A small pebble accidentally flown into the windshield often becomes the cause of a chip or crack on it. This can happen to everyone, both on the highway and on a country road. Further operation of the car with such a flaw is not recommended, as it impairs visibility, reducing your safety. And if it’s a crack, and even from the driver’s side, you still face administrative punishment for violating the rules of the road established by law.
How to be? Change all the glass, or still try to repair the chip? Replacing a car windshield is not cheap, so if the damage is not critical, you can try to fix it in a less costly way. But first, let's figure out what a car glass is, what types of damage there are, and what modern windshield repair is .
Chips, cracks - what is their danger?
Types of auto glass and their features
There are two types of standard auto-glass depending on the purpose: tempered and laminated. The first type is usually used for rear and side windows. Tempered glass is an integral structure that has undergone special heat treatment at the factory. Its peculiarity is the property to crumble into many tiny particles upon impact, which significantly reduces the risk for the driver and passengers to get injured because of it. Such glass cannot be repaired, since the slightest damage leads to the destruction of the stability of its overall structure and the inevitable further disintegration.
But the multilayer (laminated) structures, which are mostly used for windshields, have a completely different structure and characteristics. They are able to withstand strong point impact without destroying the structure over the entire area. If the stone breaks through one layer, a high-quality chip repair will help restore the integrity of the windshield by 80 percent. The use of modern polymeric materials will make the damaged area almost invisible.
If two or three layers are broken, hardly even the most qualified repair of windshields will help here. Chips, cracks, located on most of the thickness of the glass, will inevitably lead to its further destruction.
Varieties of windshield damage
Windshield damage is usually classified into the following types:
- rounded chips ("bull", "wolf eye");
- cone-shaped chips;
- chips of the "star" type;
- chips with a crushed cavity;
- chips like "butterfly";
- radial cracks;
- round cracks;
- bidirectional cracks;
- combined defects.
Now let's try to understand what is the difference between these damages, and why, when they occur, it is urgent to repair the windows. Chips, cracks and their combinations pose a serious danger on the road, so do not delay to eliminate them.
Chipping
This defect usually occurs as a result of a stone falling into the windshield that has flown out from under the wheel of a vehicle ahead or oncoming. It often happens that instead of a stone, a metal spike from a tire enters the glass.
But is it necessary to repair the frontal chips, if they do not interfere with the visibility of the driver? A chip itself, if it is, of course, small, practically does not limit visibility, but at any moment it risks escalating into a crack that has several directions. The likelihood of this process increases significantly in the winter, when the outside temperature is minus, and heating works in the cabin. Repairing frontal chips is also relevant before traveling on poorly paved roads: sooner or later, vibration will do the trick, and the glass will crack.
Crack
The cause of the crack formation can be the same stone, a sharp temperature drop, as well as strong vibration. There are frequent cases when the glass breaks when washing a car with cold water in hot weather, when trying to “defrost” it with hot water or when a wheel gets into a deep hole.
A crack is much more dangerous than a cleavage, since the fault itself begins to refract light, which significantly reduces the view, as well as the fact that at any moment it can increase, being divided into several directions.
What to do if the windshield is damaged on the road
If a chip or crack forms on the glass of your car while driving, stop, inspect the damage and determine its cause. If it is chipped, do not try to pick it out, determining the depth. It is better to rinse with water and seal the place of impact with transparent tape so that dirt and dust do not get inside. With severe contamination, repair of chipped windshields will become impossible.
If a crack has formed, try to get to the house or to the place of repair, avoiding shaking. With strong vibration, you run the risk of being left without glass at all.
In any case, it is better to drive slower, choosing flat sections of the roadway.
Repair of chipped windshields
The essence of the chip repair is to fill the dented area with a special transparent polymer composition that glues the disconnected parts of the glass without creating interference for viewing. This composition in the frozen form has a light refractive index close to that of glass, therefore, usually there are no problems with visibility.
Chipping repair, as a rule, takes no more than 40 minutes. The glass restoration process begins with cleaning the damaged area from dirt and shards. If the chip has beams of more than 15 mm, through holes are drilled at the end of each of them to prevent their further spread. Then, using a device called an injector, the chip is filled under pressure with polymer. To quickly harden it, an ultraviolet lamp is used. After the polymer has hardened, glass is grinded and polished. In the same way, the holes drilled at the end of the rays are also closed.
How much does it cost to eliminate chips on the glass? Chipping repair includes polymer cost (approximately $ 10 per 1 sq. Cm) and work. On average, close up a similar flaw with a diameter of 1 cm costs about $ 15. Not so expensive, agree, if you compare with the replacement of all glass.
Crack repair
A crack, of course, cannot be eliminated, but it is quite possible to prevent its further spread. This procedure also does not take much time. The repair process consists in drilling the ends of the crack in order to relieve stress from the glass and stop its further cracking.
After the holes are made, they are also filled with a transparent polymer. After it dries, the glass is ground and polished.
Can I repair the glass with my own hands
Today, repairing chips and cracks, especially if they are insignificant, can be carried out at home without any problems. This procedure does not require any special skills or special equipment. It is enough to purchase a repair kit, which is sold in any car shop, carefully study the instructions and, strictly adhering to the algorithm described there, make some simple manipulations.
Selling kits consist of a disposable plastic injector, a syringe with a nipple filled with polymer, a self-adhesive circle that limits the repair site, as well as several needles and a brush to clean the damaged area.
When choosing a repair kit, be sure to pay attention to its manufacturer, recommendations for use in a particular temperature regime and shelf life. Until recently, US-made kits were very popular, but now the market is filled with similar Chinese-made products. It is better, of course, to purchase a branded kit, even if it is several times more expensive.
Chipped glass: DIY repair
Before starting repair work, it is necessary to assess the extent of damage and determine microcracks. Use a flashlight and a magnifying glass for this. If there are cracks, drill them at the end with a thin diamond drill.
Repairing chips on a car must begin with cleaning the damaged area. We clean it with a thin needle and a brush, removing dirt, dust and splinters. We rinse with water and dry with a hairdryer (building or household). Degrease the surface with alcohol.
Next, install the injector in place: glue the circle and mount the nipple to it in accordance with the instructions. We attach a syringe with polymer to the nipple and begin pumping by applying glue to the damaged area under pressure. At the end of the procedure, the injector remains on the glass until the polymer solidifies (about 6 hours).
When the glue hardens, its remnants are removed using a blade or a construction knife. After complete polymerization (about 10 hours), the glass must be polished. The holes at the ends of the cracks are sealed in a similar way.
Useful tips for self-repair glass
When preparing to repair damaged car glass with your own hands, check out a few helpful tips that will help you avoid common mistakes.
- If the damage is global in nature (deep cleavage, accompanied by long cracks, multiple chips, cracks on the driver's side or along the entire glass), it is better to replace all the glass.
- If there is a single, but large chip, or a long crack that does not interfere with the driver's view, contact a specialized service.
- Do not trust the repair to homegrown "specialists", it is better to do it yourself.
- Do not buy self-repair kits of dubious origin at a low price.
- In case of chips on the road, do not clean it, cover it with transparent tape, placing a clean piece of paper under it. Continue driving carefully, avoiding uneven sections of the roadway.
- Do not delay repair.