[pareekvirendra]

Hello All, Yesterday I was driving to my hometown after a Pooja at our office and since I had left at around 5:30 in the evening, i was expecting heavy traffic along the entire route and was prepared for it. But what I was not prepared for was the flashes of blinding light that I had to face the entire journey.

My car is 9 years old and has its original wind shield. I don't remember what a new windshield looks like at night, but I do know that mine looked as if someone had set off a blinding firework in front of me every time any vehicle approached. The lights from oncoming vehicles was spreading across the windshield and then I was wondering if it was time to get a new wind shield.

This brings me to my question, when do people generally change the wind shields on their cars? is it linked to kilometers or age? Is there any other way to stop the spreading of lights from oncoming vehicles? I had my windshield polished by 3m (twice!!!) but it doesn't seem to help much, so was considering a new wind shield, though not looking forward to the dent it will put on my pocket.

So, when do people change their windshields?

When the car reaches a certain kilometers?

When the car is over 7 years of age?

When the car is over 10 years of age?

Only when the windshield is physically damaged?

MODS: I tried looking for a similar thread, but couldn't find one. If I am posting it in the wrong place, please do collapse it. Thank you.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by pareekvirendra

I don't remember what a new windshield looks like at night, but I do know that mine looked as if someone had set off a blinding firework in front of me every time any vehicle approached. The lights from oncoming vehicles was spreading across the windshield and then I was wondering if it was time to get a new wind shield.

I believe what you need is a reputed windshield scratch repair & polishing service to attend to your malady.

If, however, their results are still unsatisfactory & light still scatters across your windshield (safety issue), then sure, it’s time to think about further, more expensive, steps.

Start with the former to check if it’s fixable before you declare your windshield unusable beyond repair.

[--gKrish--]

Originally Posted by pareekvirendra

This brings me to my question, when do people generally change the wind shields on their cars? is it linked to kilometers or age?

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule to change the windshields based on usage or age like tyres. They can last the life of the vehicle if properly taken care of and doesn't get broken. But if visibility becomes an issue, then surely you should consider getting it replaced since polishing hasn't helped.

Is there any other way to stop the spreading of lights from oncoming vehicles? I had my windshield polished by 3m (twice!!!) but it doesn't seem to help much, so was considering a new wind shield, though not looking forward to the dent it will put on my pocket.

An anti glare film is available which can be applied on the windshield. It did reduce the blinding from oncoming cars' lights in a brand new car. I do not know how effective it would be on an already scratched windshield and also whether it is legal now. (If I remember correctly, the film costed almost the same or more than a windscreen)

Using good quality wipers and replacing them at the right time helps reduce damage to your windshield. Also, when the windshield is very dirty, try to hose down the dirt with adequate amount of water rather than use the windshield washers . I know this is impossible while you're on the highway but I've seen people using the windscreen washer to get thick layers of dust off the windshield before starting off from their house in the morning. It is definitely worth the two minutes that one would take to clean them manually.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

You are expecting that a new windshield won't scatter the light from the oncoming vehicles at night. So verify this on a new car of some friend or relative.

If the new windshield indeed is better, the next question is how long will it continue to be so.

[supremeBaleno]

Why fix something that ain't broken ? Especially something critical like the front windshield which if not fixed properly can lead to issues.

Have never had to replace it even a single time in any of our cars since 1985. And hope never have to.

Your case seems to be scratches on the glass which can be rectified without needing the glass to be replaced. Also you might need to identify how the scratches got their in the first place - wrong cleaning method (wiping with dry cloth on dirty glass) or maybe worn out wiper blades etc,.

[anand253]

Had a similar problem in 2018 (then 6 year old) on my Fiesta during a highway drive where I was completely blinded by any oncoming vehicle with light scattering all over. Had to stop on multiple occasions to clean but it dint provide any real benefit. Went to 3M but found their glass polishing capabilities not up to the mark and no real change. I then got them to remove the CR70 from the windshield and found 50% improvement. Subsequently got the glass polished at another location that improved to about 70%.

When I tried showing this to Windshield Experts they upfront recommended change. I do try to avoid too much of a night drive on that car in any case.

See if you can identify a good glass polisher who can try to improve swirls and hard water sediments. If there are minor chips you are better off changing.

[pareekvirendra]

Originally Posted by ChoosetoCruze

I believe what you need is a reputed windshield scratch repair & polishing service to attend to your malady.

I did get the glass polished, twice, but the lights still scatters far too.much for my liking.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

You are expecting that a new windshield won't scatter the light from the oncoming vehicles at night. So verify this on a new car of some friend or relative.

If the new windshield indeed is better, the next question is how long will it continue to be so.

You are correct, I truly don't have a frame of reference. I bought this car used pre-worshipped two years ago, so I really don't know what to expect from a new windshield. I have been meaning to drive a new car at night see what's the difference, because without I don't even know if what I am seeing is nornal or not. I will try to do so shortly.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Why fix something that ain't broken ? Especially something critical like the front windshield which if not fixed properly can lead to issues.

You are right, we shouldn't try to fix something that isn't broken, but i guess i have to first see if it is indeed broken, as i need to check a new car first.

Originally Posted by anand253

See if you can identify a good glass polisher who can try to improve swirls and hard water sediments. If there are minor chips you are better off changing.

