The Unexpected Reason A Cheap Windshield Chip Repair Might Break The Bank
Your car's windshield is one of its most important parts, as it directly shields you from the wind (hence the name, although it's called "windscreen" in the U.K.) and other debris that gets thrown up as you drive along the road. Although this part of your vehicle is often made of laminated safety glass and is quite tough, it might still break when hit by a tiny rock at high speed.
If the damage is large enough (i.e., larger than an inch), experts recommend replacing the windshield immediately for safety. However, if the chip is small enough, you can perform a DIY windshield crack/chip repair, or bring it to a specialist who will do the job for you.
Repairs are generally much cheaper than replacement, but this might not be an option if the damage to your windshield is deep enough (even if the chip or crack is less than an inch long), or if the windshield fails during the repair process. When that happens, you'd have no choice but to buy a new windshield as soon as possible to stay safe while operating your car.
Why the chip repair process can also break your car's windshield
Repairing a crack or chip on your windshield can be a daunting process, especially when done at a professional shop. That's because a part of the procedure involves using an applicator that requires a vacuum seal between it and the glass. This is crucial because the resins used for windshield repair must be applied in an air-free environment for it to cure properly. Otherwise, it will not achieve the required strength and might result in a less-than-optimal repair.
So, if your windshield has been damaged enough and is unable to withstand the vacuum process, the crack or chip might grow larger. This would mean that the repair has failed, necessitating a complete windshield replacement; something that a TikTok user discovered to their disappointment.
@thenewpinkalicious 0/10 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
According to @thenewpinkalicious, her car suffered from a small nick on the windshield, and she went to a repair shop to get it fixed. The tech warned her that around 10% of the time, the suction tool that they use to cure the resin "ends up cracking the windshield so much that you just need to get a brand-new one." While she expressed in the video that she thought the 10% statistic seemed a little bit high, she went ahead with the procedure.
True enough, the tech comes back some 10 minutes later and tells her that the damage has indeed grown. The small nick had grown into a large crack that traveled from the edge of her windshield all the way to in front of the driver's seat, rendering it impossible to repair.
Would it have been better if she'd just left the crack alone?
Of course, the TikTok user is naturally pissed; especially after what was supposedly a cheap repair job being turned into an expensive replacement. Some commenters on her video suggested that she should've just left it alone. One said, "As a car owner of many years, let me advise you that you will likely always have chips and or cracks in your windshield, especially if you do a lot of highway or interstate driving. The best thing to do is to accept this fact of life and don't worry about it too much." Another commenter chimed in, saying that it's "best to leave chips alone till they start to spider on their own."
However, some experts say that this is a safety risk. The Auto Glass Safety Council, a non-profit organization that helps standardize the repair and replacement of vehicle glass, says that the windshield contributes up to 45% of your car's structural integrity in front-end collisions, and up to 60% in a rollover. Because of this, you'd likely want the windshield to be a strong as possible, and any chip or crack on it could compromise it. At the end of the day, a chip repair may still be worth it.