Automobile windshields perform certain tasks, one of which is protecting us from objects thrown up by other automobiles and trucks, or sometimes just from the bugs.When most rocks or other objects hit the windshield they either bounce off with no damage, or bugs may splatter the windshield and can be cleaned with soap and water. Then there are those times when a rock or other object smacks your windshield hard and cracks the windshield.
Some objects hit so hard that the windshield breaks out meaning the chip has a crack that goes all the way across the windshield sometimes in several directions, when this occurs windshield replacement is required. Other times the rock puts a small chip or nick in the windshield without cracking it lest not to the naked eye, but when examined under magnification almost all windshield chips have small cracks leading away from the point of impact.
These small chips are the ones that we forget about or neglect until something happens like the windshield wiper blades don't last very long or they always leave a streak, or a small crack, now visible leading away from that small rock chip forgotten so long ago or worse yet it just cracks out all of the sudden. Repair is now in order but with difficulties for the repairman. These neglected chips or cracks have been exposed to the elements, rain and dirt being the worst for repair. When water enters this type of break it is dirty water and dirt is drawn into the break. So now we have dirt and water in the crack this makes repair more complicated.
Have you ever tried to glue something together that is dirty and wet, not an easy task if not impossible and poor quality repairs will be the result. To remove water from a cracked windshield the cracked area must be put under a vacuum and the windshield must be heated in the cracked area to vaporize the water to be vacuumed out. Dirt must be flushed out using injection and extraction processes with certain chemicals repeated over and over again before a quality repair can be preformed.
Now here is the key word with windshield repair "QUALITY". Quality windshield repair takes time you can't rush this process. Some windshields crack on the first impact, usually a star break, an impact area with cracks leading away from the break or a Bull's-Eye type break some with cracks, some without visible cracks. Most of these types of breaks can be easily repaired. If the crack is longer than six inches replacement should be considered or if the crack has been neglected for a long period of time repairs will be more difficult.
The automobile windshield repair quality goal is 80% improvement from before the repair was preformed. High quality windshield repair technicians will perform 90% + improvement most times. Almost all cracked out windshields could have been repaired but were neglected and over time the windshield cracks out. We have all seen the windshields with a Bull's-Eye or Star break with a long crack leading away from the impact point going across the whole windshield, most of these were small rock cracks or chips that were neglected and have cracked out over time and windshield replacement is now required costing hundreds of dollars when repair would have been under $60.00 save yourself the time and trouble of replacement and repair those cracked or chipped windshields right away don't wait to see if it is going to crack further before you repair it trust me it will. A quality repair is the number one goal.
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