Advice on repairing windshield cracks/chips

[Spyder7]

My windshield got nailed almost dead center tonight by a small rock thrown up from another vehicle. It left a dime size chip that splinters out slightly as tiny, spider web cracks to about the diameter of a quarter.

I don't expect to repair it completely, but if anyone has had good experience with, or can recommend, something to fill/harden the chipped area and reduce/strengthen/fill the small cracks around it, I would really appreciate it. I've never had to do a glass repair before and I don't want to replace the windshield. I suspect if I leave this for too long the cracks will slowly expand to the point where I will either have to replace it or risk getting a ticket and then be forced to replace it.

-Spyder

 

[simple_gifts]

Does your insurance cover windshield repairs? I have a zero deductible glass coverage, but that also includes "come to your house" chip mitigation.

 

[Errtt]

The auto stores have the windshield repair kits. Probably in Wally's too.
I have done a few small ones and had good results (about 6-7 years ago). It comes with a suction cup device and a resin fill.
I don't know but I have heard a size of a quarter should be max size - probably depends on who is saying it.
there are a lot of auto windshield replacement/repair centers around me. Most will come to the house.
A friend had his repaired recently. They charged him $20 for a repair (which was done), and he also had a quote of $180 if he wanted a new windshield installed.

 

[Spyder7]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Does your insurance cover windshield repairs? I have a zero deductible glass coverage, but that also includes "come to your house" chip mitigation.


No its not covered by my insurance. I have to eat the cost out of pocket.

-Spyder

 

[expat]

In BC we used to get free windshield repair from our provincial insurance corporation, now we have to pay.
Most windshield companies offer repair (like Speedy), and will not charge if the repair causes the windshield to crack further.
It's worth a try if you consider that sooner or later, you may have to replace the windshield anyway.

 

[Spyder7]

Its looking like its going to need to be replaced, and probably soon before I get a ticket. The quarter size chip/crack has spider webbed out to two, very long almost horizontal cracks. One is about a foot long, the other is 3/4s as long. I think its beyond any kind of fix now. The rock hit it in the worst possible place: dead center on the windshield.

I'm thinking of trying used part places for the glass and have some place like Speedy put it in. Bad luck on that one.

-Spyder

 

[J_Sap]

That sucks. I know you said your insurance won't cover repairing a windshield but do they cover replacing the windshield? If they do I would call up a local Toyota dealership and get an oem windshield. If not or if you just don't want to deal with your insurance start getting quotes from local places.

 

[Spyder7]

My policy is Public Liability only - the minimum required by law because my insurance premiums skyrocketed after an accident a few years ago. The only options I took were Section B and Roadside Assistance as neither added much to the policy. My annual coverage for just this is more than the $2,000 I paid for the car, and full coverage would increase it significantly and still include a $250 deductible.

I may have prevented it from cracking if i dabbed epoxy or something similar on the quarter size area of the original chip, before it spread out into long crack when it was driven later, but hindsight is 20/20.

Unless there's something that can fill in long glass cracks and something like epoxy that can fill the chip and prevent further cracks from developing, it looks like its going to be a new windshield. Just bad luck.

-Spyder

 

[lairdwd]

You have to get the DIY repair kit on it RIGHT AWAY, or the heat/cool will cause the crack to extend in a hurry.

The "fix a flat" kit gets the best reviews. I've already pre-emptively bought one for when this happens to me.

fix a flat kit on amazon

 

[Spyder7]

Looks promising, and may be something carried by WM or CT. I realized - too late - that the initial chip would need to be addressed immediately. Only thing to do now is damage control: pick this stuff up, give it a shot anyway, and keep a kit in the trunk for the next time this happens so that the repair can be done immediately, maximizing the chances of the DIY patch job sufficing.

I'll try it simply because its far cheaper than a new windshield, and I can then gauge the limits of it for future repairs in the event I still need a new windshield (it may at least buy me a little much needed time, if nothing else, before I have to replace it).

-Spyder

 

[lairdwd]

Originally Posted By: Spyder7
Looks promising, and may be something carried by WM or CT. I realized - too late - that the initial chip would need to be addressed immediately. Only thing to do now is damage control: pick this stuff up, give it a shot anyway, and keep a kit in the trunk for the next time this happens so that the repair can be done immediately, maximizing the chances of the DIY patch job sufficing.

I'll try it simply because its far cheaper than a new windshield, and I can then gauge the limits of it for future repairs in the event I still need a new windshield (it may at least buy me a little much needed time, if nothing else, before I have to replace it).

-Spyder


It won't work on cracks longer than six inches. They tell you that in their marketing literature.

 

[tonycarguy]

Does anyone know if these will work on a windshield that has factory tint? If the resins aren't tinted, wouldn't it make the repair look worse?