The Importance of Repairing a Chipped Windscreen

If that doesn’t convince you, here are some more reasons that reflect the importance of a windscreen.

Enlarge to Cracks

What starts at small chips can quickly enlarge to cracks if you don’t attend to it right away. When there is a small chip on your windshield, you might think that it is something minor that won’t affect the rest of the windshield. But in reality, this assumption is not right because chips have more impact than what we tend to imagine.

Windshield glass is made under high pressure, so even the smallest chip can quickly turn into cracks, even before you realize it. The intense pressure of the glass causes the chip to expand slowly and soon, it will enlarge into a crack.

When the chips become cracks, they virtually make it impossible to drive your car. This is especially true if you have to drive during adverse weather conditions like snow, wind or torrential rains. Driving with a broken windshield in summer or during the day is equally difficult as the sunlight can directly glare into your eyes without any protection whatsoever.

In addition to make driving difficult, cracks will become more expensive to fix. Though the exact cost depends on the size of the crack, it is safe to say that it could run into hundreds of dollars, if not more. Sometimes, the cracks will get so large that you may have to replace the entire windshield, which is sure to burn a hole in your pocket, especially if you don’t have insurance to cover these costs. A rule of thumb is that if a crack gets larger than the width of a credit card, the entire windshield has to be replaced. So, what could have been fixed with a few hundred dollars will run into thousands.

To avoid a small cost ballooning into a large one, it is best you fix the windshield chips at the earliest.

Obstructs Your View

One of the biggest reasons to fix your chip right away is the simple fact that a chip obstructs your view. If you have ever tried looking through a chipped windshield, you’ll understand how opaque it can get. The small area is completely unavailable to you, and this poses a serious risk for you and your family.

Experts opine that driving with a chipped windshield increases the chances of an accident manifold. In fact, you don’t even need an expert to tell you that when you can’t see some part of the road, you’re opening up the chances for mishaps.

A basic understanding of how the windshield is setup is enough to make you understand the importance of fixing a chipped windshield.

In general, standard windshields are made up of two transparent pieces of glass that are glued together using vinyl resin in the middle. This resin is what helps to keep the glass in place in the event of a collision. Without this resin, pieces of glass shards will break out of these glasses and will hit you on the face. There have been cases where these shards not only cause injury, but also death, especially if it pierces the driver or passengers at the wrong places.

But when your windshield is cracked, what essentially happens is that the vinyl resin’s grip loosens. In such a case, the windshield will not be able to take as much impact or collision as it did earlier when the windshield was smooth and fine.

Again, this could lead to glass shards flying all around when there is a collision.

So, from this safety perspective, it is necessary to repair a chipped windshield.

Structural Integrity

A windshield is an essential part of the car, which means, any damage to it can affect the overall structural integrity of the car itself.

If you look closely at your car’s structure or if you ever get to see how a car is assembled, you’ll know that the windshield provides support to your car’s roof.

In the event of an accident, it is the windshield that hold everything together. It doesn’t allow your car roof to collapse inside and prevent the drivers and passengers from getting thrown out of the car.

When the windshield is damaged or chipped, this affects the structural integrity of the car as a whole. It weakens the roof and puts more pressure on it, which in turn, could collapse if not fixed right away.

So, to prevent any further damage to your car and possibly even a collapse, it is vital to get the chipped windshield repaired at the earliest.

Traffic Violation

In some jurisdictions, a chipped windshield can attract a traffic violation and possibly even a penalty.

If you think this is unnecessary, think again because police officers see this as a potential reason for an accident. By driving with a chipped windshield, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but you’re also putting other innocent drivers and pedestrians at risk simply because you can’t see them through your chipped windshield.

There are laws in some jurisdictions that explicitly state that if there is anything other than sun visors, rear-view mirrors and toll collecting devices on your windshield, you are liable for punishment and this includes chips and cracks on your windshield.

Some jurisdictions though fine you for a traffic violation only if there is a crack and that exceeds the stipulated size. Yet, a police officer can also fine you using their own sense of judgment, especially if there is a problem on your windshield.

Why bother going through so much trouble when you can get the whole thing fixed within minutes? It not only saves money for you, but also helps you stay away from the hassles that come with traffic violations.

Fast and Inexpensive

A compelling reason to fix chipped windscreens at the earliest is that the repair process is quick and inexpensive. It takes only about 10 to 15 minutes to fix a chipped windscreen and you can be off driving away in peace.

This fix is free if you have a car insurance, so that’s not a problem either. If you don’t have an insurance, it might cost you about a hundred bucks! If you don’t fix it and the chip turns into a crack, you could end up replacing the entire windscreen, and this could run into thousands of dollars for you.

Also, fixing the windscreen could take considerable time. At the minimum, it will take a day or two, and during these days, you will not have access to your car. What if there is an emergency during this time or there is something important that requires you to get to some place right away?

Well, it could be frustrating to say the least, not to mention the loss and inconvenience of not having your car just when you need it.

Again, why go through so much trouble when you can get your chipped windscreen fixed for free (provided you have a car insurance) and within about 15 minutes?

To conclude, a chip on your windscreen is way more than a mere blemish that could be ignored. On the contrary, it poses risks on many fronts for you.

The safety of yourself and others in your car is at stake because it obstructs your view and prevents you from seeing what is located at that particular spot. Secondly, it could cause your car roof to collapse because the structural integrity of the car is compromised. Thirdly, you can get a traffic violation when you drive with a chipped windshield.

Above everything, the cost that comes with fixing a chipped windscreen is minor compared to the consequences that come with it. With small money and about 15 minutes, you can get it fixed. On the other hand, when you ignore this fix, you may end up spending a lot more as the chips can quickly enlarge into cracks. Sometimes, you may even end up replacing the windshield as a whole, and this could prove to be a time consuming and expensive process for you.

For these reasons, it is best you repair a chipped windscreen at the earliest. There are many auto glass experts who will be willing to repair it for you within a few minutes.

Never make a mountain out of a mole hill. Fix small problems as and when they occur and never wait for it to balloon into something big. This statement applies best to chipped windshields because what started small could prove to be a financial disaster for you. So, address it at the earliest and save yourself time, effort and money.