Windshield Stone Chip

[WheresMyKeys]

Well... that didn't take long. 4 or 5 weeks? Got on the highway this morning and.... THWAP.

At least it's right of center, not near the edge, and not in front of the sensors. This'll be easy I thought.

What I didn't expect was glass shops not wanting to touch a Tesla for a basic chip repair. At least not around where I am at work or home. It took me 5 calls to find a place that said if it's within size limits we'll fix, without any drama.

Had 2 places near my work offer to do it, but cash only no receipt and no warranty only. Me = no thanks. 2 other places were straight up no Tesla's, at all, for anything. Including one excellent auto glass chain location that I've used multiple times previously. 5th place is another glass repair chain near my house and were willing to book it for tomorrow based on what I told them.

He explained a little, told me that here (Ontario, Canada) the only place to get the glass is through Tesla and it's a nightmare. Some shops won't touch them even for a repair on the remote possibility that it cracks during repair. They don't want the liability. He said they'll look at it first and if they think that's a possibility they'll discuss with me first. I really appreciated the talk, the information, and the offer to help.

I mean I get it, but the glass itself is just a standard windshield in terms of chips and repair and this isn't in front of the sensors or anything sensitive.

End rant LOL. Issue isn't with Tesla (I don't think?) just the first real ownership hurdle.

I was super close to trying one of the DIY kits but will happily take a professional job if I can get it.

 

[Dantley]

I had to replace my windshield last week on my 14-week old MYLR. Safelite did a great job and didn't hesitate because it's a Tesla. My insurance company, Travelers, arranged it for me.

 

[Pianewman]

Sorry about the fear of Tesla windshields. This should be a no-brainer, if the chip hasn't spread. Warranty for the repair? I wouldn't worry about getting one, as there are always multiple factors after the windshield has been weakened by a chip and a repair, and I wouldn't expect ANY shop to accept that liability.

Those are my thoughts. Have you spoken with the most senior mgmt at any of the repair places?

 

[Volleyballmom]

Just had same issue up here in QC. My local windshield place agreed to do a no-guarantees chip fix, but said most places wouldn't touch a Tesla. It was a double chip, so the fix wasn't perfect. I guess I'll have to go to my nearest Tesla SC 1 1/2 hrs away in the next few months to replace the windshield. It quoted me $2,000. Will probably go through insurance. Damn rocks.

 

[MattM24]

Did you try Total Auto Glass and Sunroofs in Toronto?

 

[WheresMyKeys]

I'm west of Toronto so not looking to go further into the city than I have to. That may be part of my problem.

The cash only / no receipt / no warranty guys were suspiciously cheap and something about the way they presented themselves had me feeling like they may do more harm than good. Made it feel like they wanted to jump on the car and take my money but didn't seem like they cared all that much. At least that's the gut feeling I got over the phone, right or wrong.

I'm willing to accept no warranty and to authorize a repair attempt regardless, but I want to make sure it's a quality attempt. That's basically what I discussed with the 5th call and where I'm going tomorrow. As long as they don't reject it when seeing it with certainty it'll get worse they'll do it with me knowing that if it fails, now or in the future, they can't (at this time) do anything towards a replacement for me. I'm A-OK with that and with that 45 second chat and the little bit of insight he provided I was much more re-assured booking.

I didn't chase management at the 2 other places, not really worth the time and effort IMO. The one I had used before is another big chain here (Speedy Auto Glass) and I got the impression it was a company policy, not his. I might be wrong, but whatever.

I just want it filled before it has a chance to get worse. I was hoping to get it done near work today before driving home, I know sooner is better than later, but that hasn't panned out. No freezing or crazy temp swings tonight so tomorrow should be fine.

Was mainly just shocked at a refusal to repair from the place I had previously used. And that sent me down a path of another refusal and 2 more sketchy-ish calls before I landed one that sounded like they knew what they were doing.

 

[MattM24]

I'm west of Toronto so not looking to go further into the city than I have to. That may be part of my problem.

