Windshield damage can start out really tiny but left unchecked it grows at a frightening rate. It helps to understand the types of damage your windshield can sustain. Here’s what United Auto Care has seen happen to windshields. Some of this damage is easy to fix in a short period of time with an epoxy patch. Other types of damage are more severe and can require installing a replacement windshield.
Chips
Chips can be large or small. They look a little like a divot taken out of the glass. They’re usually caused by something small, like a pebble or some other road debris, flying up and hitting the glass. If they’re small enough and don’t have radiating cracks coming from them, chips might be easy for a glass technician to fill in with epoxy. Really large chips or chips that cut into the edge of the windshield aren’t easy to repair.
Cracks
Cracks are another common type of glass damage. They can be caused by a variety of different things from an impact to stress fracturing. For instance, if a windshield is exposed to extremely cold temperatures and then warms up too rapidly, it might develop a crack. Over time stress cracks can also form. Cracks from an impact are usually more obvious in terms of their cause. Depending on where the crack is and the size, it might be repairable. If it’s too close to the edge of the glass or it’s too big, the entire windshield may need replacing.
Bullseyes or Stars
These two types of damage get their names because they look just like bullseyes and stars. They’re usually larger types of damage and might have been a small chip or crack at first. If you don’t notice them or your actively ignore them, vibrations and the knocking that happens just from daily driving can cause them to become much larger problems. These usually aren’t fixable, except by replacing the windshield.
A Combination Pattern
Damage doesn’t exist just on its own all the time. While you might have a small chip on its own, you can also have chips along with cracks, especially if you got the damage during a hailstorm or traveling behind a gravel truck that wasn’t properly secured. Combination damage might be patchable or it might need replacing. It all depends on the damage itself.
If you’ve got some glass damage, contact us today. United Auto Care in Flowery Branch, GA, can assess the damage and get you the best solution for what’s ailing your windshield.
