Stress Crack front windshield - 2013 RX 350
#31
You get what's written in your policy, nothing more, nothing less. A lot of policies will cover windshield replacement with no deductible. However, most policies will also NOT say 'oem replacement'.
Again, nothing about OEM replacement.
It costs between $200 - $400 for a replacement windshield. To think that your insurance company is going to shell out $1500 - $2000 to the dealer for OEM (with no contribution from you) is not realistic.
Again, nothing about OEM replacement.
It costs between $200 - $400 for a replacement windshield. To think that your insurance company is going to shell out $1500 - $2000 to the dealer for OEM (with no contribution from you) is not realistic.
#32
Good point. Is the OEM glass "that much better" that someone would pay the difference between OEM and aftermarket? I know when it comes to replacment body panels you want OEM, but glass? I suppose the same fitment issues aftermarket panels have applies to glass too. I also realize that the glass does have to meet AGSC safety standards, so maybe this is an area where I would go with the free glass and not pay extra for OEM.
The problem is the law allows body shops to inflate claims for almost every incident by adding a replacement windshield onto every bill.
The states that currently have these statutes on the books include Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky. In Florida, all drivers who carry comprehensive insurance coverage on their vehicles are eligible for "free" windshield replacement. Many of the state's mechanics and body shops advertise this service with some even offering goodies to lure in more customers.
The racket is clear: The owners of these shops take advantage of the fact that insurance companies must reimburse them for the windshield-replacement work that they perform. Since windshield-replacement customers don't have to pay for the work out of pocket, they're more likely to order replacement windshields preemptively. In fact, many mechanics and body-shop employees offer this service in conjunction with regular maintenance services like oil changes and tune-ups. After receiving a "free" windshield replacement, drivers who feel as if they've saved a great deal of money may be more willing to order up such additional services for their vehicles.
Law Dictionary: http://thelawdictionary.org/article/...#ixzz2nfRB4vOn
The racket is clear: The owners of these shops take advantage of the fact that insurance companies must reimburse them for the windshield-replacement work that they perform. Since windshield-replacement customers don't have to pay for the work out of pocket, they're more likely to order replacement windshields preemptively. In fact, many mechanics and body-shop employees offer this service in conjunction with regular maintenance services like oil changes and tune-ups. After receiving a "free" windshield replacement, drivers who feel as if they've saved a great deal of money may be more willing to order up such additional services for their vehicles.
Law Dictionary: http://thelawdictionary.org/article/...#ixzz2nfRB4vOn
Last edited by oohpapi44; 12-16-13 at 11:27 AM.
#33
Windshield is replaced today
Further to my earlier posting on Monday, my windshield glass is replaced today. it ends up a chip found at very bottom of glass.
I have $500 deductible, the insurance company agreed to pay for "original" glass and also the dealer arranged it.
After I got the car today, I found the glass is from XYG and missing "Lexus" logo. this is not my understanding of "original", is it OEM glass referring in this forum? or is this good glass? it appears made from Taiwan
thanks
I have $500 deductible, the insurance company agreed to pay for "original" glass and also the dealer arranged it.
After I got the car today, I found the glass is from XYG and missing "Lexus" logo. this is not my understanding of "original", is it OEM glass referring in this forum? or is this good glass? it appears made from Taiwan
thanks
#35
Further to my earlier posting on Monday, my windshield glass is replaced today. it ends up a chip found at very bottom of glass.
I have $500 deductible, the insurance company agreed to pay for "original" glass and also the dealer arranged it.
After I got the car today, I found the glass is from XYG and missing "Lexus" logo. this is not my understanding of "original", is it OEM glass referring in this forum? or is this good glass? it appears made from Taiwan
thanks
I have $500 deductible, the insurance company agreed to pay for "original" glass and also the dealer arranged it.
After I got the car today, I found the glass is from XYG and missing "Lexus" logo. this is not my understanding of "original", is it OEM glass referring in this forum? or is this good glass? it appears made from Taiwan
thanks
Check the rain sensing feature if you have it.
#36
There have been issues with XYG causing the rain sensor to not work. The glass may be oem spec but PPG is the same manufacturer Lexus uses for their glass and what you should insist on if not getting from Lexus directly (with Lexus Logo). You mention dealer arranged so I'm definitely scratching my head on that one and would call to ask why they used XYG instead of PPG or 'Lexus', especially if paying out of pocket.
Check the rain sensing feature if you have it.
Check the rain sensing feature if you have it.
There was miscommunication between dealer and glass installer, dealer supposed to give installer the original glass and instruction. the trick is that insurance sent work order with XYG part #, the dealer / glass installer should call insurance to correct it, or notifying me before installing it.
Due to Christmas holiday, it is likely being in new year, replacing it with original glass with "Lexus logo". this is lesson and learn for the dealer (told never happen before), so far, dealer is providing good VIP service, including an alternate car last time, and will be next time.. promised..
Plus, I did a research, there is no distortion on this XYG glass, will check snow sensing, no rain...
