It's happened to all of us, driving along the highway minding our own business, when a chip of stone kicked up by the car in front pings against the window and chips it. It's one of the most frustrating things that can happen to your car, and considering the size of the damage, it is disproportionately expensive to put right. Many people take their car to the repair shop with a stone chip in the windshield, and then get charged for a replacement at a cost of hundreds of dollars.
However, this need not be the case. Under many circumstances, instead of replacing the whole windshield, you can use a windshield repair kit to fix small cracks and chips in the glass at a fraction of the cost.
A typical car windshield is made up of a laminate of at least two layers of glass with a polymer resin sandwiched between them This gives the glass huge strength, and in the event of an accident, the resin is designed to hold the pieces of glass together and stop them showering into the car and causing injury.
Because of the layered structure of a windshield, crack repair is possible. Usually in the event of a stone chip, only one layer of glass is damaged, with the underlying layers remaining undamaged. This means that it is possible to make the windshield more stable, and prevent the damage getting any worse, without having to replace the whole windshield.
If the stone chip has gone through more than one layer of the glass, or is positioned right in the centre of the driver's field of vision, then you should consider replacing the wind shield completely, because under such circumstances, the damage could cause impairment to the ability of the driver.
If you are able to repair the windshield, you should carry out the work as soon as possible after the damage occurs. If it is left too long, the cracks can spread out across the screen thanks to the pressure of the air pushing against the glass when you are driving. As the cracks spread, the glass becomes weaker and weaker, and can eventually simply shatter under the pressure, which is obviously highly dangerous for the driver and any passengers in the car.
The actual method of repairing a stone chip or small crack in the glass is simple with the appropriate windshield repair kits. Although different manufacturers package the kit differently, the actual method used is roughly the same.
Windshield crack repair is carried out by injecting a clear resin into the crack or chip under pressure in order to completely fill any spaces, then the resin is cured rapidly using a special light that leaves it as hard as rock. If it is carried out properly there should be no distortion of vision when you repair windshield crack damage, and in many cases, the resin bonds so well with the edges of the cracks that the actual damage is much less visible and distracting for the driver.
As well as small windshield repair kits designed for a single use, larger professional kits are also available that contain enough resin and equipment to perform up to 100 repairs. Because it is a fairly straightforward task to repair cracked windshields using the proper tools, there are many companies available who will carry out the service on your behalf, although at a much higher cost than doing the work yourself - albeit a lot less than you would have to pay for an entirely new windshield.
The windshield on your car is there to protect you at all times, but it must be clear to see out of to help you avoid any trouble in the first place. It is vitally important to repair any damage to it, no matter how small it is, to ensure your safety, and also to prevent it getting worse and potentially costing you a lot of money. los angelas windshields
However, this need not be the case. Under many circumstances, instead of replacing the whole windshield, you can use a windshield repair kit to fix small cracks and chips in the glass at a fraction of the cost.
A typical car windshield is made up of a laminate of at least two layers of glass with a polymer resin sandwiched between them This gives the glass huge strength, and in the event of an accident, the resin is designed to hold the pieces of glass together and stop them showering into the car and causing injury.
Because of the layered structure of a windshield, crack repair is possible. Usually in the event of a stone chip, only one layer of glass is damaged, with the underlying layers remaining undamaged. This means that it is possible to make the windshield more stable, and prevent the damage getting any worse, without having to replace the whole windshield.
If the stone chip has gone through more than one layer of the glass, or is positioned right in the centre of the driver's field of vision, then you should consider replacing the wind shield completely, because under such circumstances, the damage could cause impairment to the ability of the driver.
If you are able to repair the windshield, you should carry out the work as soon as possible after the damage occurs. If it is left too long, the cracks can spread out across the screen thanks to the pressure of the air pushing against the glass when you are driving. As the cracks spread, the glass becomes weaker and weaker, and can eventually simply shatter under the pressure, which is obviously highly dangerous for the driver and any passengers in the car.
