Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner

Cracked Windshield

9K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  fdeno 
#1 ·
Took a rock last Wednesday evening in the rain to my windshield. It impacted about 10" down on the driver side right on the edge giving me a nice six inch crack. The good out of it is that it is not in my field of vision and it happened in Boston and did not grow any on the ride home. The bad, well I got just about 6 months on the factory glass and have to get it replaced. Lucky for me I have glass coverage and my Insurance doesn't care who does it. I can have Safelite come out to the house or I can go in and have whomever does Honda's glass work do it at the dealer. For those of you who have the RTL-E with the cameras, lane sensing, etc are there any issues with aftermarket glass? From what I read I will need to have the safety systems recalibrated. I guess I need to talk to Honda service and get some info. I'm leaning heavily towards letting it ride through the winter and getting it replaced next spring as long as it does not start to grow..
 
#2 ·
Don't get aftermarket glass. The safety systems will not work properly. There are a number of posts about this; if you search for them you should be able to find plenty of info.

Good luck!
 
#3 · (Edited)
FYI my ~2 months ago quotes from Safelite and dealer are in this post, both 'OEM equivalent' and 'Genuine Honda OE' from Safelite.

Safelite's quotes were based on my VIN and no matter what glass they require recalibration of the ADAS cam per Honda recommendation (that separately itemized extra fee is included in the quotes I posted). Safelite will not do this replacement as a 'mobile' service - it has to be done in their facility due to the recalibration requirement (at least in my case).

My dealer acknowledged that the actual glass replacement they offer (only using Genuine Honda OE glass) is done by a subcontractor working in their service bay, with the required recalibration by their own techs.

Since making that post my original crack has extended across the top of, but within, the small 'clear window' for my front cam, with no apparent adverse effect on any of the driver assist functions even when the sun angle really 'highlights' the crack. I suspect it's above the 'sight line' of the cam. I've also experienced another unrelated 'impact star' at the lower right corner of the windshield which has not expanded (yet) o_O :mad:

Neither anywhere near my line of sight, I've still not yet taken the time for replacement, but when I do I'll use the dealer.

YMMV
 
#4 ·
Honda's official statement is "use only OE glass".

Your insurance company may or may not cover the cost of OE glass. Mine (State Farm in Texas) does not. They'll pay for "OE equivalent" and I'm responsible for the difference.

OE glass is "guaranteed" to allow the camera to calibrate properly. Other glass may or may not allow the camera to calibrate. There have been reports where other glass had to be replaced by OE glass because the camera wouldn't calibrate.
 
#5 ·
Appreciate the feedback everyone. I did chat with Safelite and they said I have the option of aftermarket or Honda OE. With the latter having a longer lead time and it would need to go to their facility to get replaced. Probably will end up taking it over to Honda since they are a lot closer than the nearest Safelite. This way if Honda doesn't use OE and there are calibration issues, it's on them to resolve.
 
#6 ·
I did the same thing to my RTL-E 1-1/2 year ago. You will need to get the Pilkington windshield (OE). I would take it to a clean shop. For the cost and aggravation, you don't want to deal with contaminants that could be blowing around outside. Don't do it in your driveway. After the windshield is installed and you're satisfied there are no leaks, you'll need to get the dealership to re-calibrate the sensors. It's expensive. Sorry, such is the price of progress.

For everyone, as this is costly, you want to keep a good following distance at all times, especially behind dump trucks and tractor trailers. On gravel roads, slow down and flash your lights at oncoming traffic to slow them down as well. Anything to reduce kinetic energy and avoid a ~$1,000 bill.
 
#9 ·
Just a reminder and clarification:

Pilkington is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) of the OE (Original Equipment) windshield used on the Ridgeline. They make windshields to Honda's specifications - these windshields have the HONDA logo on them and are considered OE (Original Equipment). They also make replacement windshields for the same applications that do NOT contain the HONDA logo - these windshields are made to different specifications and can be called OEM, but not OE. Many people (including those in the industry) incorrectly refer to OE components as OEM which can create confusion (which is sometimes intentional).
 
#7 ·
I talked to my insurance company and they cover the re-calibration of the system under the glass break rider so at least I'm not out there. Appreciate all the responses here. As I stated earlier, I'm gonna live with it unless it grows until spring. I'd rather let the damaged glass take the road salt punishment than the replacement.
 
#8 ·
IIRC, Pilkington makes two different windshields for the RTL-E. One is replacement glass, the other is OE replacement glass. The OE is guaranteed to work with the calibration, while the other may or may not have issues. The OE costs more. The insurance company and/or windshield company may be "confused" because they may think a Pilkington windshield is all that is needed.

Also, double-check with the insurance company about waiting on the repair. Depending on how they pay out, they may be happy with you waiting it out through the winter season when gravel is common on the roads, or they want you to replace immediately to avoid possible future issues... it is best to work with them for the proper repair and timeline.
 
#11 ·
Called my local dealer just to see what the cost would be from Honda. They said they do not do any glass replacements and to call Safelite. Interesting. I called a couple other dealerships here in town and they told me the same thing. I've had Safelite do all my windshield replacements over the last 10 years and they do a good job. I guess I'll find out just how good with the RL.
 
