Got my first windshield chip/crack on the Clarity today while driving on the freeway Dang dump trucks, hauling loads without proper cover/containment. The preferred repair shop for my insurer is Safelite. Are they good for the special acoustic glass we have on the Clarity ? Any experiences/thoughts?
Safelite probably makes all the OEM ones in the first place. I'd worry more about the guy installing it making sure it is properly fitted for the front camera that supports the adaptive cruise control and braking assist. Given the number of vehicles with the "acoustic" glass around, I doubt Safelite would have a problem sourcing it.
Yeah, I remember my other cars had safelite glasses. The clarity uses AGC automotive lamisafe glass - http://www.agc-automotive.com/en/our-products/transversal-technologies/laminated-glass-lamisafe/
NO experience with Clarity yet, but I've dealt with Safelite before and they're great (through my AAA ins)! While they do supply a product, they seem to emphasize the service part first, not the least of which is going to where You are to fix your problem and not the other way around (not even sure if they have "a place" of business lol)
That's to be expected, really. You can't safely drive to them if you window is busted, so they have to be able to go to you, even if your specific case isn't so bad.
Got it fixed at Safelite. The repaired spot is translucent rather than transparent like glass. The technician said that is how these repairs turn out. True story ?
FYI, if the chip is in field of view of forward facing camera for the safety systems then Honda says you need to replace the windshield as it can adversely affects the performance of the lane assist and collision systems. Had to have that argument with my insurance company when wieldshield repair guy told me I needed to replace mine due to unfortunate location of a chip. Thought he was full of it until I talked with Honda.
You can see it when you look at the front windshield. It sort of behind rear view mirror. You can see the camera attached to the inside of the windshield. There is a black area and can see the camera lens. If you look at the larger black area around the camera, I was told that a chip/crack/damage to windshield in front of the camera, inside the black area you see, or within 2 inches of the outside of the black area that it was recommended to replace the windshield. There are really paranoid about things effecting the aim of the camera or obscuring the camera lens. Honda position is also to only use OEM windshields: https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/web/ABN09431.pdf
I thought I would join this thread to ask for some windshield chip advice. We now have a tiny chip together with a small crack on the passenger side of the windshield. I am attaching two photos. The penny is for scale but also works to show where the chip is on the wider view. Our insurance company will pay for a repair. I know our Clarity windshield glass is special. Our insurance company uses Safelite. Are they likely to know how do deal with a repair on our glass? Also as small as the chip/crack is, is a repair a good idea? Thanks for any advice with this.
I've had very good luck in the past with a repair. A good repair shop can make the chip nearly disappear.
Yes just get it repaired. It'll reduce the chip to looking like a permanent bug spot. Wait for a true crack before you have it replaced. The glass isn't special on the outside. It's just a pane of glass like any other car. Safelite can fill it and no special procedures are needed.