My 2020 defender finally has a 4 inch crack, previously I had a 3 inch crack in the corner and a nib right in front of me. But this 4 inch crack got me concerned and decided to replace the windshield. Parts and labor is about $2000, ouch. Anyone else in the same boat or recommendations?

 

Your insurance won’t cover it?

 

Same boat here, Ours started a pressure crash within 3 weeks that is now 85% of the way up the window vertically, fortunately on passenger side. Sadly, same day I was driving to file a glass complaint with the dealer I got beaned with rock dead center of my face drivers side - so no dealer replacement under warranty for me.

Fortunately we have unlimited glass coverage from State Farm for just over $30/yr on each of our vehicles. Came in really handy with the Toyota FJ, particularly on our first one when they first hit North America and glass was problematic to source. Now it will be useful again with the LRD which like our first FJ circa 2006, getting replacement glass for the LRD quickly is currently a crap shoot. But at least it's covered. Best insurance we've ever purchased then and now!

From what I've read here, and elsewhere, and in casual chats at dealership, cracked windshields was (is?) common place even for vehicles right off the boat.

 

"welcome" to the club. It is a well known issue and often discussed here in the forums.
I can bet my paycheck that JLR will state that there are no issues with their (crappy) windshields. Don't expect any support from them on this matter.
Hope you have good insurance.
From what I am hearing, the aftermarket in most of the cases are better than the OEM ones.

 

Here is the right answer, unfortunately.

I just had my 2nd replacement windshield installed on Monday.

 

Was the first replacement OEM or aftermarket?

 

It is not clear from your post if you had a crack because of a rock/something else that hit the windshield or if you had one of the "spontaneous" cracks discussed in some other threads. Rock chips and cracks in these super-vertical windshields is more than common. Ask any FJ or Jeep owner. The other "spontaneous" cracks are a concern for sure and, from what I read here, lot more common in vehicles with sunroof - of course, most have the sunroof.

 

Ditto! 3rd windshield replacement for me. The weight of the OEM windshield is far less than the weight of other LR windshields. I used ShatterX on all the windshields but that did not help anything and were useless in my case.

 

Ouch!!

I've considered ShatterX but it seems like people either swear by it or call it snake oil. So I just haven't yet

 

Is there a product called PitX? My windshield is so pitted after just 34K miles. Driving into the sun you see a spectrum of colors off the thousands of tiny pit marks. Windshields on my previous vehicles weren't this pitted after 100K miles. I hope it does get cracked soon so I can get a new windshield.