Any driver has a go-to cache of great on-the-road memories with their car: a favorite long weekend road trip with a great playlist, a nighttime cruise with the windows down, a drive-in movie with your partner. Of course, along with the stories of good times, every driver has at least one less-than-fond memory of an unwelcome surprise. We’re talking about that flat tire in the middle of nowhere, or the sunroof that decided not to close during a sudden downpour, or that errant rock that wreaked havoc on your windshield.
Since we can laugh at these experiences in retrospect, we’ve rounded up a few of our staffers’ favorite “windshield woes” — the stories that taught them how to deal with a broken or damaged windshield. Read on to see how your own Ah-ha! moments compare, and to discover how Safelite® can be your windshield hero.
The “my friend’s a mechanic” lesson
Mashable staffer Anna Kate reminds us that, sometimes, it’s best to leave vehicle maintenance to the professionals:
“Back when I was a financial recruiter, my main responsibility was to go to college campuses and try to attract students to come work for the firm I represented. This meant I spent a lot of time in my Toyota Yaris, a Christmas gift from my parents my senior year of high school. This particular time, I was going all the way down to Tifton, Georgia, which is about a five-hour drive from Atlanta. The day before my journey, I brought my car over to my good friend Will's house. We are from the same small town in Georgia, and he assured me he would give my car a good looking over and tune-up. He's a real know-it-all so I didn't really ask any questions when he was done, I just trusted he got it done. I drove home on the back roads, no faster than 30 mph the whole way, and everything was just fine.
Later, as I was driving to go get tacos with my best friend Alec, I got onto highway 85, hit 65 ramping up to 70 miles per hour — and, suddenly, the hood of my car flew up and cracked my windshield, completely blocking my view on a four-lane highway! I freaked out, and Alec helped me navigate to a safe location, where I called Will and cussed him out. Knowing I had to leave for Tifton at 6 AM the next morning, I immediately thought of the ‘Safelite Repair, Safelite Replace’ commercial jingle and contacted them. A nice man came and tolerated my tear-stained face and my ranting while he replaced the entire windshield. (I made Will pay for it!) Best of all, I still wound up getting tacos and making it to the career fair the next day.”
Safelite® to the rescue! Safelite’s dedication to convenience means Anna Kate could rest assured — a Safelite MobileGlassShop™ came to her and replaced her windshield.
The “my fiancé is a driver’s bad luck charm” lesson
Alice, another Mashable staffer extraordinaire, can at least blame her fiancé for some less-than-charmed moments on the road:
“It was my first-ever trip away somewhere with my fiancé, Lucas, and we were road tripping out to Marfa in West Texas (a 7-hour drive from our place in Austin). We were in Lucas’ car, and out of nowhere, a rock flew up and cracked his windshield. We were able to continue driving, but because we were going to West Texas in January, we knew we had to have it repaired or else it would crack more — it gets really, really cold at night there, which can make windshield cracks worse.
Then, not too long after that, Lucas was driving my car (which I had bought less than six months earlier) to Georgia, because he was coming with me to my hometown for Christmas for the first time. Same thing: bam, a rock came out of nowhere and cracked the windshield. Merry Christmas, I guess!”
True, getting a cracked windshield can be inconvenient. However, Safelite offers precision care from experienced technicians, easy scheduling, and they even worked with Alice’s insurance while away from home — another potential headache avoided.
The “small rocks carry a big punch” lesson
From Mashable staffer Sasha, a David-and-Goliath tale of a small rock versus a big windshield:
“While parked under a freeway overpass, I returned to the parking lot to find my back windshield completely shattered. It appeared a rock or something small had hit my car from above. Physics being what they are, my rear window didn’t stand a chance.”
A classic case of physics ruining your day: It can happen even after you leave the high school classroom. Although, speaking of the classroom, Safelite trains their replacement specialists to replace broken auto glass to the highest standards — all technicians receive thorough classroom and hands-on training so you can rest easy knowing you'll receive the best experts in the business. Plus, when rear windshields are installed, you'll receive a nationwide lifetime warranty for workmanship.
As drivers, we can’t avoid windshield woes all the time. Luckily, for the times a tiny pebble gets the best of us, Safelite is ready to help.