I live in Aurangabad and here we don't have windshield experts, about whom I have heard many positive reviews. I do have 3m here at the showroom, and even after getting the windshield polished twice in two years, I am still not satisfied with it. This is why I was wondering if people change their windshields after a certain period of time or do they try alternate methods. That question was answered by this poll emphatically.

I have been avoiding driving at night, but I can't put it off forever and for that I need to get this sorted one way or another.

First step now is to check a new car and see what it looks like from the inside at night.

[Narendranath]

It’s quite inexplicable that you aren’t able to make out whether your windshield is in good shape or not as a good windshield, whether new or old, should provide a clear field of vision, during both day and night - particularly night. In that sense, your idea of driving a new car to test its windshield against your own sounds a bit superfluous. Minot scratches or blemishes could be taken care of by a good polish job. But beyond that, if the glass has developed hairline cracks or similar structural issues, there’s no other option but to go in for a replacement. Since it’s also a safety issue, it’s better to err on the side of caution rather than be sorry after a mishap.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by pareekvirendra

I did get the glass polished, twice, but the lights still scatters far too.much for my liking.

First step now is to check a new car and see what it looks like from the inside at night.

This may sound silly, but, have you checked & verified that the inside of your windshield surface is super clean and isn’t scratched/swirled (inside the cabin)?

A clean new car windshield will almost always have crystal clear visibility during daylight/night. Light scatters due to scratches, chips & dirt/grime on the windshield surface (inner and/or outer).

[Sebring]

I had a 3M film applied paying 12K. It's quite good for cutting glare from incoming traffic. They polished the glass nicely before applying, so it stayed that way for almost 4 years now. No issues

Originally Posted by --gKrish--

An anti glare film is available which can be applied on the windshield. It did reduce the blinding from oncoming cars' lights in a brand new car. I do not know how effective it would be on an already scratched windshield and also whether it is legal now.

[xjosephjacob]

We had changed the windshield of our Maruti 800 when it was 15 years old. Being in Kerala we had regular use of wipers, and the the quality of the glass had deteriorated perceivably. Hard water made the matters worse. There were no visible scratches on it however.

Back then we were unaware of the polishing services. But then the price of new windshield was very cheap so we replaced it at the service centre.

If you feel you have a problem with the windshield, don't think twice. Deterioration starts the moment it gets exposes to the outer world, but they normally hold up well for 7 years at least in my opinion.

[pareekvirendra]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I had a 3M film applied paying 12K. It's quite good for cutting glare from incoming traffic. They polished the glass nicely before applying, so it stayed that way for almost 4 years now. No issues

I am not particularly find of films, as first the cost almost as much as the windshield, so I would rather replace the whole windshield, and do it from the showroom for good fit and measure. Second, on ageing, these films look rather bad, as I have seen in my father's car.

Originally Posted by ChoosetoCruze

This may sound silly, but, have you checked & verified that the inside of your windshield surface is super clean and isn’t scratched/swirled (inside the cabin)?

A clean new car windshield will almost always have crystal clear visibility during daylight/night. Light scatters due to scratches, chips & dirt/grime on the windshield surface (inner and/or outer).

Yes, I did have my windshield cleaned both from outside and inside. I am sure it's clean on both sides. It doesn't have any cracks or scratches, and visibility is crystal clear during day or night, except when vehicles come with high beams from the front at night. At that time the light scatters across the windshield.

Originally Posted by Narendranath

It’s quite inexplicable that you aren’t able to make out whether your windshield is in good shape or not as a good windshield, whether new or old, should provide a clear field of vision, during both day and night - particularly night. In that sense, your idea of driving a new car to test its windshield against your own sounds a bit superfluous. Minot scratches or blemishes could be taken care of by a good polish job. But beyond that, if the glass has developed hairline cracks or similar structural issues, there’s no other option but to go in for a replacement. Since it’s also a safety issue, it’s better to err on the side of caution rather than be sorry after a mishap.

I guess it does sound superflous, but I have been driving just this car for over two years, so I have lost my paradigm about what is nornal and what isn't, so I do need to drive a newer car to check.

Let's see how it goes.

I want to take this moment to wish everyone on this forum a very Happy Diwali.

[a4anurag]

My October 2017 model Creta has done 87,000 kms so far and has a lot of chips on the windshield (mainly on the central and left lower part). Shall be changing the windshield at my FNG once it clocks 1,00,000 kms. Fortunately, there are no cracks or deep stone chips.

Shall procure the windshield from MOBIS store and get it delivered at my FNG where the work will be done.

[WhiteSierra]

All our cars are still on their original windshields. Few of them are badly scratched due to age (vehicle age, wiper marks) and cleaning (swirl marks), but they are still holding up pretty good. I thought of replacing windshield of our 12 year old Innova, but I thought I should go for windshield restoration method by using glass polishing compound and a buffing machine, but someone recommended against it as it removes a layer of glass coating which makes it easy to break during future minute impact (rock chips thrown from a truck or a bus). For now, I added an LED light bar below the number plate of my Innova for night time highway driving which gives me good visibility which is partly lost by the old and abused windshield.

[airbus]

We have not had to replace windshield due to age in any of the cars I or my family owned. So, I will probably change windshield only if it is physically damaged.