. That is just the luck of the draw......maybe. Or it could be the angle of the windshield. Glass repair shops can fill the rock chips. Repair shops use a fill material which is suppose to be better than what you can buy over the counter. Any auto repair shop can sell you a very expensive little tube of repair material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neils Posted September 5, 2019 Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 I worked ford Ford dealers in CT and never seen this kind of a concern up north and it should be with there winters, but no excuse down here in Florida ?? something don’t seem right? Can wait to see if anyone else is having this concern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcconvert Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 I bought my van at the end of 2016 (21,000 mi.). It's windscreen is more pitted than on any vehicle I have ever owned. Position a massive amount of glass like this low down to the road and pitting is inevitable. I have had several large craters repaired, but there's nothing I can do about the hundreds of tiny pits that abound. Stones that might hit the bumper or grill of a pickup go straight into the windscreen of the TC! I drive primarily on paved roads and freeways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 Okay. My windshield was struck by roadway debris. Rocks. Pebbles. Gravel. From the driver's seat, I actually saw the object fly up and hit the windshield. I have seen a lot of debris strike the windshield while driving. Only a few pieces actually caused damage. Damage which was repaired by filling. Are we on the same page? Are you guys talking about the windshield damaged by objects on the road bouncing up and hitting the windshield? Or is there another factor to your windshield damage.? Do you think it has to do with the design of the van aerodynamics, the angle of the windshield, quality of the autoglass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neils Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 I think it could be a little of everything quality of the glass, the part I don’t get is I don’t do highway driving yet. I am going to make a trip north in a few weeks it’s going to be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 Tape the windshield like they do in Hong Kong to prepare windows for a typhoon. Window tint film works also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neils Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 Interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Nickels Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 I have been thinking about tinting the windshield and front windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanger_missle Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 I bought my 2015 TC in March of this year with 108k miles on it. The windshield is absolutely sand blasted. There is a 4 ft crack due to a rock strike. I think the shape, size and angle of the windshields in these vans makes them vulnerable to rock strikes. The only other vehicle I have owned that suffered from numerous rock strikes was my Jeep Wrangler. That thing was a rock magnet. I plan on getting the windshield replaced (Florida policy covers glass) and then getting it tinted with clear ceramic tint to try and control the heat. I'd like to get a tint strip on the top as well but I'm not sure if they can do it in conjunction with the clear tint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidparker Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Yep mine gets hit a lot. It seems like it occurs more often above 50 mph, so I suspect aerodynamics plays a part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Sometimes it is just odds. @ 50 or faster, tires are spinning faster and kicking up more debris. Those objects also strike harder. I drive over 1000 miles a week in my company car. I get a new windshield 1 - 3 times a year. Accounting noticed 3 windshields in a year. I can also drive all year without a rock strike. In my Transit Connect, I have had 3 or 4 with 1 needing filler. My truck is an 07, with original windshield. I had a Wrangler that got rock chips every few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooner Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 On 9/8/2019 at 10:01 AM, stanger_missle said: I bought my 2015 TC in March of this year with 108k miles on it. The windshield is absolutely sand blasted. There is a 4 ft crack due to a rock strike. I think the shape, size and angle of the windshields in these vans makes them vulnerable to rock strikes. The only other vehicle I have owned that suffered from numerous rock strikes was my Jeep Wrangler. That thing was a rock magnet. I plan on getting the windshield replaced (Florida policy covers glass) and then getting it tinted with clear ceramic tint to try and control the heat. I'd like to get a tint strip on the top as well but I'm not sure if they can do it in conjunction with the clear tint. I have clear ceramic tint on the inside of mine and it makes a giant difference. Like everyone else here I have had a lot of bad luck with windshields too and I’m in need of another. Because they break so easily I am waiting longer between changing them because in Missouri there isn’t glass coverage so you pay your full deductible for a windshield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Tint goes on the inside, so I don't know why that would help with preventing rock chips. I've heard of a special coating that can be applied to the outside of windshields that fills in all the micro surface imperfections on glass and thus prevents small rocks and such from causing damage. The professional treatment runs a few hundred dollars, so I haven't looked up anyone to do it. But, doing some Google searching, I see there are DIY kits available, too. Something like this one - I may have to try this out soon, it would probably help make bug removal easier, too. I have to clean my windshield weekly because it gets too hard to see through the dead bug guts, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 7 hours ago, jrm223 said: Tint goes on the inside, so I don't know why that would help with preventing rock chips. Absolutely correct. The only thing that the tint film will do, is maybe hold onto the glass to keep it from collapsing completely, if a large enough object strikes it. In theory, if an object breaks or shatters the windshield, the tint film will be like a big piece of tape holding all of the glass together - maybe. As opposed to shattered, shards of glass going everywhere. It will make for easier cleanup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) The front windshield is a three piece safety glass which makes the glass stay in-place when broken. It will not stop a 2X4 or a heavy rock but will provide more protection. The Side windows are tempered glass are designed to crumble on impact . That is why car safety tools have a carbide point hammer function. None of this helps with the deductible! Edited October 8, 2019 by G B L jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 GBL beat me to it; windshields are laminated already, but the composite is in the middle of two layers of glass. So, you still get some tiny shards when a windshield gets shattered. Tint or clear ceramic would hold those tiny shards, at least. Plus, ceramic tint (or even clear) is the best thing you can get for reducing heat inside the vehicle and it makes a much bigger difference than exterior paint color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Just got a quote to replace TC windshield at Safelite for $709 due to a rock strike. Is this normal? Sounds high to me. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Get a different quote. Go to an independent shop which doesn't have tv commercials, and layers of people above the installer who all need to be paid from his labor. OLDSCHOOLFOOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 12 minutes ago, Fifty150 said: Get a different quote. Go to an independent shop which doesn't have tv commercials, and layers of people above the installer who all need to be paid from his labor. I get that. Just used the VIN number and the quote drops to $399. Apparently there is an electric defroster option I thought I have but do NOT. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I had Safelite come to me to do my windshield because their nearest location is about an hour away from me. Paid them right around $400 or so, probably closer to $425 with tax and such, back in Nov 2017 I think it was. Mine is the base model XL cargo, no inside mirror even. Local glass shop had quoted me higher than Safelite, but I'm also in rural Texas halfway between Fort Worth, Abilene & Wichita Falls (middle of the triangle, lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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