[John Eh]

Around here, a snowfall equals salt and sand on the roads...

So, I now have a chip in my heated windshield after a little piece of gravel flew up out of the muck in front of me.

I have the heated windshield with the embedded defrosting wires. The chip is dime-sized and in the midline of the glass, just a few inches above the bottom edge.

Any thoughts on whether a simple chip repair should be OK? Or should I expect frustration with the damaged defrosting wires? Is it worth spending the $$$ to have the windshield replaced?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[jsimon7777]

I'd do a repair kit ASAP. If it doesn't fix the issue or if the heater stops working, then I'd replace.

 

[Ayepace]

Are you sure the heating grid got damaged? It would be worth stopping by a glass repair shop and having them assess the situation.

Estimates are free around here. A repair is covered by insurance without a deductible or other impact to the policy too.

If the grid is damaged, then a replacement is recommended. Otherwise you'll be looking at a significant part of the windscreen not being heating and getting defrosted.
If repairable, get it repaired ASAP before cooling (contracting)/heating (expanding) of the glass makes it worse.

 

[dtgsrq]

I took delivery of a 2019 FE in Dec 2018. Hated the heated windshield so much I demanded a trade-in within a week. Took months to achieve, then had to order anew, but got a 2020 HSE in July 2019 on which I've just crossed 24,000 miles. No regrets. That said, JLR was so fearful of swapping out the heated windshield for a non-heated one they ultimately refused, deciding instead to have me order an entire new vehicle! So I doubt they will allow you to put a non-heated one into a vehicle built with a heated one. Curious what they say now, 2 years after my experience.

 

[John Eh]

Thanks all. Glass shop says they aren't keen on repairing the chip, even though it is very small. Insurance will pay for the entire windshield to be replaced, so that's good. I am surprised such a little thing matters that much... but there you go!

 

[ChrisSB]

I've always had heated screens repaired before. Had no issues.

 

[jsimon7777]

If they'll replace the whole thing for a low or no fee, that's great. However, you might be fine with just a small repair kit from the auto parts store. I'd hate to waste all that material. I'm not sure if they can recycle that kind of glass.