Windshields are a very important part of the car’s defense system and significantly affects the safety of the car’s occupants. You should be worried if you notice a chip in it. This chip doesn’t take long to form a crack which, in turn, spreads quickly to form a complex network. Hence, this situation requires immediate fixing.
Back in the day, even a minor crack would demand replacement; so we’d delay the whole process as much as possible. However, due to recent technological breakthroughs, some damage is able to get fixed through repair.
Here are some factors that come into play while determining whether your windshield needs repair or replacement.
Type And Size Of The Damage
Depending on the type of damage, the repairable size varies significantly. If your damage type is bull’s eye or a half moon, it can’t be bigger than a diameter of 1 inch. These damages are caused by circular objects. If it’s a crack, however, it needs to be less than 14 inches to be repairable.
For surface pits which are basically areas with missing pieces of glass, it should not exceed 1/8 of an inch.
This information was provided by the National Windshield Repair Association in order to protect the vehicle owners from getting conned into spending extra and getting their windshield replaced. This only applies for laminated glass however. If your glass is tempered, a replacement would be preferred because its cracks are more widespread and would not allow repair.
Location Of The Damage
Occasionally, even if it’s physically possible to repair, a replacement is preferred. This is because sometimes, even after the damage has been fixed, it leaves an uneven, discolored or misty surface which would restrict visibility.
There are also certain areas of the windshield which are structurally weak. For instance, if the edges of the windshield start to crack, the bond integrity between the windshield and the car frame gets compromised regardless of the size of the crack. In such cases, a replacement is imperative.
Examples Of Damages That Can’t Be Repaired
- Deep cracks on both glass layers
- Multiple, complex cracks
- Extremely long cracks
- Cracks in line with the driver’s vision
- Cracks on the edges
- Damage over the water sensor
If you have cracks on your windshield but you’re not sure if they demand a replacement or a repair, contact us at 210-793-7115 and consult our team of experts in San Antonio and get a free estimate. We assure premium quality services at affordable prices. Auto glass in San Antonio also provides auto glass repair services.
