Windshield died

U

Unobtanium

:
RDX Aspec Adv.
Windshield died the other day. Safelite replaced it, and did a great job. Just a heads up, this is the second windshield that company has put into vehicles for me, and I have been 100% pleased with both installs.

-They run a continuous bead
-They prime the pinch-weld properly
-They use a fiber/nylon type "wire" to cut the old glass out instead of a wire "wire", which has much less chance of cutting the metal part of the vehicle where the windshield sits.
-2 hours install time quoted was dead-on accurate.

I'm affiliated only as a customer, but wanted to share a positive experience in case someone is agonizing over a windshield install.
 
It is good to get reports on different service companies. Of course, the service technician doing the work can make a difference.
 
I would have requested double back foam strip adhesive. That would absorb any body flex stress.
Its a good bet that body flex is the culprit for all the spontaneous glass breakage on CX-5.
 
CC58 said:
I would have requested double back foam strip adhesive. That would absorb any body flex stress.
Its a good bet that body flex is the culprit for all the spontaneous glass breakage on CX-5.
Click to expand...
Another possibility to make CX-5 windshield self-destructing from top-center sensor area is the bolt for auto-dimming rearview mirror which was torqued too much from factory. We had wobble rearview mirror since new and I fixed it by myself. By looking at the design I thought the small metal plate, where the heavy mirror is attached to, glued onto the windshield is too thin and weak. If the torx headed bolt is getting too tight, it creates too much pressure to the middle of the metal plate and applying a constant force to bend plate and glass. It eventually breaks the windshield at certain point. I suspect it is the reason why there were few incidents that the rearview mirror is loose on 2016 CX-5 as Mazda may have reduced the torque spec of the bolt during assembly in order to reduce the windshield breakage.

When I brought our CX-5 in a month ago to upgrade the PCM software as the "Oil Change Due" message kept popping up randomly after I made the first oil change and reset it with Flexible Maintenance on oil change schedule I've been using since new, I raised this question to a very knowledgeable service advisor. He admitted they have received a service advisory about this loose rearview mirror bolt, and Mazda has recommended the tech not to torque the bolt too tight to prevent the windshield breakage.

2016%252520Mazda%252520CX-5%252520Windshield%252520Sensors_02.jpg
 
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CC58 said:
Its a good bet that body flex is the culprit for all the spontaneous glass breakage on CX-5.
Click to expand...

Uh, no. Because the CX-5 has less body flex than most vehicles due to the rigidity designed into it. That's a major reason for it's solid handling and excellent crash safety rating.

And, as far as I can tell, the CX-5 doesn't seem to have anymore glass breakage than any other car.
 
I had 2 stress and 1 mirror associated crack within a year on my old cx5. In over 7 years of car ownership never had anything like it nor had any of the other cars in my household. Body is so rigid i can flex. parts of the LCA by hand lel
 
I wonder, who has more cracks, who lowered their cars or others who did not lower their cars?
 
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Chris_Top_Her said:
I had 2 stress and 1 mirror associated crack within a year on my old cx5. In over 7 years of car ownership never had anything like it nor had any of the other cars in my household.
Click to expand...

Cracking windshields are a huge problem for the automotive insurance industry (30% of all insurance claims). When a windshield is annealed at the glass factory the perimeter develops internal stresses. These are permanent and leave 3-4 inches around the perimeter extra vulnerable to cracking. However the entire windshield is fragile. The most common triggers for stress cracks are heat (sitting in hot sun) and cold (with the defroster blowing hot air). This is not unique to the CX-5.


Body is so rigid i can flex. parts of the LCA by hand lel
Click to expand...

I can't comprehend you sometimes. What's it mean?
 
MikeM. said:
Cracking windshields are a huge problem for the automotive insurance industry (30% of all insurance claims). When a windshield is annealed at the glass factory the perimeter develops internal stresses. These are permanent and leave 3-4 inches around the perimeter extra vulnerable to cracking. However the entire windshield is fragile. The most common triggers for stress cracks are heat (sitting in hot sun) and cold (with the defroster blowing hot air). This is not unique to the CX-5.
I can't comprehend you sometimes. What's it mean?
Click to expand...

Sorry that was sent from the phone right after ice skating. I can flex the portions of the LCA by hand; as to the rigidity of the body.
 
MikeM. said:
And, as far as I can tell, the CX-5 doesn't seem to have anymore glass breakage than any other car.
Click to expand...

Mike, although I don't have scientific proof, I do believe the CX-5 have a higher percentage of glass breakage than other vehicles. I've read all the post pertaining to the issue and the explanation given by yrwei52 above in post #8 seems to be the most logical as I recall quite a few folks, myself included, had cracks that started by the mirror.
 
Well, this windshield is shot now, too. Japanese glass...it just can't handle anything. My 370z, my Infiniti g20, etc. None lasted long. My domestics? Never an issue.
 
Unobtanium said:
None lasted long. My domestics? Never an issue.
Click to expand...

My 2010 Ford F-150 didn't make it 9 months. On the F-150 Forum, a bunch of other owners got all superstitious and railed that the Ford windshields were "defective". They were outraged they could pay up to $50,000 and have the glass break so easily. They were certain that all F-150 glass was weak and defective. But I knew without further data, it was simply luck of the draw.

The persons who propagated the Salem witch hunts were also superstitious.

You cannot determine the durability of Japanese made glass vs. USA made glass with a personal sample size of 5 or by using hearsay. If you have actual data and statistics, please post what you have. Otherwise, I'll chalk it up to superstition and/or a bias based on cultural or racial preferences.
 
Unobtanium said:
Well, this windshield is shot now, too. Japanese glass...it just can't handle anything. My 370z, my Infiniti g20, etc. None lasted long. My domestics? Never an issue.
Click to expand...

Could be a blessing in disguise. Should be able to claim faulty installation.
Ask for the double back foam and next one might be last one installed. Knock on wood.

FYI, Pittsburgh Glass Works (PGW) makes the best glass.
 
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