Some auto glass repair companies claim to be able to repair windshield cracks larger than six inches. Since the size of the chip matters in terms of being able to repair it, you'll want to take care of small chips or cracks as soon as possible before they grow to a size that requires replacing the whole windshield. Repairing a chipped or cracked windshield is done by applying resin under a vacuum to the damaged area, curing it to a rock-hard finish using an ultraviolet light, and then polishing the glass.
The result is a repair that nearly invisible to the naked eye and protects the integrity of your windshield. It's also quick; Safelite says repairs usually take 30 minutes. When the damage is not repairable, like a small chip or crack directly in front of a camera or sensor, a windshield replacement is the only way to go. Be sure to choose a company that uses qualified technicians and top-quality materials.
While there are many options out there for windshield replacement, Safelite is the only national company that offers a nationwide lifetime warranty for replacements and even guarantees the repair will pass lease turn-back and state vehicle inspections or they will apply your repair cost to the replacement. A growing number of companies, including Safelite, offer mobile windshield replacement and repair services , which has been an added benefit in the wake of the COVID pandemic for vehicle owners who have suffered windshield damage.
According to Safelite, about 80 percent of new vehicles sold today are also equipped with some sort of forward-facing camera that will require recalibration with a windshield replacement , and by next year, all new vehicles are expected to come with this technology. If you have a newer vehicle with a camera connected to its windshield, this camera will be affected during a windshield replacement.
This inner layer, called the lamination, serves to hold together the broken outer layers in the event of an accident. This is why windshields crack when struck by objects, yet do not fall apart and cave in upon the driver in most everyday circumstances. In general, most chips and cracks can be repaired , but it always depends upon four factors: the size, type, depth, and location of the damage.
A qualified auto glass repair technician must evaluate a number of factors before deciding whether your windshield is repairable. Some chips and cracks can be easily repaired without expensive professional help — see my guide on DIY crack repair and the best repair kits for all kinds of windshield damanges.
Pretty much any shop should be able to repair chips of about one-inch diameter and cracks about three inches long. Traditionally, any crack larger than a dollar bill could not be repaired, so size was a very important factor in making the determination.
However, new technologies are making it possible to repair wider chips and longer cracks, and to assess the odds of each individual repair being made successfully you should check with a technician — all cases are determined on an individual basis.
These days, auto glass repair shops can easily fix cracks up to 18 inches long. There are many different types of cracks , some can be repaired easier than others. For example, Star Break short radial cracks coming off of the impact point , Bulls-Eye circular damaged caused by circular object or Partial Bulls-Eye aka Half Moon, also caused by circular object, damage is not completely circular , Crack Chip single crack size of a quarter , Ding same as Crack Chip , or Pit small piece of glass missing can be easily repaired.
In general, chips and cracks that can be covered with a quarter can usually be repaired because glass shops center equipment over the break. The technician must consider all potential drivers of the vehicle when determining the line of sight over the steering wheel because this can vary depending upon the height of each driver. If the technician cannot fully see the crack or chip, then he may not be able to successfully repair it. The fact is that the vagaries of auto insurance will also influence your decision.
Quite often cracks lengthen before you know it. The syringe, however, is more complex. It uses a wire latch arrangement on the body that drops into two notches on the handle when necessary. A simple pushpin stuck into the body serves as a very crude valve to let air in and out of the body. Once the syringe is attached to the adapter the adapter already being stuck airtight to the glass , you remove the pushpin.
Then you bottom the syringe plunger, pushing the air out, insert the pin, and pull the handle out until the clip clicks into the slot. This will hold the plunger out, and the partial vacuum under it for the designated time. Rather than rapidly releasing the pressure like you do with the Loctite kit, in this case you remove the pin, admitting air into the syringe barrel.
Then you replace the pin, sealing the hole, followed by releasing the clip, pushing the handle in to lightly pressurize the barrel and force adhesive into the chip for a minute or so.
The second slot will trap the clip as soon as you've pushed in far enough. Repeat this "vent, suck, vent, squeeze" operation several times to force adhesive into the crack.
While the clip-and-slot and vent system relieves you of the necessity of constantly grasping the syringe barrel like it's the last beer at the picnic, there are caveats. The vacuum pulled isn't as good, purging less air on every iteration. And the simpler Loctite kit seemed to force the adhesive deeper into the crack faster by using the plunger as a piston to rapidly pressurize the system.
Having said that, both kits did a great job. After shaving the excess adhesive off, both cracks were barely visible. The adhesive remained clear, and has the same refractive index as the glass so that it renders the crack invisible from almost any angle. One final warning: Don't try to depress the plunger by hand and squeeze the adhesive deeper into the glass with either kit.
The adhesive patch might become unglued and squirt adhesive all over your windshield and fender and shirt. Don't ask how we know this. Ordinary window glass, like you have around the house, is pretty amazing stuff. It's clear, strong and cheap.
But it's also brittle, shattering into long, dangerous, wickedly sharp shards when overstressed. Plastics would be as strong, but not nearly hard enough to resist scratching and remain clear enough for a car window—just look at any plastic-glazed outdoor bus stop or phone booth, with its patina of fine scratches.
For the side windows of cars, automakers have come up with a good compromise: tempered glass. It's stronger than standard, but more importantly, when it does shatter it breaks up into small granules. These granules are still sharp, but should do less damage than the long shards of untempered glass. However, for a windshield, constantly bombarded by pebbles, tempered glass would have a short life span.
So, many years back, the car manufacturers switched to a laminated glass sandwich for the windshield. It's a simple process. Two thinner sheets of glass are fused to a rubber inner layer.
The tempered-glass outer layers are then independent of each other. The rubbery center sheet provides damping to any shock waves from errant stones, reducing the probability of breakage. And if the glass is hit by an object hard enough, odds are that only the outer sheet will break, as is the case with most stone chips. If a really big piece of debris hits the glass hard enough to break both inner and outer layers, the tough membrane prevents it from winding up in your lap.
Even better, the shards of glass from the inner lamination wind up stuck to the membrane, keeping them from spalling away from the windshield at a high velocity, causing great havoc. Type keyword s to search.
Today's Top Stories. Many chips will be repaired almost completely by adhesive injection kits.
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