Most "windshield facts" online are national numbers or guesses. We wanted to know what is actually happening on Austin roads, so we pulled every job JRD Windshield Repair & Replacement invoiced from November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2026. That covers windshield replacements, rock chip repairs, side and back glass and ADAS calibrations across Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Westlake and the rest of the metro.
We are sharing the results as percentages. The sample is large enough to be statistically meaningful: the headline numbers on this page have a margin of error of about 2.5 to 3.5 percentage points at 95% confidence.
No customer names or contact info were used. Everything below comes straight from our own job records. If you are a reporter or blogger, you are welcome to use any of it. Details on that are at the bottom.
Finding 1: 4 out of 5 new windshields needed a camera recalibration
81% of the windshields we replaced were on vehicles with a forward-facing ADAS camera that had to be recalibrated after the new glass went in. That camera runs things like lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise. If it is off by a degree or two, those systems can read the road wrong.
Not every calibration is the same job:
| Calibration type | Share of calibrations |
|---|---|
| Static (target board in the shop or driveway) | 52% |
| Dynamic (calibrated on a road drive) | 36% |
| Both static and dynamic | 12% |
Calibration is its own step with its own line on the bill, and with comprehensive coverage insurance usually picks it up along with the glass. The takeaway for drivers: if a quote for a newer car does not mention calibration, ask about it, because it is probably needed. A cheap quote that skips it is not really the same job.
Finding 2: The typical car getting a new windshield is about four years old
Among the camera-equipped vehicles where we logged year, make and model, the median model year was 2022, and 85% were 2019 or newer. Newer cars have bigger, more complex windshields with cameras, rain sensors, heated wiper areas and acoustic layers, which is a big reason replacement costs have climbed. Roughly 1 in 3 windshields we installed had a rain sensor that needed a new gel pad.
Finding 3: Toyota, Ford and Honda top the list
Here is the make breakdown for those camera-equipped replacements:
And the ten models we replaced glass on most:
| # | Model | Share of replacements |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford F-Series pickups | 4.1% |
| 2 | Subaru Outback | 3.7% |
| 3 | Honda CR-V | 3.3% |
| 4 | Toyota Highlander | 2.6% |
| 5 | Ford Bronco | 2.6% |
| 6 | Kia Telluride | 2.3% |
| 7 | Toyota RAV4 | 2.2% |
| 8 | Tesla Model 3 | 2.0% |
| 9 | BMW X5 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Ram pickups | 1.9% |
One that stands out is the Ford Bronco. It tied the Toyota Highlander for the #4 spot even though the current Bronco has only been around since 2021. Its windshield sits nearly upright, so it takes rocks more head-on than most SUVs.
These counts reflect what Austin drives as much as which glass breaks. Lots of RAV4s and CR-Vs on the road means lots of RAV4 and CR-V windshields.
Finding 4: Summer is rough on glass, and June is the worst
June ran 47% above an average month and August 33% above. November was the quietest month at 43% below average, with December not far behind. We think summer road trips, highway construction gravel and big temperature swings all play a part. A small chip on a 100-degree windshield that gets blasted with the AC is how a lot of those summer cracks start.
Finding 5: For every chip we fixed, we replaced five windshields
Over the two years we replaced about five windshields for every rock chip we repaired. Some of those replacements were damage nobody could have repaired, like long cracks or edge breaks. But a lot of them started as a chip somebody meant to deal with later. A chip repair takes about 30 minutes and is often free with comprehensive coverage. A replacement on a camera-equipped car is a much bigger job. If you have a chip smaller than a quarter, get it filled before the next hot week.
How we put this together
- Source: JRD's job management system, every invoiced job dated November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2026.
- Windshield, chip and calibration figures come from invoiced line items. Calibration share is vehicles flagged for calibration divided by windshields replaced.
- Sample size: large enough that the headline percentages carry a margin of error of about 2.5 to 3.5 points at 95% confidence. Single-model shares are smaller numbers and less precise, so read them as a ranking.
- Make, model and year come from the replacement jobs flagged for ADAS calibration where vehicle details were recorded, so older cars without cameras are underrepresented in those sections.
- Monthly pattern is the average of each calendar month across the two years. Our shop moved from Round Rock to North Austin in November 2026, so northern suburbs are well represented.
- No customer names, phone numbers, addresses or claim details were used or published.
Using this data
Journalists, bloggers and researchers are welcome to use these numbers. Please credit JRD Windshield Repair & Replacement and link to this page. Want the breakdown for a specific vehicle or neighborhood? Email jrdwindshieldrepair@gmail.com or call (512) 809-3282 and ask for Jeremy.