What to do about a cracked windshield?
A cracked windshield immediately attracts the attention of the driver while driving. And in winter, observing the appearance of cracks is a particularly unpleasant sight, since the risk of its growth increases. After the first cracks appear, most drivers begin to wonder - where did it come from, will it “spread” further and what can be done with it? Let's try to answer these questions.
These types of chips can appear as a result of any impact. For example, from a small stone flying into the windshield. In this case, you should have heard the corresponding sound, and after examining the impact site, see a chip or funnel. If you often have to drive on bad roads with bumps and pits, then such chips may appear at the edge of the glass due to a sharp arrival on a bump. In this case, the suspension may not have time to properly absorb the impact, and its force may be transferred to the body. Well, the body will "give" it to the weakest link - the windshield. You understand that it is impossible to prepare or somehow avoid such situations.
Therefore, the first thing when a crack is found, immediately decide what you will do with it. If you let everything take its course, it can grow at any moment. If a crack has formed on the driver's side, it will distract from driving, and your eyes will quickly get tired. If a crack appears on the passenger side, then it will certainly “crawl” to the driver. It's just a matter of time. Especially in the cold season, when due to the temperature difference outside and inside the cabin, the glass is exposed to additional risk factors.
Since glass consists of several layers, a crack usually forms on only one of them. You can verify this by feeling the glass on both sides with your hands. You will feel the roughness on one side. In this case, we recommend immediately sealing the glass with a transparent film to prevent dirt from entering.
Having found a chip or a funnel, do not rush to immediately rush to the masters. You will always have time to overpay for the work of specialists in the workshop. Moreover, there is nothing complicated in repairing a crack, and it is quite possible to do it yourself. To do this, you will need a little time and a set of windshield repair tools.
And yet - how to seal the crack yourself and where to start?
- First, stop the car (if you're still driving) and tape the crack. This simple action will prevent dirt from getting inside the chip, which can cause you a lot of problems during the repair.
- then try to find out the nature of the defect. Inspect the crack - carefully examine its length, the depth of the split and whether it goes through the entire windshield or affects some part of it. Use a needle to determine whether there is a through crack or not. If the crack has come close to the edge of the glass, then repairing such a crack will not make any sense. In this case, windshield replacement is inevitable.
- The next step is to drill a hole in the glass, which will prevent further crack growth. A regular drill will not work here, you will need a thin drill with a diamond coating or a carbide tip on the cutting edge. They are not always found on sale, although if you try you can find them. If you didn’t succeed, you can try hardening a conventional drill by heating it and lowering the tip into oil. So you save some money and get a drill ready for your repair.
The most important thing to remember is that glass can break from the slightest incorrect movement. Before drilling glass, lubricate the drill bit with oil or soapy water. We recommend periodically lubricating the drill during operation.
The drilling depth depends on the crack itself. If it is not through, then you need to drill only that layer of glass on which the chip itself arose. And if the glass defect passes through the windshield, then you will have to drill a through hole.
If the crack appeared in the form of a star and has a set of "rays", then each of these "rays" must be drilled. If you are afraid to drill through the glass, use a special limiter that will stop you in time and prevent you from “drilling” deeper than necessary if you get too carried away.
- The last step of the repair is filling the crack with a special adhesive or polymer. As soon as the glue has hardened, the place of gluing is dried with an ultraviolet lamp and polished with a special paste. The glass polishing stage is not quick and takes longer than the crack repair itself. Therefore, be patient. Moreover, it will return to you a hundredfold, because as a result you will get a completely transparent windshield.
As you can see, do-it-yourself windshield repair is possible, and the process itself is not prohibitively complicated. However, if you still doubt your ability to perform such repairs, it is better to contact professionals. In any case, the cost of such work will be lower than buying a new glass.
