Model S Windshield cracks

[cdswm3]

My X developed THREE cracks the same way. They didn't repair it under warranty, but when I insisted they covered it under "goodwill". It was $1,400. I think it's funny they thought three cracks could simultaneously happen from stone chipping.

Once you get one crack, there is stress in the glass than can result in other cracks occurring. Not that unusual.

 

[3mp_kwh]

Crack pictured. There is no chip, and it is to be covered by Safe lite Autoglass, after they line up the second replacement w/in a year (first being a stone). My wife said she was using defrost, when it happened. 2016 MS

The problem is that the windshield defroster resistive heat comes on immediately full blast onto a cold glass. It wouldn't take any "gained institutional knowledge" for a simple software tweak to either first heat the interior to gradually warm up the windshield or let the defroster heat warm up gradually.

Accessing defrost is a safety feature, that I believe helped turn the MCU issues into a recall. Similarly, for all cars I believe defrost has to work in a certain amount of time. What I wonder is if "gained institutional knowledge", here, suggests EVs may suffer from doing it too fast. Where ICE cars may be allowed to warm-up, EVs could be throwing XXKW onto cold glass? -sheer speculation.

 

[gnuarm]

Once you get one crack, there is stress in the glass than can result in other cracks occurring. Not that unusual.

Actually, I think it is a bit unusual. The windshield had snow/ice on the bottom third. The cracks were all on the bottom third from the bottom upward, spaced feet apart. I'm pretty sure this is all about the temperature difference and not one crack causing another.

 

[auto]

What’s the consensus? My model S is arriving in two weeks and I will be parking my car outside in winter weather. If preheating from the app (or otherwise getting into a cold car), do not use front defroster on high heat setting until the cabin has warmed up?

 

[gnuarm]

What’s the consensus? My model S is arriving in two weeks and I will be parking my car outside in winter weather. If preheating from the app (or otherwise getting into a cold car), do not use front defroster on high heat setting until the cabin has warmed up?

I suggest the opposite. Early on fire that sucker up when the windshield is the coldest and try to crack it. They are supposed to make the glass to not break under normal use and this is normal use. Some people never have the problem, so defrost crack the windshields until you get one that doesn't break. I should be covered under warranty, no? If you wait and they can show a chip that started the crack, they won't pay.

BTW, how do you turn on the preconditioning without the defrosters? My phone doesn't show the front part of the car. The only thing that I can control are the steering wheel heater and seats.

 

[3mp_kwh]

.... defrost crack the windshields until you get one that doesn't break.

Sounds reasonable, LOL. In the case of my photo above, it was to be warranted but they came back saying a special measurement device detected a chip within the glass layers. ....It all comes out of the collective Tesla insurance hide.

If you don't go with the crack program, I'd avoid trying to melt ice off your windshield. Easy for me to say. We're mostly garaged.

 

[gnuarm]

Sounds reasonable, LOL. In the case of my photo above, it was to be warranted but they came back saying a special measurement device detected a chip within the glass layers. ....It all comes out of the collective Tesla insurance hide.

If you don't go with the crack program, I'd avoid trying to melt ice off your windshield. Easy for me to say. We're mostly garaged.

What does that mean, "a chip within the glass layers"? A stone chip in the window has to be on the outside. If they have a "special" measuring device, I think they need to show that to you. Sounds like the BS they gave me when I complained the windshield they installed was distorted. They claimed to have an optical test they performed and found the glass to be "within spec". Pure BS.