What the heck?! How did that happen? That is not sweet at all.
I picked up the Jetta TDI for the weekend and was greeted with this windshield damage.
I was told that something big hit the windshield, but the driver didn't know what it was. A rock, golf ball, avocado, who knows?
The strange thing is the concentric rings around the strike. I have never seen such a pattern -- you usually get lines or spider webs.
Oh, the car, right.
The power from the 2.0L inline turbo-diesel four is acceptable (140hp), and it has good torque (236 lb-ft @ 1750~2500 rpm). But initial throttle tip-in is a bit sluggish. I don't know if this is due to tall gearing, turbo-lag, or what. When you punch it, it's fine. Overall engine performance is pretty good, except for some light clatter that you can hear at idle and at parking lot speeds.
And the ride is not floaty and better controlled than Accord and Camry. I'd take it over a Corolla (both are somewhat boring, but the Jetta less so) but not sure if I would say the same with respect to a Civic.
At a list price of $25K, I'd say it's surprisingly decent.
Albert Austria, Sr Vehicle Eval Engineer @ 13,613 miles
mazdaspeed_jon says:
02:44 PM, 04/13/09
It was a run-by fruiting!
m_thrizzle says:
02:50 PM, 04/13/09
Seems like it could be something like a soccer ball or basketball. Breathe onto the glass from the outside to try to fog it up and see if you can make out hexagonal pattern (like from a soccer ball) or the texturized surface of a basketball.
carguy622 says:
03:05 PM, 04/13/09
It doesn't look like it was hit by anything... this is just typical VW quality! This never happened to the Aura!!! ;)
sealclubb3r says:
03:40 PM, 04/13/09
Ouch, that looks potentially expensive. Hopefully, the whole windshield won't have to be replaced.
good_2_go says:
05:26 PM, 04/13/09
Did this happen while being driven? Looks mighty suspicious to me.
cosmictdi says:
05:38 PM, 04/13/09
"But initial throttle tip-in is a bit sluggish. I don't know if this is due to tall gearing, turbo-lag, or what."
That is the nature of a diesel engine, as is the clatter at idle. What did you expect?
CaptainChaos says:
07:47 PM, 04/13/09
I like m_thrizzle's theory, though I don't see any depth in the impact that I'd expect if the collision was caused by, say, a basketball. Of course, I'm basing this theory on what a human head does to a windshield, namely leave a roughly spherical but notably convex dent in the windshield. This impact seems far too flat, but I wonder if a under-inflated basketball at high velocity could do this...
Since the windshield almost certainly needs to be replaced, you could be all scientific and repeatedly drop or drive into suspect objects onto select areas of the windshield and see which impact most closely resembles the current blemish.
aris4 says:
11:03 PM, 04/13/09
what kind of tree is it parked under?
roadmaster33 says:
12:07 AM, 04/14/09
"But initial throttle tip-in is a bit sluggish."
I think it's pretty good in comparison to most. Unlike most throttles, it doesn't send the tachometer needle into the stratosphere with the first millimeter of pedal travel like the Honda Fit and most everything else in your fleet.
Also, there isn't a ton of pedal travel that doesn't do anything. Can someone please explain to me why automakers feel the need to only make the first part of a pedal's travel have any actual relationship to the throttle opening? My family has a 2007 Honda Fit, and after you press the pedal about 10% of the way down, that's full throttle. 90% of the pedal travel feels meaningless. WHY?
sabastian says:
08:29 AM, 04/14/09
What's with all the incidents of windshield damage? You guys have terrible luck.
nhlcookies says:
12:03 PM, 04/14/09
"But initial throttle tip-in is a bit sluggish."
Throttle? Are you sure you were in the TDI?
Path_Tech says:
12:36 PM, 04/14/09
"But initial throttle tip-in is a bit sluggish."
That's why God created the Sport Mode. It's very fun but kiss that fuel economy goodbye if you use it too much.
matt_a says:
03:06 PM, 04/17/09
You can hear clattering in the Common-Rail Jetta? Really? To me, it sounded more like a ticking. There was very little diesel sound left in that engine. You must have been listening for it.
mannyljr says:
06:52 AM, 04/18/09
I have the exact same crack in the windshield of my Mazda CX-7. Last month, I was driving on a two lane highway at night with my family. I was driving past some slower traffic on the right when I hear a loud pop. It made me flinch but I didn't hear anything "hit" the car. My kids in the back seat said the truck I just passed threw a firecracker at the car. I tried slowing down, but that truck got off on the next exit before I could see them again. With a $500 collision deductible, I have yet to report it or fix it. The windshield on the CX-7 is massive.