More frequent windscreen repairs?

ComicGeek

So I've had 1 windscreen replaced and 3 chips repaired on my car in the last 6 months. Prior to that I've had just 3 windscreen replacements in 22 years, so have I been really lucky up til now? It's not a new car, and I've been driving the same roads and distances for over 10 years.

Just wondering how often others are repairing/replacing windscreens, as I seem to be getting stone strikes much more frequently now.

Car_54

I've been driving since the 60s - including many years doing 30,000+ miles - and have never needed a repair or replacement.

ComicGeek

All of the incidents have been from oncoming vehicles flicking across stones, so nothing that I could have done differently, it's not as if I've been tailgating or speeding.

Perhaps just unlucky then. I had another 2 loud stone strikes this morning on a 40 mile round trip, but didn't make any further chips.

AdrianC

I've had periods when they've come in rapid succession, and periods without any.

My record was a big stone chip cracking a screen that'd only been replaced a month earlier... Then there was the double-glazed plastic window in a camper that was headbutted and smashed by a pigeon.

EdGasketTheSecond

I use a chip repair kit though I only use the resin and curing strips part of it. You can repair many chips with one fluid bottle but you do need sunlight or a UV source for the resin to set. Not a professional job but adequate to stop the screen cracking and acceptable to me at any rate; MoT guy seems happy too.

marlot

Not had a windscreen chip in the last 300,000 miles.

photome

Lost count how many windscreens I have had replaced in last 15 years, probably around a dozen, doing 30000 plus a year. I have been hit by stones from vehicles on the opposite side of the road and when following vehicles

Penelopa.Pitstop

I had no windscreen damage until spring 2017, when 3 different cars I drove, got damaged on the same stretch on M25. In all cases, stone came out of nowhere and there wasn't anyone directly in front of me. One was courtesy car, brand new Mercedes, that got big dent on a bonnet and small chip on a windscreen. Luckily,   I wasn't charged for that.

Then in 2019 got hit by the stone on the side and had to replace passenger's side window.  That was a bit further on similar stretch on M25.

And again, in July 2020, got courtesy car from Audi/Enterprise, went out once on M25 and was hit by huge stone, I thought it will go through. Haven't heard anything from Audi, according to documents there was no excess for damage, but there was some admin fee from Enterprise for taking car out of service.

So all incidents on M25, probably some leftovers after road works 

Aylesbury_Duck

I've no statistics to back it up, but in my area we've had an awful lot of road re-surfacing work in recent years, much of which results in long stretches of previously NSL roads having loose chippings and temporary 20mph limits.  Almost no one obeys these so there are chippings flying about all over the place.  Add to that the general state of roads which are breaking up or being badly filled and you have the conditions for an increase in windscreen chips and cracks which might account for your anecdotal increase.

Mercdriver

I wish this country would do what the Germans do on the autobahn and resurface properly rather than use surface dressing.

elsien

Years with no issue then 2 in 12 months.