You’re driving along, minding your own business when all of a sudden the car in front of you sends a little stone flying into your windshield. You then realize this tiny rock left an equally tiny chip in the corner of your windshield. “”That’s not so bad, it’s not in my line of vision and it’s barely noticeable. I think I’ll just leave it””, you think to yourself. Unfortunately, if left untreated this little chip can turn into a large crack in a matter of hours or days.
The good thing about dealing with these little chips as soon as you notice them is that they can often be repaired, saving you the cost of having to replace your entire windshield. But how can you tell if the little chip on your windshield can be repaired? There are three main characteristics of chips that determine whether your windshield needs to be repaired or replaced:
Size and Depth
The general rule is if a chip or crack is less than 1 inch, it can be repaired. Anything larger than that, the entire windshield needs to be replaced.
Type
Drivers are often surprised to learn that there are numerous types of cracks and chips your windshield can get. The bad news is that some types are harder to repair than others. The good news is that the most common types of cracks, such as Star Breaks, Bulls-Eye, and Crack Chips, Dings, or Pits are easiest to repair.
Location
The location of the chip or crack always plays a big role in deciding whether the windshield should be replaced or repaired. We do our best to ensure that our repairs are done to the best of our abilities, but sometimes they can still leave mild discolouration or unevenness. If the damage is right in your line of sight, there is the potential to create unsafe driving conditions if we were to repair.
Another location that requires additional attention is if the crack or chip is near the edge of the windshield. If the chip has already begun to grow into a crack towards the outer edge of the windshield, it can impact its strength and integrity, which could compromise passenger safety.
These are the two main locations we take into consideration before we make the decision to repair or replace.
Our team of qualified experts have years of experience in windshield repair and are able to assess the damage and subsequent course of action for your windshield both in our shop and with our mobile unit. We believe in saving our customers both time and money which is why we do everything we can repair, rather than replace, our customers windshield. If you want to know whether your windshield needs to be replaced or simply repaired, give us a call!