Cracked windshield | FerrariChat

Cracked windshield

Discussion in '360/430' started by tubi360, Jun 10, 2015.

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  1. tubi360

    tubi360 Rookie

    Jul 4, 2014
    4
    I have a cracked wind shield from a stray rock. Left a half dollar sized crack in the passenger side. I checked with Ferrari of New England and they do not do wind shields.

    I have tried the Safe-lite wind shield patch and it helps a little but still looks a crack wind shield. The insurance will pay for a new wind shield. Can anyone recommend a reliable shop in the Boston area.
    Thanks
     
  2. MaranelloDave

    MaranelloDave Formula 3

    Apr 27, 2010
    2,203
    LA
    Full Name:
    Dave
    Why not just use Safelite? They're one of the biggest companies out there. I just had them replace the windshield on another of our cars and they did a good job and were very professional. Their work is guaranteed too.
     
  3. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
    570
    Santa Barbara County
    Full Name:
    Keith Williams
    I recently completed a windshield replacement. I had pleasure of a rock traveling over Mach 1 hit my windshield. I heard it hit and a gunshot type sounds is what it sounded like. I called the insurance company and they said go to one of two glass service places that are approved. I went to Safelite and they literally could not spell the brand. He could not find Ferrari in his system. His co-worker stated it was a dealer only windshield. I asked if he was comfortable working on the car and he said he was not. Called insurance company again and they tried an alternate method in which they call a dealer, get a quote on replacing and send me a check.

    Have the dealer replace the Windshield, it is the easiest path.
     
  4. Bob in Texas

    Bob in Texas F1 Rookie

    Apr 23, 2012
    2,732
    Just East of Weird
    Full Name:
    Bob
    Had dealer replace my windshield about a year ago. they had one in stock. Of course not in the boston area. Came out perfect.
     
  5. dantm

    dantm Formula 3

    Nov 1, 2003
    1,103
    YYZ, BOS, SFO
    Full Name:
    Dan B.
    FNE used to do the windshields and now they outsource it to a local shop where they offload the responsibility...you will probably need the entire assembly, including the frame surround, etc. PITA...

    Give Steve Oldford at Aston Martin of New England a call:

    About - Aston Martin of New England & Lotus Motorsports, Inc.

    They will help you...
     
  6. tubi360

    tubi360 Rookie

    Jul 4, 2014
    4
    Thanks everyone for your inputs and advices. I had the same experience as Keith360 -I heard it hit and a gunshot type sounds is what it sounded like. I called the insurance company and they recommend Safelite and they literally could not find Ferrari in his system. I also had good experiences with Safelite fixing my Porsche and BMW in the past but they told me that they are quite uncomfortable working on a Ferrari. I am quite surprised that Ferrari of New England does not do windshields or recommend a shop. I am sure that they have a good valid business reason not to provide such a basic service. I will call Steve Oldford and see if he can help me.
    Thanks all.
     
  7. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
    570
    Santa Barbara County
    Full Name:
    Keith Williams
    Do they come any other way? Mine came with the seal installed on the glass out of the box.
     
  8. glassguy19

    glassguy19 Rookie

    Feb 15, 2016
    2
    Replacement isn't as bad as you'd think on newer models. The older ones on the other hand can be quite challenging. Try to use old moldings on older models. They need to be fitted to the car. Newer models have the trim already attached to the glass.



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     
  9. 360trev

    360trev F1 Rookie
    Project Master

    Oct 29, 2005
    4,330
    Gibraltar
    Full Name:
    360trev
    I would stress that on the 360 or 430 it is SUPER CRITICAL that its properly water ingress tested after fitting because it gets very expensive if any of the ecu's get damaged, and if there is a leak since this can wreck havoc.

    I experienced a said water leak on the base of my windshield a few years ago which had never noticed since I normally keep my car inside a garage but this one weekend we just so happened to be treating ourselves to a luxury 5* Chateaux grand hotel just North of Paris. Upon arrival all was fine. In the morning before breakfast I went out to discover the windows on both sides of the car DOWN and both doors where unlocked. That's completely odd I thought as I 100% locked it the night before...

