Good evening forumites,

My new car (1 month in my possession) is getting broken in. This afternoon a opposite direction car kicked up a bunch of rocks and left me w' a few nicks in the windshield. It's not that big of a deal but I'm wondering if any of you Porsche experts have had any nicks repaired w'out replacing the windshield? I also was left w' a small gift in a parking lot (front bumper rash & I parked in outer Mongolia). Oh well....... I love the car and the whole intention on buying it was driving it!

 

Many times. Seams to work. I fill 4-5 then replace the windshield about every 18 months

 

Unfortunately, Porsche has always had windshield glass that was partial to chipping. It's just part of the Porsche experience,--I know, I've been driving them since 1974. I would absolutely put off replacing a factory windshield as long as possible unless you have actual cracks. Pits just happen. Remember, you could go to the trouble of replacing the windshield and a week later it could happen again. Windshields are now a significant structural part of the cars,--not like the older 911s in which the windshields were installed with a rubber seal and a length of nylon string. These are glued in and provide significant strength to that part of the vehicle. As such, who replaces it for you is a bigger deal that it used to be.

 

Fortunately, it only happened to me once on my previous 997 (as in your case, right after I had bought it). I called my dealer and they hooked me up with a guy who came to the dealership, repaired my windshield, and charged 40 bucks for it. I drove the car for another 20,000 miles after that without a problem.

 

I had a similar situation. 2 weeks later that nick became a 4 inch crack as soon as the weather got cold.

New windshield for $1050. The installer did do a perfect job ( OEM windshield) though I can still smell the glue a bit.

Unfortuntely, when you drive em, stuff is going to happen.
Rough month for me. A huge pothole took out the left front wheel and tire of my MINI to add insult to injury. My cost per mile this last 30 days is a bit off the charts (even after insurance reimbursement).

 

For owing P-cars for twenty some years, I have had many cracked or chipped windshields. First, try to check with your insurance company to see if your insurance policy covers windshield.

Either way, it is a good idea to have a glass company to take a look of the windshield (check with your insurance agent, they usually can recommend a few good ones in your local area).

For small chips, the glass company can put some kind of fillings/glue in the hole, so to prevent the chip getting more serious in the future.

Even if the chip is small, it is a good idea to repair it, because it might get more serious after many seasons down the road under heat/cold weather or after further chipping from the road debris.

With best regards,

 

I had this problem on my BMWs, especially the last one which pitted badly - looked like someone had pin-pricked the whole thing. BMW helped with a replacement and I started looking for coatings or other protection to prevent this again (its a common problem on them as on P-cars).

What I've learned is that the Zaino or Klasse polish and sealants might prevent the minor pitting. RainX doesn't seem to do much on the windshield except make the wipers chatter. And I hear that 3M has a new film (like clear bra) for the windshield. My installer won't apply it yet - waiting to see how it holds up in car washes and with wipers/salt in our climate before committing to a customer.

Of these options, only the film has a chance of helping prevent a stone chip or crack, and obviously that can't prevent everything. I've got a coat of Klasse (first the polish to get it real clean and then sealant) on my 997, and I'll consider the film once my installer gives it a thumbs-up, especially if I've already had to buy a new windshield.

As others have already said, get the chips filled/fixed asap. Its often free through insurance even if you have a deductible (they waive it). It probably costs if you go to the P-dealer, but they're likely just using a glass service to do it anyway, so shop around.

p-cardriver

 

I will call the insurance company and get on this next week. Once again......many thanks for the good info.

PT767