Auto Glass: What To Do About A Rock Chip In Your Window

Rock chips are some of the hazards that any driver has to put up with on the road. Regardless of how well you drive your vehicle, you can't prevent another car from kicking up rocks or some other debris on the road leaving you with a chip on your windshield.

As much as you may want to ignore that chip on your auto glass, especially if it's barely visible, it's a good idea to visit an auto glass repair shop so the damaged can be assessed.

Can Rock Chips Be Fixed?

Luckily, for many people, rock chips can often be fixed if the damage is within certain limits. Repairing a chip involves injecting the affected area with a liquid resin that forces the air out. The resin bonds to the glass and makes it less likely for the crack to extend.

Repairing a rock chip doesn't mean that the chipping or crack is removed. In fact, the repairs often leave a visible scar. This 'scar' may be very visible or nearly invisible depending on how serious the damage was. However, repairing the chip is cheaper than replacing your entire windscreen.

What Are the Exceptions?

Not every rock chip in your auto glass can be repaired. If you have a very long crack in your auto glass, there is very little chance of a successful fix. The results will not be visually satisfactory in most cases, and the strength of the glass will also be significantly lower.

Many experts also don't recommend fixing rock chips in auto glass if they are in the critical viewing area. The critical viewing area is the area directly in front of the driver's seat. Since chip repairs leave scars, these can become a distraction for the driver.

Are DIY Solutions Effective?

There are several DIY solutions to chipped and cracked glass that have been proposed before. Some people use acrylic nail polish while others use super glue. There are also windshield repair kits that you can get in auto shops.

Unfortunately, these may not be as effective in fixing the windshield as you'd want. For starters, the bond between the liquids and the windshield may not be adequate. Secondly, you probably won't have the tools required to inject the resin deep into the chip or crack.

Although these DIY solutions are good temporary solutions, you should visit an auto glass replacement shop for a more permanent solution.