How Bad Is Your Windshield Damage? Repair vs. Replacement Insights

December 25, 2023
By: Admin

Getting a chip on your windshield is unavoidable, as many things can go wrong when driving a vehicle. The most common causes of windshield damage are accidents and pebbles being tossed up by vehicle tyres while driving. Extreme weather, especially hail storms, and vandalism may also lead to a cracked or shattered windshield. When this happens, the car owner thinks, “Maybe I should change my windshield.”

Whether or not one should replace the windshield depends on how much damage has occurred and many other factors. This blog will discuss when to replace the windshield and when it is enough to bring the car into an auto glass shop for repair.

The main determining factors for deciding between windshield repair and replacement are as follows:

Size

The larger the crack, the more likely one’s windshield will be replaced. If the chip is minor, it can be repaired easily. If the cracks are longer than three inches, you must replace your windshield before driving becomes dangerous.

Location

Where exactly is that crack in your windshield? This matters the same as size. A windshield repair may be sufficient if the crack is on the passenger’s side. On the other hand, if that crack is directly in front of your face behind the steering wheel, you must get a new windshield, or it will obstruct vision. Moreover, if the chip is too near to the windshield’s edges, it will be almost impossible to repair.

Spread

How many cracks does your windshield have? While cracks or chips may be repaired individually, having many of them will affect the windshield’s structural integrity. In that case, a replacement windshield would be the only route if you want your car in its best driving condition.

Depth

What may be less obvious to many people is that the windshield on your car consists of two laminated glasses sandwiching a plastic layer. So, what will happen if a chip pierces the outer layer but not the inner one? As such, the obvious answer is getting a windshield repair. But if a pebble has passed through both layers, you need a windshield replacement.

Age of Damage

The length of time for which the damage has existed affects repairability. If the chip or crack has been there for a long time, it may have grown in size as it is exposed to changes in temperature and weather. The repair would be challenging, even for experienced auto chip repair providers.

Type of Breakage

Different chips, such as bullseye, star break, or linear cracking, require different repair approaches. It is because some shapes or damage patterns are more reparable than others.

Vehicle Safety Features

Security systems, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADASs), consisting of a camera or sensor integrated into the windshield, can affect the probability of quality and long-lasting repair. So, damage to the windscreen occurring near any of these devices will cause all of these systems to be replaced for optimal safety functions.

Car Window Replacement in Coquitlam

Be it a simple chip in the windshield or an entire replacement after being damaged in an accident, take your car to a place where they do first-rate auto glass work! Contact Affordable Glass Services today for the best auto glass replacement in Coquitlam.