Anyone else have cracked windshields due to thawing/freezing?

[taurusffv]

2000 Taurus FFV 4door-I used to go to this local "deluxe" car wash that was automated but also has a prewash by some young guys at the entrance with hoses. One hot summer day I could tell the young man was up to no good because the process was different and his actions were furtive. He came around the car with his hose and aimed it at the top of my windshield up close about 1 inch from the surface on the passenger side and then sprayed-a crack formed from the edge of the windshield and streaked downwards about a foot due to the concentrated spray of cold water hitting the hot glass.

So 10days ago we had rain followed by really cold temps here and my car froze solid-could not get any car door unlocked let alone open. Had to leave the car in the parking lot at work for a couple days till it warmed up a little. When I finally could get in the car, I saw that the crack streaked down near the base of the windshield and then streaked sideways just above the wipers all the way across the drivers side. More rain since then-no water gets inside and wipers work fine.

I priced replacing and its ~$400 which probably means the final bill will really be $600.

Just curious if anyone else has experienced a windshield issue. The car started like a champion despite below zero temps.

[65comet]

The water itself would not cause the crack. You probably had a rock hit the windshield and it made a very, very tiny chip. It might have been right at the trim and not normally visible. It could have also been a hit on the trim that chipped away at the top edge of the windshield or even chipped in original factory installation that wasn't caught before the trim was put on. But a cold/hot quick change of temperature will pop that small chip into a crack in a heartbeat. Then each time in cold weather you turn on the defroster, the crack is going to get bigger until it finds the edge of the windshield. A lot of junk yards will charge $100 plus labor (@$75) to put in an old one. So check around.