Maybe you heard the pop as you drove past the mowing machines on the highway. But now you’re watching the divot in your windshield spread into a widening crack across the glass. What’s next? Car windshields don’t come cheap.
Act Quickly to Save Your Auto Glass
The good news is that it may be possible to fix the problem with one of those inexpensive windshield repair kits that are sold in every auto parts store you walk into. But the key to this solution is to take immediate action. Once it starts to spread, you have a bigger problem that can be much more challenging to fix with windshield repair kits.
Identify Your Crack
Take a good look at the damage to your auto glass. Is it a chip or a spreading crack? There are different kinds of damage that could impact how you approach your repair job. The kinds of damage that typically can be repaired with windshield repair kits include:
- Star
- Flower
- Bullseye
- BB chips
The above four types of damage, when caught in time, can usually be repaired fairly easily by the owner of the vehicle. So, let’s get to work!
Start with a Clean Windshield
If you repair the chip and your windshield is dirty, you will seal in the dirt permanently. So, you definitely want to start with a clean area. But — and this is really important — you must ensure the area to be repaired is completely dry. Otherwise, just as with the dirt, you will wind up with bubbles of water trapped within the repair.
Another thing to be mindful of is the temperature. When the temperature is too hot or cold, it can affect the outcome of your repair job. Your best bet is to use an acetone-based product rather than a windshield cleaner or detergent to clean the surface of the repair area. Either wait until it completely air dries or use a hairdryer set on low to dry the glass thoroughly.
Using Pre-Mixed Adhesive Windshield Repair Kits
These kits are pretty straightforward. You will need to peel off the film backing on the pre-measured adhesive strip. Then, with a steady hand, apply the strip to the surface to be repaired.
Using your thumbnail or the flat side of a butter knife, make sure there are no air bubbles trapped underneath the repair surface. With a syringe-full of adhesive, you will need to form a tight suction to the windshield. You will repeatedly depress the plunger on the syringe until the entire crack is filled. Let it sit for several hours.
If all goes as planned, you can use a single-edge razor blade to carefully shave off any excess adhesive on your windshield. Voila!
When the Crack Has Begun to Spread
Maybe you waited a bit too long or the crack was just really bad. As the windshield repair specialists at ClearShield Auto Glass Repair say, “Micro-cracks will weaken and spread /extend due to stress and vibrations of the vehicle.” If you know or suspect that the windshield repair kits sold at your local auto parts store won’t cut the mustard on your windshield crack, you may need to upgrade to a professional version of a repair kit.