Why do cracks appear on the windscreen of my Vauxhall Astra?

The reasons for cracks appearing are numerous and annoying in every instance. Some are common everyday reasons and a few are exceptional cases that are highly dependant on the situation.

Impact damage

The most natural and rational reason that cracks or dents will appear on your windscreen or car glass cover. When you ride along a recently gravelled road or one filled with pebbles and stones, small road debris can be agitated up from the area and tossed towards your windscreen. With enough speed, these missiles can deliver sufficient levels of damage to the sheets of glass that are a part of your windscreen.

Stress Fractures from fast changes in temperatures

Less common, but more damaging, is fluctuating changes in hot and cold exposures your Vauxhall Astra might be subjected to, either overtime or within a short time frame.

When your car’s windscreen comes into contact with drastic shifts in temperature, such as a hot day full of sunlight or blistery chill from an icy wind, it increases the danger of developing a stress fracture. This effect occurs when shifting temperatures provoke the glass layers to expand and contract swiftly, causing pesky cracks to appear.

Continuous changes will slowly degenerate and break your car’s glass over time, but a wild change (such as pouring boiling liquid on glaciated windscreens) can cause it to shatter immediately.

Weather patterns

As if we didn’t have enough weather problems to deal with daily, now we have to look out for our cars as well! Blizzards can frost our windscreens over, bring along blizzards and hail storms that could break glass or cause car accidents, and icy roads may become the space for perilous accidents to take place.

Car accidents

The worst result possible from driving; a car swerving off a road, a distracted driver turning without indicating or just plain terrible timing can result in either a small fender with only a minor repair being needed or a complete shattering of every bit of glass in your Vauxhall Astra.

Shoddy car repair workmanship

If you select a car glass repair facility that doesn’t grasp the complexities of how a car’s glass merges with its various part,s or if they tend to use low-quality materials, then you’ll be needing them sooner than you would like.

How do I prevent cracks and dents from appearing on my Vauxhall Astra?

Luckily, there are a number of methods you can put in place to ensure that you prevent any cracks from appearing on your windscreen’s beautiful surface. And prevention is easier, quicker, and cheaper than repairs or replacements.

Provide good shelter from the elements at all times

When it’s chilly, utilise the defroster slowly to stop the windscreen from cracking due to rapidly fluctuating temperatures. If feasible, park your Vauxhall Astra out of the sun whenever possible. Heat prompts the glass to expand, which can lead to a crack or chip becoming more serious, and thus; sunlight is never fitting for cars. The shelter also protects your car glass from impact damage due to random flying missiles (such as balls and frisbees) or weather pattern projectiles such as hailstones and wind-flung tree branches.

Clean your windscreen whenever possible

If you have a crack or chip, you should supervise it against getting any dirt or moisture into it, as this can taint the crack. You should put a clear piece of tape over it for protection, as windscreen wiper fluid also comprises of colourants, which can smear the area, leading to blemished results even after a successful repair.

Drive carefully on the road

The usual reasons for cracks are road debris and projectiles that knock against your car come from the vehicles in front of you. When you’re travelling on a gravelly path, linger a secure distance away from any other car on the street.

By reducing your speed during a hail storm, you can lessen the strength of the impact on your windscreen and thus limit the damage.

The year

The Vauxhall Astra’ has been in production since 1980, and as such its car parts available and the quality, they come in all vary wildly, as will their costs. A 1980 Vauxhall Astra with all its possible windscreen features comes to £496.96.

A 2020 production year Vauxhall Astra with all its possible windscreen features comes to £533.54

Quite a difference hey?

The style of your Vauxhall Astra

Earlier models of the Vauxhall Astra come in three distinctive styles; Convertible, Coupe and Estate.

Each one is glorious in they’re own way but each does come with slightly differing costs:

• A 2000 Convertible model with all its windscreen features will cost £454.20
• A 2000 Hatchback: £450.11
• And a 2000 Estate will also cost £319.19

Later models of the Vauxhall Astra don’t get sold with these options of style and will not play a part in the final cost of your windscreen replacement.

And finally, one of the most influential factors of your windscreen replacement cost will be the number of windscreen features it has:

An interesting fact about the Vauxhall Astra!

Some futuristic techs are coming on offer soon!

As a buyer, you can get some extravagant features usually booked for the pricier cars, including dynamic lane-keep assistance that pushes the steering to hold the car in its lane, automated emergency braking, and a following-distance notice on the upper trim levels. There are also fascinating elective luxury extras that you might not assume to see on the Vauxhall models.

These include a subscription-based in-car WiFi system which links to a 4G sim card, along with power-operated, vented and warmed seats with a massage option! The Vauxhall Astra is also proposing some advanced full-LED lamps that automatically light around approaching cars without glaring into their driver’s eyeballs.

Here are more Vauxhall-related posts:
Vauxhall Corsa Windscreen Replacement Service
Vauxhall Insignia Windscreen Replacement and Car Glass Repair