Windshield Repair: It's Coming to You!

Your windshield allows you to see the road when you are driving, and it also helps to protect and keep you safe from road debris and in the event of an accident. A damaged windshield can compromise your safety in a variety of ways. That is why you shouldn't drive around with a damaged windshield, as it puts your safety at risk.

Signs Your Windshield Can Be Repaired

Often, your windshield doesn't need to be replaced; it just needs to be repaired. If the damage is just to the outer layer of the glass and didn't get into the deeper layers of the glass, it can be easily patched. If the crack or chip is located away from the glass edges, it can often be repaired. If the crack is not that long or the chip is not that wide, it can be filled in. Small imperfections can easily be repaired. Most importantly, if the damage is outside of the driver's view, it can be repaired, as the repair will not impair the driver's vision.

Signs Your Windshield Needs to be Replaced

However, sometimes repairing your windshield is not possible. You can usually tell if your windshield will need to be replaced by examining the damage to the windshield. If the crack or chip is near the edge or corner of the windshield, it will generally need to be replaced. Damage near the edge can compromise the sides of the glass, which is why even minor damage near the edge often means your windshield needs to be replaced.

If the damage goes beyond the surface and into the inner layers of the glass, a repair is not going to hold. The integrity of the inner layers has been broken and will need to be fixed. If the crack is long or the chip is wide, then it will need to be replaced. Fixing a crack or chip often leaves behind a little bit of evidence if you look closely; the larger the crack or chip, the more prominent a patch would be, which decreases the patch's effectiveness. If the location of the crack or chip is within the driver's visibility area, then your windshield will need to be replaced. You never want the driver's visibility to be compromised.

If you are not sure if your windshield needs to be patched up or replaced, take it to an auto glass replacement shop, and they will let you know what needs to be done to fix your windshield. Either way, they will quickly fix up your windshield and get you back on the road.