#37
I also have this problem with my 2013 RX350 in which the dealer almost had to use a microscope to find a tiny little speck at the base near the drivers side. I am very disappointed in Lexus and this is our 4th Lexus between my husband and I. I even called the customer service in Canada and they would not hear any of it. My 2010 RX350 was hit by pebbles so many time and it never cracked.
I hope Lexus will take time to look into the issue with this many complaints. I should not have to be replacing a windshield already on a brand new 2013 Lexus! I have been an advocate for the Lexus quality in the past but now, I don't think I can continue to tell others to buy this car. Not with the way this was handled.
I am going to go ahead and pay for it now paying a $1000 deductible and my insurance paying the rest of it.
I will not be surprised if there is a recall in the future.
I hope Lexus will take time to look into the issue with this many complaints. I should not have to be replacing a windshield already on a brand new 2013 Lexus! I have been an advocate for the Lexus quality in the past but now, I don't think I can continue to tell others to buy this car. Not with the way this was handled.
I am going to go ahead and pay for it now paying a $1000 deductible and my insurance paying the rest of it.
I will not be surprised if there is a recall in the future.
Last edited by excelle; 01-14-14 at 03:34 PM.
#38
Just got a 2014 RX350Fsport and had a small rock hit the windshield and chip it less than 300 miles. Seems like the windshields chip very easy. Had it repaired, still see the small cracks in the sunlight.
Side note you can get OEM replacement for windshields and body parts from your company with a small extra fee to your policy.
Side note you can get OEM replacement for windshields and body parts from your company with a small extra fee to your policy.
#39
I also have this problem with my 2013 RX350 in which the dealer almost had to use a microscope to find a tiny little speck at the base near the drivers side. I am very disappointed in Lexus and this is our 4th Lexus between my husband and I. I even called the customer service in Canada and they would not hear any of it. My 2010 RX350 was hit by pebbles so many time and it never cracked.
I hope Lexus will take time to look into the issue with this many complaints. I should not have to be replacing a windshield already on a brand new 2013 Lexus! I have been an advocate for the Lexus quality in the past but now, I don't think I can continue to tell others to buy this car. Not with the way this was handled.
I am going to go ahead and pay for it now paying a $1000 deductible and my insurance paying the rest of it.
I will not be surprised if there is a recall in the future.
I hope Lexus will take time to look into the issue with this many complaints. I should not have to be replacing a windshield already on a brand new 2013 Lexus! I have been an advocate for the Lexus quality in the past but now, I don't think I can continue to tell others to buy this car. Not with the way this was handled.
I am going to go ahead and pay for it now paying a $1000 deductible and my insurance paying the rest of it.
I will not be surprised if there is a recall in the future.
Stress fracture doesn't mean a huge dropoff in quality either or a defect from Lexus as all windshields have to meet a minimum standard. Have no idea what that standard is but would have hard to imagine that someone in a lab coat hasn't determined minimum environmental levels to be met.
From a glass website:
• Stress Crack: A crack that occurs without anything hitting the windshield, typically due to a large variation in the temperature (such as when the car is sitting in the sun, and then you start it and use the air conditioning). It almost always starts at the edge of the windshield. Stress cracks will normally be a straight (or slightly bending) line, and will not have any sign of impact. A "pen test" is often used to determine if there is a stress crack -- a ballpoint pen is run along the crack, and if it dips anywhere, it is not a stress crack. That is because with a stress crack, no glass =actually comes off the windshield.
•Airborne chemicals, tree sap, road debris (including stone chips), rail dust, salt, hail, floods, windstorms, lightning and other environmental conditions.
#40
Do you have a stress crack or was the windshield hit by a rock? You don't specify why your windsheld needs replacing. If you have a crack and the dealer finds where it was hit by a rock, then it is not covered and I can't think of any manufacturer who does replace under warranty in that instance. Understand your frustration and why Lexus seems the easy target but doesn't matter how new a piece of glass is when confronted by a rock going at the right speed and angle, it's likely to lose.
Stress fracture doesn't mean a huge dropoff in quality either or a defect from Lexus as all windshields have to meet a minimum standard. Have no idea what that standard is but would have hard to imagine that someone in a lab coat hasn't determined minimum environmental levels to be met.
From a glass website:
The above is environmental and could be excluded from the warranty. It's found in the same sentence that exludes rock chips from warranty repair.
But Lexus is probably aware of the BMW Mini-Cooper stress fracture recall in 2012 as a result of two class action lawsuits it settled out of court. But their problems were more than what's described above in that windshields were breaking when touched or while driving. If it's proven to be a stress crack, Lexus seems to be taking care of the customer..
Stress fracture doesn't mean a huge dropoff in quality either or a defect from Lexus as all windshields have to meet a minimum standard. Have no idea what that standard is but would have hard to imagine that someone in a lab coat hasn't determined minimum environmental levels to be met.
