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I have a crack in the windshield going from the passanger side in the direction to the drivers side. Its 10cm longer now, than what is shown on the image.

I will drive this car 1000km to its original country where the windshield will be replaced end of month and avoid driving as much as possible until then.

Here are my questions:

  • How can I stop this crack from spreading, is boring a hole at the end of the crack a legitimate solution, at least for a short while? Should I even attempt this myself?
  • Can super glue help?
  • I can feel the crack on the outside with my nail, but not on the inside. Does this mean only outer layer is damaged, which means its less of an issue?
  • Does it help if I never turn on the heat and just drive in total cold and drive very carefully in general? Maybe I should even keep the windows slightly open?
  • I have a bulls eye repair kit, should I try to apply it to the end of the crack? Does any other product like that help?

enter image description here

What is the worse case scenario? Lets imagine the crack wanders to the other side, the windshield is split in two. Lets also assume the inner layer is split too. Will the glass just eventually shatter and cause me to make an accident or will it enter the vehicle and potentially slice me in half?

Last time I had this my insurance paid for a brand new 2000€ toyota original windshield, which I would prefer to paying 350-250 out of pocket for an immediate fix but with off brand replacement.

I know there are other questions about this, but I am asking for an interim solution. I am aware I can't drive like this for long. I just need to get this car home, then have it properly fixed.

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How can I stop this crack from spreading, is boring a hole at the end of the rack legit solution? Should I even attempt this myself?

Yes, boring a hole at the end of the crack can arrest the crack. This takes a diamond tip drill or rotary tool to accomplish. The reason it works is, once the crack starts, there's a stress riser where the crack is located. Once the small hole is in place, the stress riser is interrupted which stops the crack.

Can super glue help?

Basically, no. The stress riser is still there, so the crack will continue.

I can feel the crack on the outside with my nail, but not on the inside. Does this mean only outer layer is damaged, which means its less of an issue?

A laminated windshield like you'd see here in the States is made up of three layers. Two outside layers of glass and one inner layer which is clear adhesive. In your case (and most cases like it), it's just the outer layer which is damaged.

Does it help if I never turn on the heat and just drive in total cold and drive very carefully in general?

While I have no proof, using or not using the heat isn't going to help things. The stress riser is still there and the crack will continue to propagate.

What is the worse case scenario? Lets imagine the crack wanders to the other side, the windshield is split in two. Lets also assume the inner layer is split too. Will the glass just eventually shatter and cause me to make an accident or will it enter the vehicle and potentially slice me in half?

Because of the laminated the way the windshield is designed, a single crack is not going to cause you safety concerns. It will partially block your view, but there should be no fear of it coming apart and cutting you in 1/2. This is part of the reason it is laminated. It is designed NOT to come apart and to protect the occupants.

To alleviate your fears a little, you shouldn't have any issues with concerns about the windshield coming apart. Most likely, the worst you are going to deal with is the crack coming into your vision area, which may obstruct it a little bit. If you can deal with that, there should be no problems. Many people stupidly drive with crack windshields for years without any issues. I'm not saying that's the right thing to do, but people do it. It is my humble opinion that it will be good enough to get you home without issue.

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  • Thank you very much for your answer. The crack seems to be staying in the lower third of the windshield, so I hope it won't go directly infront of my eyes. Then I also have the option of lowering / rising my seat. Given its not that critical would it be advisible to get a diamond drill bit and try to stop it? Or would I potentially shatter the outer layer for real this way?
    – user1721135
    Commented Jan 17 at 16:27
  • @user1721135 - The outer layer will not shatter. The crack may get longer, but the window itself will be stable enough to just have the single crack (however long it gets) until you replace the windshield. If you really want to stop the crack, you could try drilling it out with a diamond bit, but I'd suggest against it. It would be too easy to cause trama to the interior glass layer.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jan 17 at 17:59

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