Windshield Repair Kit Tips?

[Carmudgeon]

Gonna fix a small rock chip in a windshield using one of the DIY resin kits, some of which simply seem to be repackaged from a supplier in Taiwan, and sold by the regular brands.

The chip is actually pretty small, and been there a while, so not in danger of spreading. This is mostly an attempt to mitigate the cosmetic aspect. Condition of the glass is that it's past the point of a pro chip repair being cost effective.

The breakdown of the process seems to cleaning the impact point, applying resin, then drawing a vacuum and putting it under pressure to distribute, then UV curing under sunlight.

I've quickly perused a couple of YT videos for tips, but wondering if anyone has any other practical tips to share?

 

[Nukeman7]

Gonna fix a small rock chip in a windshield using one of the DIY resin kits, some of which simply seem to be repackaged from a supplier in Taiwan, and sold by the regular brands...
I've quickly perused a couple of YT videos for tips, but wondering if anyone has any other practical tips to share?

I have had good results using this inexpensive YOOHE kit from Amazon on a few different windshields.

Tip #1: Perform the resin application and injection process in a grarage or in the shade to preclude premature curing by UV rays in natural sunlight.

Tip #2: Use a hair dryer set on low heat on the inside of the windshield to draw/spread the resin deeper into the crack during the injection process.

Tip #3: Wait 1 hour for the resin to cure when exposed to UV light. The kits say ~20 minutes, but longer is better.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Less is more, years ago on a prior windshield I pushed too much of the resin through and it caused a slight distortion within the laminated layer of the windshield.

 

[Lubener]

If your insurance covers the windshield repair as most policies do , I would leave that to someone experienced.

 

[altaylar]

If your insurance covers the windshield repair as most policies do , I would leave that to someone experienced.

Twice i bought a used car with an untreated chip on the windshield, and got it professionally fixed to make sure the quality of work. I trust myself more than mechanics on basic maintenance such as oil or brake change (especially when it comes to properly torquing), but this seemed like something professionals might perform better with better equipment.

But since you mentioned that there is no risk of spreading, seems like a good DIY task.

I would just make sure I am not pushing excessive amount of material in, which can damage what sounds like a functioning glass otherwsie. Greek physician Hippocrates had a saying "first, don't harm."

 

[meep]

Go for it. The hair dryer trick is new to me but make sense. I’m all for making these kits work and have had good experiences with the ones that provide some kind of motive vacuum or light pressure. I’ve never had an issue adding too much. I’ve got a 6 inch crack right now that was very quick to spread but halted effectively with one of these kits.

I sometimes very very lightly flex the glass from inside to help it spread. Too much fled (this is a light touch) and the crack grows. But just a little can help the sealant migrate.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Thanks all.

The bullseye is probably pea-sized and though not entirely out of sight, isn't directly in the line of sight either, and not spreading. A small cosmetic flaw, mostly.

The Permatex kit was only a few bucks, and figured it is worth a shot, har har. It seems that most of them are similar, with the appliqués, syringe, resin, etc.

Actually have a couple USB-powered UV curing lights somewhere, which came as part of phone screen protector kits that utilized a cured liquid adhesive. Would be perfect for this task if I can find and dig them up.

Not worth dragging insurance into it. Reserving claims for a replacement.

 

[Mr_Joe]

I did one yesterday, went well, but kinda cool in the garage, 40+ a little. I’ll check today, maybe use a hair dryer. Mine is low and between the driver & passenger, a slight smudge is livable. I didn’t want the chip to spread.

 

[Wingo]

I've had real good results with the RainX kit. Super simple to do, just take your time.

 

[RooflessVW]

If your insurance covers the windshield repair as most policies do , I would leave that to someone experienced.

If your dealer offers oil changes, I would leave that to someone experienced.

How do you guys learn? If your insurance covers glass, great! Try the repair, and if it fails, get the ball peen out the hammer drawer. Nothing to lose.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Rain X kit works good. I just follow the directions and they work, the bulls eye ones are the easiest ones to fill, they always turn out basically invisible to me.

 

[HowAboutThis]

Thanks all.

The bullseye is probably pea-sized and though not entirely out of sight, isn't directly in the line of sight either, and not spreading. A small cosmetic flaw, mostly.

The Permatex kit was only a few bucks, and figured it is worth a shot, har har. It seems that most of them are similar, with the appliqués, syringe, resin, etc.

Actually have a couple USB-powered UV curing lights somewhere, which came as part of phone screen protector kits that utilized a cured liquid adhesive. Would be perfect for this task if I can find and dig them up.

Not worth dragging insurance into it. Reserving claims for a replacement.