From a glass website:
The above is environmental and could be excluded from the warranty. It's found in the same sentence that exludes rock chips from warranty repair.
But Lexus is probably aware of the BMW Mini-Cooper stress fracture recall in 2012 as a result of two class action lawsuits it settled out of court. But their problems were more than what's described above in that windshields were breaking when touched or while driving. If it's proven to be a stress crack, Lexus seems to be taking care of the customer..
#41
Wow! Old thread!
ArnoldAJ, are they choosing not to replace it because they don't think it's a stress crack, or because it's not covered in the warranty? If it's a warranty issue, the most you can do (I would think) is make them show you in the warranty paperwork where it excludes the windshield. If they're saying it isn't a stress fracture, take the car to an independent glass shop , or 3 or 4 of them. If there is majority agreement it IS a stress fracture, have them give you a quote indicating the cause, and call Lexus.
If it was a chip, make your insurance pay for an OEM replacement, but I wouldn't let your dealer replace it. They typically farm out the work to an independent shop based on the best deal they can get. I'm pretty confident I can find better installers
ArnoldAJ, are they choosing not to replace it because they don't think it's a stress crack, or because it's not covered in the warranty? If it's a warranty issue, the most you can do (I would think) is make them show you in the warranty paperwork where it excludes the windshield. If they're saying it isn't a stress fracture, take the car to an independent glass shop , or 3 or 4 of them. If there is majority agreement it IS a stress fracture, have them give you a quote indicating the cause, and call Lexus.
If it was a chip, make your insurance pay for an OEM replacement, but I wouldn't let your dealer replace it. They typically farm out the work to an independent shop based on the best deal they can get. I'm pretty confident I can find better installers
#42
Failure of factory-installed windshield (spontaneous crack)
I am wondering if anyone else has had an issue with a stress crack on their front windshield. My RX is less than a month old. The crack was not there on my way to work, but when I got back in my car in the evening, I noticed the 6" crack - started at the base of the windshield and then moved up and curved to the left. I, along with two employees at my dealership, can not locate any point of impact. If you look directly over top of the crack, it is a smooth line. I have a rental now while they try to "assess" what is going on, but wanted to see if anyone else has had similar issues. I do not want to get my insurance company involved just yet as this may be a defective matter. Thanks in advance...I am new to this!
I have been obliged to have the windshield replaced by my local auto glass specialist and at my expense.
Can we find enough similar cases to present a group claim to Lexus USA?
#43
It is a very difficult road and probably impossible to present a group claim, class action suit etc over windshield cracks given the many ways they can be created and what I am sure is the very tiny number of vehicles with this issue. The MINI Coopers had to have had thousands of them with this issue to obtain a recall.
If you do want to complain, the first step is for everyone with this issue to file a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Click on the File a Complaint link. http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety
Or do what an acquaintance of mine did when that happened to his windshield for no apparent reason and it was long out of warranty. Take a small punch and hammer to the windshield crack so there is evidence of rock impact. Insurance coverage problem solved.
If you do want to complain, the first step is for everyone with this issue to file a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Click on the File a Complaint link. http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety
Or do what an acquaintance of mine did when that happened to his windshield for no apparent reason and it was long out of warranty. Take a small punch and hammer to the windshield crack so there is evidence of rock impact. Insurance coverage problem solved.
Last edited by Clutchless; 12-10-15 at 07:20 AM.
#44
Crack
The dealer believed the crack was caused by a rock chip and therefore not covered under warranty. The cost to replace was $1900.00 and insurance refused to cover a new Lexus windshield (which i insisted on since the car is new with only a little over 1200 miles) . Ended up costing me out of pocket $1400.00.
Previously I had been driving a Mercedes ML(over 100,000 miles) and had experienced several rock chios in the front windshield. Each time i knew it happened and none of them ever caused a stress crack like the one in this new RX.
Lexus needs to monitor problems and/complaints about windshields closer.
Previously I had been driving a Mercedes ML(over 100,000 miles) and had experienced several rock chios in the front windshield. Each time i knew it happened and none of them ever caused a stress crack like the one in this new RX.
Lexus needs to monitor problems and/complaints about windshields closer.
My theory is that taking it from a heated 70 degrees in my garage to a -2 was the thing that did it. As soon as I got it up to speed, you could hear it becoming a problem. It's not uncommon in Alaska, but the company, after getting snowed on for 6 hours, & after more than a dozen messages, I was finally contacted again. I was already off of work and pulling into the company service department when she called and said they wouldn't do anything. After spending $11000 on an extended warranty program! Even though the car only has 25K miles on it, they said it "normal wear and tear."
Theyre saying it could cost me up to $3000 out of pocket. I'm more worried about my life...
Thank God the slider was shut at least because that glass could have ended up in my eyes or neck! I've never seen this happen-especially not 2 weeks after spending $60,000 on a car and the warranty.
Plus, the previous owner had already replaced the the entire front windshield already.
After this, I will be selling it marching straight back to Volkswagen.
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