How to fix chips and cracks for your windshield

There are a number of ways to repair a cracked windshield, and the best method is dependent on the size and type of crack. If the windshield has suffered a small hit from a rock, often a little “bulls eye” or “star” with tiny cracks that will emanate from a central damaged spot. These types of cracks can easily be filled with an at home crack repair kit. These kits inject a resin into the crack, filling it to stop the crack from spreading, and becoming fairly unnoticeable. Home windshield repair kits come with detailed instructions for their use, but many of them include using a stabilizer attached to the windshield with suction cups that holds the resin dispenser in place and forces the liquid into the crack at high pressure or a syringe to inject the resin into the damaged spot. Be sure to read the instructions carefully. Professional windshield repair businesses (many of which will send someone to the car’s location, use a similar resin that is forced into cracks up to 2 foot in length, and then, the resin is dried with an ultraviolet light. Although a professional windshield repair job can be more expensive, the results are much less noticeable.

In fact, often, after a professional repair, the crack in the windshield is no longer visible at all. Many Insurance Agencies will cover a repair in full if the owner chooses that option over total replacement. However, cracks larger than 24 inches cannot be repaired because they compromise the integrity of the whole windshield.