Consider Decision to Repair or Replace Damaged Windshields

The most obvious and easily overlooked safety component in a vehicle is right in front of your face. Windshields not only keep insects and rain out, they are vital for passenger airbags to properly function. That’s why the decision about whether or not to repair or replace a damaged windshield is so important.

You may think a chip in a windshield isn’t a big deal. It becomes a big deal when it runs into a crack. A windshield chip cracks when the air conditioning or heating is activated, something we at Glass Doctor call thermal shock (amaze your friends by explaining that thermal shock is the stress on objects caused by drastic differences in outdoor and indoor temperatures).

Why is a windshield crack a big deal? In today’s vehicles made of lighter materials, the windshield helps support the roof and keeps the front passenger airbag inside the vehicle. If the vehicle you are driving with a cracked windshield is in a crash, the force of the passenger airbag deployment could break the windshield. Your passenger may hit the dashboard instead of the airbag. During a rollover the roof would crush you, your passenger and your other occupants in the back seat. Not to mention that a windshield crack can impair your driving vision, which would cause the wreck in the first place.

So if you want to stay safe, it’s not a question of whether or not to fix a damaged windshield. The question is whether or not to fix a chip or wait until a crack appears. Well, it’s much cheaper and faster for Glass Doctor to repair a windshield chip. Why?

Glass Doctor can fix most chips less than the size of a dollar bill. Repairing the windshield restores the structural integrity of the windshield without touching the original windshield bonding area to the vehicle. That means there’s no possibility of leaks, which can happen with a bad replacement.

Repairing a windshield costs less than replacing a windshield. Most windshield chips can be repaired by Glass Doctor for less than $100, and most insurance companies will waive the deductible and pay the entire cost of the repair. Replacing a windshield can cost hundreds of dollars, depending upon how much your auto insurance will pay and what your deductible is.

Relatively minor windshield chips can be repaired in less than an hour, thanks to advanced resin technology Glass Doctor uses in its proprietary system. Once the windshield repair is done the vehicle is ready to drive. Most windshield replacements take three hours or more if “safe drive-away time” is included for the adhesive to properly cure.

Windshield repair is good for the environment. It’s one less windshield in our landfills, because the glass with PVB laminate cannot be recycled easily.

Fortunately Glass Doctor can both repair and replace windshields, so we know whether or not the windshield can be repaired to safe standards. For example, the windshield should be replaced if the chip is in the driver’s primary vision zone, which is 12 inches wide, the height of the windshield wiper sweep, and aligned with the center of the steering wheel. In most cases Glass Doctor will try to repair the windshield first, but if it cannot be repaired it will be replaced with an OEM (original equivalent manufactured) windshield and manufacturer’s equivalent adhesive. That means it will be good as new.

Glass Doctor offers free in-shop appointments for windshield damage estimates in April, which is National Car Care Month. To schedule an appointment call Glass Doctor at 1-800-838-GLAS (4527) or visit www.glassdoctor.com.