A car is an investment. It is important that you pay attention to its every need in order to ensure your own personal safety. Windshield chips are perhaps the most common, and most obvious, damage to a vehicle, and can easily transform into a large crack given time. The solution? Seal the chip before it has that chance. DeDona Auto Glass believes that it is important that customers understand this repair process.
You should take your car in for repair when you first notice the chip in your windshield. If you allow the damage to sit for too long, the chip will expand or “crack”. Cracks are more difficult and costly to repair. In fact, not all cracks can be repaired, meaning a new windshield altogether. The bigger the crack, the weaker your windshield will be – simple as that.
Chips in your windshield can easily expand over time due to changes in temperature, debris from vehicles, vibrations on the road, and every day wear and tear. Cracks, dings, and chips make your windshield more vulnerable in accidents. Not to mention, they inhibit any driver’s eyesight.
To properly fix windshield chips, specific steps must be followed:
1. Preparation
Firstly, the technician must clean the surface of the chip. After thoroughly cleaning the area, it must be dried before the drilling phase can begin.
2. Drilling
Shortly after, the technician drills into the center of the impact point in order to inject the resin. If the chip is more advanced, the technician can create a reservoir in the glass to allow the resin to flow to other spots.
3. Injection
Here, the technician will align the injector head to the impact point of the windshield chip. From here, the air contained in the break will be vacuumed out, along with other debris. Now, the resin will be inserted. The resin will continue to be inserted until the entire volume of the chip is filled.
4. Solidification
Once the chip has been filled, a curing light will be placed directly over the chip to solidify the resin, and your windshield will once again be intact.
5. Ensuring a Smooth & Polished Surface
If your windshield surface is not completely smooth after the solidification stage, your technician should cure supplementary layers of resin onto the chip until it is. Polishing should also be added to protect the resin from the windshield wipers and harmful chemicals in the air.
There are at-home kits for repairing windshield chips that provide you with an injector and a resin. However, we strongly recommend professional windshield repair unless you have previous experience in repairing chips and are confident in your skill.
For more information about windshield repair or any of our other auto glass services, give us a call at (336) 851-1380.