Do-it-yourself repair of chips and cracks on the windshield: affordable methods

Hi all! I recently encountered a similar problem myself, and therefore decided to share some observations with you. Today we will talk about repairing cracks on the windshield with our own hands.

In general, the formation of cracks and chips on the windshield is very common, but at the same time an extremely unpleasant phenomenon for every caring car owner. These damages become annoying and sometimes even pose a safety risk.

To remove this stain from before the driver’s eyes, and also to return the glass to its original appearance, it will need to be restored. Moreover, cracks and chips can be eliminated at home.

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In such a situation, try to cover the defect with tape as quickly as possible. The most ordinary stationery tape will do. This will not repair the product, but it will protect it from moisture, debris, dust and other nasty things that will only get in the way. Then you go to your garage or to a car repair shop if you decide to entrust the repair to specialists. There is no point in pressing or performing other mechanical actions now, otherwise the chip will begin to grow and the crack will spread further.

It is also not recommended to wash glass with soapy water and various soap products. Molecules of water and the substance itself will penetrate into the chip, which will ultimately interfere with the action of the glue.

It is important that the inside of the chip remains dry. So superglue or a special polymer will perform its functions much better. But before you prepare your tool kit, it’s worth answering one question.

What does a specialist do with a chip or crack?

1. A careful inspection of the damage and a conclusion about the possibility or impossibility of repair.
2. Glass washing. Thorough removal of dust and dirt.
3. Using a special liquid to displace contaminants from microcracks.
4. Drying and degreasing the repair area.
5. At the edges of the cracks, small diameter holes are drilled to prevent further increase in size.
6. Air is removed from cracks and chips using special equipment.
7. Installation of bridge and injector. The nozzle is placed over the drilled hole. A special polymer repair composition is poured. The piston moves into the injector cylinder.
8. An ultraviolet lamp is used to accelerate the hardening of the polymer material. On average, 5 minutes are enough to gain strength. The repair area is polished.
9. Chips without cracks are filled with a special repair compound. Drilling is not performed. After applying the polymer, the repair site is covered with film. An ultraviolet lamp is again used to enhance the strength of the composition. The repair area is polished.

Is it worth trying to repair?

The question is really important and relevant. First, assess the extent of the damage. An impressive proportion of windshield defects make it possible to avoid the need to replace the product. Many windshields can be restored.

When the damage is serious, the crack has spread across almost half of the glass, or the chip is more like a hole, the repair will be pointless and useless. You shouldn't even try to restore such defects. You will waste your energy, time and money on materials. And even if someone undertakes the repair, the price will be higher than the cost of a new windshield for your car. Therefore, think twice and objectively assess the situation.

If an assessment of the car’s condition makes it clear that it makes sense to buy a special product, pour in polymer and restore the surface, then get to work.

What causes cracks on the windshield?

There may be several reasons why a chip may occur on the windshield, which is why you have to repair the windshield:

• Object hit. A stone that bounces off the wheel of a car moving in the oncoming lane, hail, the actions of hooligans, or the impact of other objects often leads to scratches and chips.
• Temperature difference. In winter, the problem often arises due to the fact that there is a sharp change in temperature. For example, if it’s cold outside and the heater is on in the cabin, the glass may fail and crack. It is better to gradually warm up the car.
• Defect in production. The surface may burst due to a manufacturing error. Moreover, this factor manifests itself after the purchase. In this case, it is quite difficult to make a warranty replacement.
• Poor quality material. If you previously replaced it with an inexpensive analogue, the problem may arise due to the lack of the correct technology for its production and low-quality materials.

Depending on how severe the damage turned out to be and in what form it appeared on the surface, several types are distinguished.

Restoration methods

Reading the forum, studying reviews and stories from motorists, and also taking into account personal experience, I can identify 3 main methods.

• Professional restoration. Here we just look for a good workshop where specialists assess the damage, select the necessary materials and carry out the work. In cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg there will definitely be more than a dozen specialists. If you know the address of good masters, you can write in the comments for our readers;
• Independent expensive method. The high cost is due to the need to collect a set of materials and tools, the price of which is not the lowest. But this practically guarantees the elimination of serious chips and cracks if the work is done correctly;
• Cheap DIY method. Here you will also need a repair kit, but it is cheaper. A simplified version of the previous method, which involves purchasing a special kit for glass repair. It is only suitable for eliminating smaller and insignificant defects. Here I’m talking about sets like Sikeo, which can be bought for 280 rubles through Aliexpress.

Now consider which one is right for you based on your financial situation and the extent of your windshield damage.

Windshield Damage

There are different types of windshield damage.

A crack may appear, a through hole may form, a chip may appear, from which the crack will spread. Of all these damages, we will only consider the chip.

So, before discussing repair techniques, let's briefly study chips.

Chips have long been systematically systematized and divided into four groups : bull's eye, star, moon and combined damage.

The most unpleasant thing is to grab the last one.

Cases vary and repair is not always possible. But if the damage is “within limits,” then it is quite possible to restore the windshield to normal without replacement.

Let me remind you that a standard windshield consists of several layers of glass , which are glued inside with a special polymer film. Usually this is three layers of glass. When a flying object hits glass, it does not damage all layers. A chip forms. The remaining layers may either crack or remain intact. Using this knowledge, it is easy to guess what glass repair is based on. The damaged part is dismantled or drilled out, and a special polymer material is applied in its place. But careful drilling is not always possible and it cannot always be done without a garage and good lighting. This requires a certain amount of manual dexterity. Therefore, do-it-yourself glass repair kits were invented . In this case, drilling is not required.