The cash only / no receipt / no warranty guys were suspiciously cheap and something about the way they presented themselves had me feeling like they may do more harm than good. Made it feel like they wanted to jump on the car and take my money but didn't seem like they cared all that much. At least that's the gut feeling I got over the phone, right or wrong.

I'm willing to accept no warranty and to authorize a repair attempt regardless, but I want to make sure it's a quality attempt. That's basically what I discussed with the 5th call and where I'm going tomorrow. As long as they don't reject it when seeing it with certainty it'll get worse they'll do it with me knowing that if it fails, now or in the future, they can't (at this time) do anything towards a replacement for me. I'm A-OK with that and with that 45 second chat and the little bit of insight he provided I was much more re-assured booking.

I didn't chase management at the 2 other places, not really worth the time and effort IMO. The one I had used before is another big chain here (Speedy Auto Glass) and I got the impression it was a company policy, not his. I might be wrong, but whatever.

I just want it filled before it has a chance to get worse. I was hoping to get it done near work today before driving home, I know sooner is better than later, but that hasn't panned out. No freezing or crazy temp swings tonight so tomorrow should be fine.

Was mainly just shocked at a refusal to repair from the place I had previously used. And that sent me down a path of another refusal and 2 more sketchy-ish calls before I landed one that sounded like they knew what they were doing.

Hope it works out and you don’tneed a new windshield. They are $1700ish plus HST.

 

[Pianewman]

WheresMyKeys: I picked up a rock chip, DIRECTLY in front of the driver's line of vision, in my first week of ownership. I lucked out, found a glass repair shop, rather sketchy, but they sounded like they knew what they were doing. That was 45k miles ago, and the chip/repair never spread.

I hope they can fix your issue.

(Similar story with a tire puncture, close to the shoulder of the tire. Discount Tire/Firestone/Costco refused to repair it. I went to a "sketchy" "USED TIRES/WHEELS" shop in a rough neighborhood. The shop pulled the tire off, roughed up the inside where the T shaped plug/patch was going, plugged it, remounted, balanced...good to go. $20. 20k miles later, the tire was still good when I traded the car...2015 Leaf)

 

[DblOSmith]

I got a chip less than a year into my MYP. It turned quickly into a crack slowly spreading vertically. Chip repairs said that because the crack is too long, I'll have to get a new windshield. I can live with it now Will wait.

 

[WheresMyKeys]

Happy to report the chip was repaired without drama. It cleaned up nicely, passengers will be more annoyed by me driving due to the location, which is fine by me.

 

[electrikcuban]

Just got a chip also on my 2 1/2 month old M3 (towards center, doesn't block visibility). Yelled out very loudly and wife got scared... hate having to deal with windshield repairs. Very small chip, don't think insurance will cover replacement.

 

[DblOSmith]

I wish Tesla would start putting that cybertruck/Semi glass on other vehicles.

 

[Rob9874]

I got my MY in Dec, and had 2 chips within a few months. I live in AZ where they put gravel on the sides of the roads and in the median between the 2 directions of traffic. Figured I'd live with them. Then this past May, I got 2 more on the same day! One that started cracking across the whole windshield. Luckily I have windshield coverage with State Farm, so they hooked me up with Safelite and I got it replaced June 1 (had to wait 2 weeks for them to get OEM Tesla windshields in). That was a Thursday. Then Saturday of the following week, I get another one that cracked across the windshield immediately! Got it replaced last Thu.

Now I'm afraid to drive! Every trip is stressful, just waiting for that sound of rock hitting glass. I've changed my driving habits to stay out of the HOV lane (closest to the median gravel) and drive 75 instead of 85+. Hoping that will help. I think I get 3 windshield replacements per year, and I used 2 just this month!

 

[Sai Ko]

Don't know why Exoshield makes for Tesla. I had it on my Miata and I am glad that I went for it. It save my windshield more than 5 time

 

[85MS]

So what's the deal with glass shops being weird about working on Teslas? I haven't had that experience in California at all, even in 2017 when they weren't every 3rd car.