The actual method of repairing a stone chip or small crack in the glass is simple with the appropriate windshield repair kits. Although different manufacturers package the kit differently, the actual method used is roughly the same.
Windshield crack repair is carried out by injecting a clear resin into the crack or chip under pressure in order to completely fill any spaces, then the resin is cured rapidly using a special light that leaves it as hard as rock. If it is carried out properly there should be no distortion of vision when you repair windshield crack damage, and in many cases, the resin bonds so well with the edges of the cracks that the actual damage is much less visible and distracting for the driver.
As well as small windshield repair kits designed for a single use, larger professional kits are also available that contain enough resin and equipment to perform up to 100 repairs. Because it is a fairly straightforward task to repair cracked windshields using the proper tools, there are many companies available who will carry out the service on your behalf, although at a much higher cost than doing the work yourself - albeit a lot less than you would have to pay for an entirely new windshield.
The windshield on your car is there to protect you at all times, but it must be clear to see out of to help you avoid any trouble in the first place. It is vitally important to repair any damage to it, no matter how small it is, to ensure your safety, and also to prevent it getting worse and potentially costing you a lot of money. los angelas windshields
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Herb Bell on -
Well, yes and no. I'd like to address several misconceptions in the posting from ceejay 2005.
1.- Yes, the plastic laminate holds much of the windshield fragments together, but is actually a mortal danger to unsecured occupants in the car when their heads strike and pass through the windshield. It's the return stroke of the person that causes the damage. You see, after passing through the glass and the plastic membrane, a person's head and neck are impaled by the dagger-like ends of the windshield shards sticking to the plastic membrane. There goes the jugular!
2.- In this respect, the Euro windshield is far superior. A head hitting an uncracked Euro windshield will shatter the tempered single-layer glass into cubic pieces and a 10-inch diameter part of the windshield in front of the driver, much of which will end up all over the driver's lap. When the reverse body-stroke occurs, there are no dagger-sharp shards aimed at the person's jugular. Where was ex-governor Christine Whitman (Federal DOT safety chair-type idiot) when she should have insisted on converting death-trap US windshields in the USA to much safer Euro windshields? By the way, the 10" diameter clear area in a Euro windshield allows a driver clear forward vision in case the windshield does not fall out of the frame after a stone impact that crazes the entire windshield. Oh, those clever Europeans!
3.- The windshield repair kits were specifically designed to fix chips or cracks within the wiper-arc on vehicles in the USA. When done properly, the final result is an INVISIBLE repair to the glass.
4.- Once started, windshield cracks will spread due to the flexing of the windshield frame as the car hits potholes and speed-bumps in the road. Air pressure over the windshield is seldom great enough to propagate cracks. Cracks can spread over the entire windshield, but will pose no additional danger to the vehicle occupants. Remember, this is in most every case just the outer glass layer that's cracking. That is in fact the single positive part of the laminated windshield design that works. Inject the crack with resin, or let it go, it SHOULD not matter from an engineering standpoint, but the states usually requires that a cracked windshield must be repaired or replaced. FOOLS!
5. - The next correction is a doozie! The resin is injected into the crack by a VACUUM placed on the crack by a small mechanical pump that comes with a repair kit The resin is squeezed from its tube and is sucked into the crack . And U-V rays from the Sun can cure the resin (since the Sun can supply these, the repair can be carried out in your driveway on a sunny day). No lamp needed!
6.- The rest of the remarks read like the scare-tactic B.S. you hear on the TV all the time about Health Care! Do this, do that or else you will be HURT! Oh man! Whip out the flag, the mom in her apron holding apple pie, the little sweet-cheeked kiddies, and play a mournful dirge while you're at it. It's all a high -powered psychology used on sleepy sheeple to support a greed-mongering windshield-replacement industry! (You greedy pigs can't just won't leave it to good, old-fashioned honesty, can you?).
7.- WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT: The "ad" forgot to mention that many auto insurance policies now offer absolutely free windshield replacements. Check you policy first for this provision to see how long the crack has to be before the provision kicks in.
Sheesh!
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