#13 ·
Reading this thread is a bummer as I already got a small rock chip on my now 4 month old RTL-E of course in my line of view. The wife's CX-9 is going to have to go in soon with multiple chips in less than a year. When you live in Montana where gravel trucks are not required to be covered and all the other crap on the road it's a matter of when, not if your going to need a replacement. You cannot avoid it. Any kind of long interstate travel as well. Our roads are falling apart and the hard winters are not helping.

It never used to be that big a deal. Satellite would come and slap on a replacement in 20 minutes and you were done for a few hundred. With all the technology and camera's in these new cars..... those days are over. If you don't get OEM glass or something darn close it will probably never be as tight and right as it was from the factory. And as someone said don't get it done on your driveway anymore.

I believe the RTL-E has an upgraded windshield glass for sound deadening so I'd guess you'e want to make sure your getting that. I deliberately bay a higher premium for a no deductible comprehensive because as I said it's going to happen. Just a matter of when.
 
#15 ·
believe the RTL-E has an upgraded windshield glass for sound deadening so I'd guess you'e want to make sure your getting that.
FWIW the slightly lower-cost "OEM Equivalent" Safelite quoted for my RTL-E based on VIN (see post 3 above) is labelled as "Acoustic Glass", but that's another aspect that can vary from OE spec (there's varying degrees of "Acoustic Glass" effectiveness).
 
#14 ·
For anyone reading this and contemplating a Ridgeline purchase, you should look at the trim level and see if you really need to get one of the higher trims in view of the higher costs that go with things like LKAS. I take a lot of long road trips, and the ACC and LKAS are worth the extra cost and bother to me, but for you, maybe not.
 
#18 ·
I had my window replaced less than a year after I bought it due to a line of sight double bullseye crack that obscured stop lights. I requested an OE glass from safelite even though I only have an RTL (comprehsive glass coverage). When I got to the shop to get it replaced, which is my preference due to being inside/warm/not raining, I watched through the window as they pulled it out of a Honda box. It is stamped Honda. One month later I got a huge chip in about the same place. Getting through winter with the crack is probably best because you'll get more chips in due time, especially being winter. I've had about 6 chips fixed to avoid a whole replacement thing since that first replacement 2 years ago. I recall the bill for the window being something in the 800-900 range, but I don't have the fancy sensing electronics. Our agent did say that there was no cost difference to our insurance premiums between different trim levels though, so might be something worth checking on if you do choose to buy and keep a comprehensive insurance plan that also has glass coverage.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I've long carried a rather high ($1K) deductible on my TX State Farm comprehensive policies (they don't offer a separate lower deductible glass rider) and that's 'paid back' for me in the long run with my (non-existent) accident history and having cars with relatively low-cost glass / infrequent breakage incidents.

Given the cost of the glass for my RTL-E and the apparently increasing risk of breakage (both of my incidents were from on-coming traffic in dirty road construction zones - a now pervasive situation in my area), seems I may need to revisit that deductible amount / insurance cost / long-term payback guestimate with my agent :unsure:

Admitting I didn't consider the cost of glass replacement when shopping for my RL, but in retrospect it wouldn't have affected my decision to go with the RTL-E, all things considered for my 'wants'. YMMV
 
#21 ·
"Acoustic glass" has become very common. It even came standard on Ford's least-expensive car - the Fiesta - where it goes by the name "SoundScreen".

Now that ADAS are becoming standard on virtually all makes and models, windshield-mounted cameras, OE windshields, and camera calibration will become standard practice for all new vehicles. Comprehensive insurance premiums will certainly rise as a result. $250 windshield replacements are dying. $1,000-$1,500 windshield replacements are becoming the new norm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CentexG2
#23 ·
I had a recent chip, but it was out of sight and easily repaired. This thread made me curious on my coverage. In Florida we have zero deductible on windshields. I am now wondering how that effects our fancy windshields on the RTL-E.
 
#24 ·
I have an RTL-E and just had my windshield replaced last week by Safelite. I went through insurance, as the total retail cost for OE glass (with the Honda logo) with calibration was $1426.00. I had to go to their shop as the RL requires both static and dynamic calibration (which they charge $500 for). After the replacement, its a good as new, and the safety systems work the same as before.
 
#26 ·
Acoustic windshields are notorius for cracking very easily Especially in the first 2 inches around the windshield.
Acoustic windshields supposedly make the cabin quieter, but I'd bet that most people would not know the
difference between an acoustic windshield and a standard windshield from 1998.
By adding acoustic windshields, the auto makers have created a whole new industry - windshield repair and replacement.
 
#27 ·
All windshields are... :)

Just search any forum and you'll see the same complaints about each model being "rock magnets" and "more prone to breaking than any other automobile I've owned".

There are a number of reasons for this including aerodynamics, shape of the body, cost and weight savings, windshields being structural members, etc. Being "acoustic" doesn't matter. An acoustic windshield is made the same way as a non-acoustic windshield - the primary difference is a different viscosity of the the PVC layer in between the two layers of glass to absorb specific frequencies of sound.
 
#28 ·
If conditions are right, glass will just plain break. I lost an original windshield on my 61 Corvette and my 63 Corvette had a replacement windshield from the 70's when I bought it. Wife's 2016 Durango and my 2013 Tundra both had windshields replaced. I'm not sure the acoustic factor is as big a determinate of potential damage as angle of installation, traffic conditions, speed and aerodynamics.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top