Some "UV lights" use different regions of the UV spectrum. Especially if they're cheap. Not sure which region of UV light aids most in curing the resin, but I'd trust the good old sun more than a UV light, unless I did some Googling first.

 

[Rmay635703]

Less is more, years ago on a prior windshield I pushed too much of the resin through and it caused a slight distortion within the laminated layer of the windshield.

Online I saw a guy and his wife push resin into a crack clear across the windshield. (Wife pushed in and out on the inside of the windshield walking the resin in the crack all the way across occasionally repositioning the injector.
Could barely see the crack.

I did all the things and the resin wouldn’t go into the chip/hole or crack at all, tightened it further and pressed in and out on the inside of the windshield with heat and nothing. Eventually spilled some out which followed the crack down the windshield.

 

[Huskyguy68]

Twice i bought a used car with an untreated chip on the windshield, and got it professionally fixed to make sure the quality of work. I trust myself more than mechanics on basic maintenance such as oil or brake change (especially when it comes to properly torquing), but this seemed like something professionals might perform better with better equipment.

But since you mentioned that there is no risk of spreading, seems like a good DIY task.

I would just make sure I am not pushing excessive amount of material in, which can damage what sounds like a functioning glass otherwsie. Greek physician Hippocrates had a saying "first, don't harm."

It is not a mechanic that repairs a glass stone chip.
It is an Auto glass shop employee trained in windshield chip repair and replacement of auto glass.

I am a former Auto Glass technician in Canada with over 30 years in the trade.
By the way, in general, these Do It Yourself stone chip repair kits are not so great. Plus if you mess it up, i doubt the auto glass shop will want to try to repair what you did.
I know i refused to.
Bit of a science to how to fill in a windshield stone chip.
Some variables, including how recent, if there is dirt or water inside the stone chip, how big is the impact crater so that the resin can be forced into the glass and spread evenly, air bubbles, etc.
And you want to avoid doing the repair in direct sunlight...do it in you garage or a carport.

 

[D60]

I've had real good results with the RainX kit. Super simple to do, just take your time.

x2

 

[nobb]

These repairs are totally easily DIYable, I've been doing this myself for the last decade. It's not worth paying the ~$30-50/chip that the pros charge IMO and is pretty hard to mess up with basic comment sense.

One trick that has seemed to improve outcomes was to use a tool that pulls a vacuum first before injecting to get rid of air. You can do this with a special syringe too with clips to hold the plunger in position. Not all cracks fill if there isn't enough of a surface hole, so sometimes you may need to use a needle to pick away at the hole to open a bit of the crack to accept resin. Can use a very small drill too.

 

[Huskyguy68]

These repairs are totally easily DIYable, I've been doing this myself for the last decade. It's not worth paying the ~$30-50/chip that the pros charge IMO and is pretty hard to mess up with basic comment sense.

One trick that has seemed to improve outcomes was to use a tool that pulls a vacuum first before injecting to get rid of air. You can do this with a special syringe too with clips to hold the plunger in position. Not all cracks fill if there isn't enough of a surface hole, so sometimes you may need to use a needle to pick away at the hole to open a bit of the crack to accept resin. Can use a very small drill too.

yes, the vacuum part is important. The windshield repair kits I used at the various auto glass shops can be very expensive to buy, and there can be many types of repair kits (I don't mean the ones you buy for $10-25....the professional ones costing $250-600). When the surface Crater/hole is too tiny, we would use a Dremel type tool with a tiny dental drill bit....and we did not need to drill for oil, just enough to help the resin flow into the chip when the plunger is screwed down.
When I was age 22, I started off with a Auto glass shop called Novus Windshield repair. The owner even sent me to a few auto glass repair seminars to upgrade my skills. I also was taught auto glass replacement, in shop and with coworkers/ mobile van .
I was also taught how to fill in Line cracks, up to 10 inches long.....time consuming, it was more pricey to the customer versus just a bullseye/star crack repair.
Actually glad to quit that trade, run ragged, doing in shop work, mobile, driving all over the metro , often no coffee breaks, eating my lunch in the work van or a super late lunch in the shop because too many cars/customers, working outside/maybe raining/cold/too hot sunny/looking for parking/some idiot customers....usual customer service /customer is always right-bull.

 

[Joba27n]

My tip is to hold a vacuum on the crack longer than the instructions say, i'll hold it until the bubbling stops and warm the glass every now and then while doing that

 

[QwikKota]

If your dealer offers oil changes, I would leave that to someone experienced.

How do you guys learn? If your insurance covers glass, great! Try the repair, and if it fails, get the ball peen out the hammer drawer. Nothing to lose.

Or a .22 pellet gun with 5 pumps. A friend told me...