    On inspection the interior was swimming in water (thankfully no carpets) but it was soaked which I used copious amounts of 5* luxury hotel towels on (I'm sure they where not impressed with that one!). If that concerned them its when I was bringing the car battery inside to recharge they must have had a bit of a heart attack!

    You see, the water had leaked onto the left hand side ECU soaking the Electric Window/Door computer causing a short circuit which make the windows go up and down like crazy the whole night eventually flattening the battery and destroying one of the door lock solenoids in the process. I was many hundreds of miles away from home, what to do?

    I was in luck because my partner had her hair straighteners with her and I had a copy of the workshop manuals and wiring schematics on my trusty laptop. I was able to cut the wire on her hair straighteners (to her contempt) and directly wire the window motors to the battery so they at least went up the whole way. I couldn't imagine driving hundreds of miles in the rain with open windows!!! It worked and we recharged the battery and got the car started.

    In the end due to a small window leak it had ;
    1. Destroyed our expensive weekend getaway (my partner, she was not impressed!)
    2. Destroyed the Door/Window lock ECU
    3. Destroyed a door solenoid lock
    4. Destroyed a door lock relay
    5. Soaked my interior (if it had been fitted with carpets they would have been a mess too).

    Thankfully due to my knowledge of the car I was able to resolve it all relatively inexpensively but it goes to show the cascading consequences of a poor window refit job... There are lots of important electronics behind the dash (on the other side there are the hazard flashers, the suspension ecu, plus inclination sensor for alarm, etc.). Don't let these get fried with water or you'll pay dearly...

    -T
     
  10. Gofast430

    Gofast430 Karting

    Jun 2, 2013
    205
    Overland Park, KS
    Full Name:
    Don Dearmore
    #10 Gofast430, Feb 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Safelite replaced a windshield for me. PERFECT JOB. They ordered it from Ferrari of
    Denver. Had to be shipped to them and then Denver shipped it to Kansas City. I have
    State Farm with $1,000 deductible. State Farm has the WORST glass coverage
    of any insurance company.
    OEM windshield was $4,870. Typical F Car ripoff.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  11. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
    570
    Santa Barbara County
    Full Name:
    Keith Williams
    #11 Keith360, Feb 17, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2016
    Gofast430, I hope my replacement didn't cause Start Farm to rethink their policy...I had no out of pocket expense. When I contacted the Agent at State Farm, I spoke in hypothetical tense. My bet is your policy was a little less expensive than mine. It may be a case of you get what you pay for and I'll bet they are all about the same when it come to this part of the policies.

    I agree on the cost of the windshield from Ferrari, like most of their parts costs. I imagine their labor rates are too high as well.
     
  12. efg2014

    efg2014 Formula Junior

    Sep 14, 2014
    657
    Northern California
    I have a crack on my f430 wind shield which is less than 1mm. I have thought about getting it fixed but haven't gotten around to it yet. I also don't understand why people get upset on the cost of maintaining a Ferrari. Why buy a Ferrari if you are going to get upset by the cost of maintenance? Curious on why someone would get angry or shocked by the cost? It is a Ferrari not a Hyundia(Actually I have one as a daily driver).
     
  13. 360trev

    360trev F1 Rookie
    Project Master

    Oct 29, 2005
    4,330
    Gibraltar
    Full Name:
    360trev
    Its not always a cost of actually maintaining the car though is it?

    If your paying for genuinely better engineered parts no problem, but there are only so many ways you can "improve" on a windshield's basic design. People don't like to be ripped off just to maintain huge profit margins for Fiat... its that simple.

    The majority of the parts inside a Ferrari are not produced by the factory anyway and used across multiple car brands. The fact we pay so much for those 'general' parts especially the exact same part minus the horse logo'd box for 1/10th then you get a bit upset.
     
  14. 1919A4

    1919A4 Karting

    Apr 21, 2011
    115
    Saint Petersburg FL
    I had to have my windshield replaced a couple of years ago. State Farm was the insurance company. Completely free here in Florida. Dealer did a great job. Would never take it anywhere else.
     
  15. Rosso328

    Rosso328 F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 11, 2006
    7,344
    Central FL
    Full Name:
    Paul
    There is a state law in Florida that windshield damage not associated with a collision (i.e. no other damage) is not subject to a deductible.
     

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