Windshield Repair

A cracked windshield can be dangerous and reduce your visibility. If possible, get it repaired before the crack spreads.

Modern cars have a layer of plastic in the middle of their glass called laminated windshields. This keeps broken glass from shattering into dangerous shards.

Windshield professionals clean the area and free it of debris before injecting a clear resin. The resin fills in the crack to prevent it from growing.

Repairing Chips and Cracks

Windshield chips and cracks are a real hassle to deal with, and they can also pose a safety risk. If you have a crack that crosses your line of sight while driving, for example, you may need to get it repaired right away. Fortunately, most comprehensive car insurance plans cover windshield repair and replacement at no additional cost to you.

Most chip, star and crack repair kits use resin that effectively glues the break shut and helps to keep the crack from spreading. They differ mainly in how the resin is mixed and what tools come with them like applicators and positioning implements such as suction cups. Some kits, such as the Rain-X kit, include an injection syringe that works on cracks up to 12 inches long, as well as chips.

The best chip, star and crack repair resins are clear so they blend in with the glass. Some of them are formulated with UV inhibitors to prevent the glass from yellowing over time. They also have high ROLAGS test results indicating that they maintain 152% of new windshield strength.

A professional repair involves injecting the resin, then using a heat source to cure it and shrink it slightly. This creates an inter-molecular chemical bond with the glass and a mechanical bond with the PVB. It's important to avoid direct sun exposure after a repair is completed.

Repairing Windshield Cracks

It is important to identify the type of crack in your windshield so you can understand how it might affect your safety on the road. While cracks are most often caused by impact, they can also be the result of manufacturing defects or environmental factors such as sudden temperature changes. Regardless of how they form, all cracks in the windshield should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent further damage and potentially shattering.

If you have a small crack in your windshield, it is possible to repair it yourself with a kit from a car accessories store. These kits contain resin specifically designed to repair windshield chips and cracks. They include an injection tool that seals the damaged area and cycles between pressure and vacuum to carefully infuse the resin into the outer glass layer. This restores the integrity of the windshield and improves its appearance.

One example of a kit is from Rain-X, which says its product can be used to repair cracks up to 12 inches long, as long as the crack doesn’t extend to the edge of the windshield in more than two places. If you have a long crack, it is likely to need professional repair or replacement.

Before using the kit, you should clean the cracked area and lubricate the suction cups. You should also avoid driving your car until the crack has been repaired, especially if you use the air-conditioning or defrost it frequently.

Windshield Repair Costs

Windshield repair costs vary depending on the type of windshield repair needed. Chips and pits typically are repaired with a resin that seals the impact point and fills in the crack. Small chips are inexpensive to fix. Cracks, on the other hand, are more expensive. The length of the crack determines its cost, as do other factors, such as whether it is an edge crack or a floater crack, and whether it is near the wiper blade park area.

A car’s windshield is a sandwich of two outer glass panes and an inner laminated sheet of plastic (Polyvinyl Butyral – PVB). The PVB layer prevents broken glass from splintering into sharp, dangerous shards, which can cause injuries to vehicle occupants in a crash. The damaged top laminated layer, however, can still be compromised by a pebble or a piece of debris from an accident or by being hit with a hard object, such as a snow shovel.

Despite the fact that your car’s windshield supports the roof and structure of the car in an accident, as well as plays a critical role in airbag deployment, it is usually considered a safety device and not something that needs to be replaced. That is why it is so important to have it fixed as soon as possible when a crack or chip occurs. The good news is that most auto insurers cover the cost of a new windshield, minus your deductible.

Windshield Repair Options

Many car insurance companies offer a full glass repair option, which allows drivers to choose repair over replacement. This option typically is covered under the comprehensive portion of your policy and doesn’t affect your premiums. However, you should make sure to ask your car insurance company what impact filing a claim will have on your coverage.

The first step in windshield repair is to remove the debris from the area and clean the damaged glass. You can use super glue or clear nail polish as a temporary patch to prevent further damage until you can get it fixed by a professional. You can also purchase a windshield repair kit from a car store to do the job yourself.

Most windshields are made of laminated safety glass with a layer of plastic in between. This type of glass is designed to hold together instead of shattering into granular pieces when broken, which makes it much more difficult to repair. Side and rear windows, on the other hand, are often tempered glass that will break into small, granular pieces.

Windshields that are curved or have a spider-web type of crack usually can’t be repaired. This is because these types of cracks tend to have a central point of impact and the crack branches out from there. A half bullseye type of crack with a clean center is an exception and can be repaired.