Entropy

The inevitable disintegration of order into disorder.

Pretty much sums up the State of the Union  now that I think about it, but that's not where I was going with this.

I seem, regardless of vehicle ground clearance, to have an innate ability to follow at just the right distance to catch every rock and flicked cigarette butt* that comes out of the vehicle in front of me.

Truck, vans, compact car, car the size of a ballerina slipper, doesn't matter, most of my vehicles have had a major crack in the windshield.

The ballerina slipper, my current car - Scion tC - is a rock magnet. It started with a chip. When that failed to develop into a crack, the universe deemed that a rock impact was needed at the lower edge of the windshield where it could not be seen from inside the car.  That rapidly developed into an exquisite question mark shaped crack.
 This was not enough to defile the first new car I have owned since 1996.  The right front fog lamp apparently needed a good killin as well.

Of course, I can't just buy a replacement lens for the fog lamp.  I can buy a replacement fog lamp, from Toyota for $260.  Oy, such a deal?
A set of aftermarket fog lamps, that is, two fog lamps, are on the way for half that price.  The windshield replacement?  That will be roughly $500.  I was expecting worse considering the car was built in Japan and imported.  I still need a Tums to quell the acid reflux.

I am not proud. I have driven vehicles that embarrassed my children for many, many years, cracked windshields and all, but the crack in the Scion windshield is annoying the bejeezus out of me.
I'm used to having to constantly repair the junkyard fleet, but I hadn't expected to have to start fighting entropy on a car, bought new, that I've had 18 months just yet. (well, I have clocked 31,000 miles on it already. Like I always say, "it ain't the years, it's the mileage" when people tell me I don't look so good)
Could be worse I suppose.**








* Had a lit butt land on my Jeep hood at 30 mph in the "sweet spot" where the negative pressure bubble was just perfect.  It just laid there and quivered while burning the clear coat. Thankfully after a few minutes a cross wind took pity on me and blew it off the hood.
** Years ago, the AC had crapped out in my Ford Ranger and I was driving down 59 South next to a Semi with the window down.  Semi ran over a flattened metal hub cap and launched it into the air.
It passed by the driver's side open window in a vertical orientation a few inches from the cab.  The air flow, thankfully, caught it and directed it just past the back left corner of the cab and out between the two back posts of the rack over the bed of the truck, pretty much dead center over the tailgate.
I did have presence of mind to lean to the right just a bit, just in case.  I recall thinking, "wow, I'm really glad that didn't shred the left side of my face."  I was more handsome back then. It is less of a concern these days. :-)