Has your car windscreen been hit by a rock? Stone chips are an extremely common occurrence, especially in area's where large trucks on the road are present or where road works are being carried out. While some stone chips are just cosmetic nuisances, others affect the driver's vision or become larger irreparable cracks with the elements affecting the area of damaged glass over time. the question now is should you repair your windscreen or replace it?
First of all let's explain the role of your vehicles windscreen and its safety aspects. First and foremost you need to be able to see through your vehicle's windscreen, with that said many states have laws stating at what point your windscreen will need to be replaced or repaired.
Typically there is a section of your windscreen that is classified as the "critical vision area" which is the part of the windscreen located approximately 300-400mm directly in front of the drivers seating position and extends the full height of the windscreen. In most cases a stone chip or crack outside this area can be repaired given the damaged area is no larger than 50mm in diameter. Typically a repair cannot take if it is within the critical vision area.
The windscreen is one of the main structural components of your vehicle and is integrated into airbag deployment. For example, the front side airbags are designed to bounce off your vehicles windscreen while inflating and a poorly fitted windscreen can pose serious safety concerns in the event of an accident. The deployment of an airbag will easily push out an improperly fitted windscreen losing strength in the roof structure and exposing occupants to the threat of being thrown from the vehicle.
Stone chip repair versus windscreen replacement: Because of all safety aspects involved you may or may not have a choice about opting for a repair. If the affected area breaches any of the strict safety guidelines - loss of critical vision, structural integrity, it will need to be replaced.
Windscreen replacements will need to follow strict motor safety standards. A government approved MRB licenced technician must carry all replacement. The adhesive urethane and glass must comply with CSI Australian standards, and the vehicle must be stationary until the safe drive away time associated with the urethane used has been reached. Look for a quality automotive glass company that implies safe installation procedures
In most cases repairing your vehicles windscreen will cost a lot less than a full replacement. Keep in mind that on the odd occasion repairs can fail from containing the damaged area to crack and run off. In this case generally a good automotive glass shop will take the cost of the repairs off the full replacement cost.
