You wouldn't do your own open heart surgery, would you? While automobile windshield chip repair crack repair isn't as complicated as surgery, it's best to leave it to the experts to ensure the job gets done correctly. And with most auto glass repair services offering guarantees on their work, you can be rest assured you won't have problems down the road that could cost even more to remedy.
First things first the chip should be repaired before it gets filled with grit. To do this, the chip needs to be drilled while the cracks in it get vacuumed. An acrylic or crystalene resin is then inserted via syringe into the chip to restore the air trapped in the crack. Afterwards it is dried with UV light which hardens the substance and reinstates the original state of the glass. Acrylic resin is made up of carcinogenic acid which turns the chips yellow over time. Crystalene resin has better clarity and doesn't change color over time. It's available at ultra-low consistency and high consistency. Extra resin is scraped away and then polished for a finishing touch. This kind of treatment usually runs about $45-$100.
To change the entire windshield will cost the car owner hundreds of dollars. If they decide to bring the car to a car shop for windshield repair, they will spend more money. Repairing a windshield at home only takes an hour of dedicated work, and it is extremely easy to repair cracks and chips.
As a windshield installer for the past thirty five years, let me give you three good reasons not to repair your windshield. As windshield repair is a gimmick in my opinion.
As you drive down the road, a small piece of gravel can hit your window and leave a chip. No matter how expensive your window is, the glass is still susceptible to chips. Leaving the chip alone can cause breakage and may lead to a full window replacement instead of just having it repaired.
While there are many things that can go without fixing for a while these are just a few of the issues that should be addressed as soon as they arise. This type of automobile repair is crucial to keep vital systems running. So remember you may be able to make a couple hundred more miles with those worn out windshield wipers but when your tread runs low, or your windshield gets dinged get it to a mechanic right away.