The effectiveness of the repair will directly depend on the ability of the glue to fill discontinuities in the glass and microcracks. Often the damage appears in such a way that a small chip (2-3 mm) appears on the top layer of glass, a spider of cracks grows on the second layer of glass, but the inner layer remains intact. Such damage is the worst to treat, since the glue will not be able to fully fill all the crack spaces. I came across just such a chip. But the repair still turned out to be effective and I am pleased with the result.

The easiest way to fix open chips is where the top layer is completely damaged. In this case, the glue will actively penetrate the entire damage area.

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Whether or not to do the repairs yourself largely depends on whether you have everything you need for such purposes in your arsenal. If you buy everything from scratch, it will cost a decent amount of money.

It's not enough to just have good glue for repairs. Although it is definitely included in the composition. Car enthusiasts identify the following compounds:

When to replace and when to repair glass

Repairing a chip on the windshield yourself is far from the most necessary procedure if corresponding damage is noticed on the car. You may encounter a situation where it becomes impractical to repair a chip on the windshield yourself, since the more correct way to get rid of a crack on the windshield would be to purchase another one.

In order to avoid mistakes and not waste money on pointlessly fixing a crack on the windshield with your own hands, we will highlight some criteria on the basis of which we can draw the final conclusion.

Review from the salon . The main parameter for obtaining an answer to the question of whether it is worth repairing the windshield or whether it is better to replace it with another one is whether there is a comfortable view from the car’s interior. It should not be hampered by chips and scratches that appear.

The driver needs to see everything that is happening around his car without unnecessary head movements. If the crack does not obstruct or block the view from the car, then you can repair the windshield yourself. If the view is blocked, it would be better to replace it.

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• Poly 500 PL;
• Super Pit Filler PL;
• Poly 25 PL;
• Pit Filler Plus;
• Pit Filler PL;
• Permatex 16067;
• Crystal Clear;
• Windshield, etc.

In general, there are quite a lot of options. I only advise you to first read reviews about manufacturers and study the instructions on the packaging.

Each glue has its own transparency coefficient. It is selected based on the color of the glass. Otherwise, after application, the treated area will visually stand out.

In addition to the glue, you will need to collect an additional set of tools and materials. It includes:

• Injector. It comes in plastic and metal. Plastic is disposable mainly, and is suitable for treating one damage. Metal ones are reusable, but expensive;
• Scribers and pumps. These two components allow you to clean the damaged area and get rid of air bubbles;
• Drill. Moreover, it is better to use a diamond drill to relieve stress from the crack. You will have to make 2 holes;
• Ultraviolet lamp. Will speed up the drying process of the glue;
• Sponges and cleaning products.

To minimize your costs, if you have minor damage, simply buy a ready-made repair kit. It costs up to 5 dollars. In fact, this is a smaller copy of everything listed above, minus the drill.

Procedure for self-repairing chips

After completing the preparatory stage, you can proceed directly to the repair:

1. The first step is to relieve the tension from the crack that has formed. It is important to determine the angle where its beam will move and make a small hole at a distance of up to 2 mm from the edge.
2. Then you should thoroughly clear the area of ​​dirt. A lint-free cloth napkin will do the best job for this task.
3. After this, you can dry the chip with a hairdryer.
4. Now you can install a bridge with an injector for supplying polymer. It is important that it is located directly above the crack.
5. Filling the crack with polymer. The procedure should be done slowly to fill all the voids evenly and prevent the formation of bubbles.
6. Drying the repair area with an ultraviolet light source.
7. Windshield polishing. A special polish will best cope with this task.

Does the repair work?

First of all, you need to understand that if the chip is deep (for example, a stone has pierced the surface almost completely), then no polymers will help restore the broken stress that is created during the manufacturing process of auto glass. If there is no required voltage, then any subsequent damage can lead to dire consequences.

Even if we assume that the polymer is able to glue all layers of glass so that it is completely restored, a number of additional problems arise. In order for the miracle composition to help you avoid buying a new “lobovuha”, the surfaces being treated must be completely clean. But, of course, dirt, dust and other particles have already entered the crack. This means that the polymer simply will not be able to fill 100% of the space. Therefore, the longer the car owner delays repairs and continues to fill the crack with dirt, the more hopeless the repair will be.

Separately, it is worth noting the reagents used to water the roads. You don’t need to be a chemist to understand that they contain fatty inclusions (how else can you explain the fact that a car driven from the street into a warm box remains wet and greasy both after 40 minutes and after 1.5 hours). Of course, if you drive in winter with a chip on the glass, the reagent will get into the crack. And fat, as you know, is the main enemy of glue, so the polymer simply cannot adhere to the surface properly.

Of course, the master will tell you about modern equipment that will help avoid this problem. But, in reality, he will simply fill the resulting chip with a degreaser and blow it with a compressor or clean it with a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, such manipulations rarely give any effective results. And if there are even a few particles of fat left inside, then all your efforts are in vain.

What to do first

Even if the chip seems very tiny and does not portend trouble, it is worth making a decision - to repair or replace the entire windshield (if insurance covers it, then there is a chance to get by with little damage). If you decide to go to a car service center, then you must seal the damage with tape and not start moving until the chip is completely closed.

This measure is necessary for two reasons:

• It is hoped that this will prevent the crack from spreading further.
• Dust, dirt, moisture, midges and other “delights” that will make repair impossible or greatly complicate it will not get into the chip.

After this, you need to very carefully drive to the car service center. You must not brake sharply, fly into curbs or reach high speeds. All this will only make the situation worse.

In a car service center, everything will depend on the technician, his skills and lack of desire to get caught up in a useless procedure that will not fix anything. If you're lucky, the glass can be restored.