Windshields rank among the most important parts of your vehicle’s SRS (Self Restraint System) system. Along with airbags and seatbelts, a properly installed and damage-free windshield is a critical element of your vehicle’s safety performance. In a front end collision, the windshield provides up to 45% of the structural integrity of the cabin of the vehicle, while in a rollover, it provides up to 60%. In a crash or roll-over accident, the windshield supports the roof, helps the airbags deploy, prevents you from absorbing the force of the crash, and prevents you from being thrown from the vehicle. If your windshield is weakened by a chip, crack, improper installation, or any other damage, you’re compromising your safety.

Windshield damage can occur at any time. From flying rocks, vandalism, wrecks, and other mishaps, the repair or replacement of a windshield is vital for a drivers’ visibility and passenger safety. Quickly repairing or replacing a windshield is crucial, as a fully intact and flaw-free windshield helps protect the structural integrity of you vehicle, which ultimately protects you, your family, and any other occupants.

Regardless of the size and location of a chip or crack, scheduling an inspection not long after damage occurs could save you time and money, but it ultimately protects your personal safety. Even seemingly simple cracks and chips should be inspected and treated quickly, as chips and cracks may spread over time. Plus, dirt quickly works its way into damaged areas, affecting the effectiveness and clarity of a repair. Also, if moisture gets through cracks and chips in the windshield, it can damage vinyl, weaken the windshield, and compromise your safety. Finally, cold and warm temperatures bring new stresses and a greater potential for spreading. A proper repair prevents damage from spreading, but as every chip is unique, some windshields may still require a replacement.

• Integrity of Your Vehicle: When your safety and the integrity of your automobile are at stake, it’s important to maintain your vehicle’s safety system. Your windshield is the third most important part of your vehicle’s Self Restraint System (SRS) and accounts for 45% of the structural integrity of the cabin of the vehicle in a head on collision and 60% in a rollover. In a crash or roll-over accident it supports the roof, helps the airbags deploy, prevents you from absorbing the force of the crash, and it prevents you from being thrown from the vehicle. If your windshield is weakened by a chip or a crack, you’re compromising your safety. When we advise a windshield replacement, it’s for your safety. If your windshield’s strength is compromised, your vehicle isn’t as safe as it could be.
• Clarity and Visibility: A repaired windshield will never look as perfectly clear as a brand new one. Even an excellent repair will still be visible. The best of repairs will look like a hair lying on top of the glass. Good repairs greatly reduce the “glinting” that occurs when the sun hits open cracks, but it may still be visible. Also, if you look closely at the tip of the crack you’ll see one or two little holes where resin has been inserted to keep the tip of the crack from spreading.
• Repairs Have Limits: Be aware that even the most advanced glass repair techniques have their limits. If your windshield is severely damaged, new glass may still be in your future. A heavily damaged windshield is not only difficult to look through, it’s also unsafe. The structural integrity of the car may have been compromised and could weaken further if it isn’t replaced quickly. Also, if your windshield took a big enough hit, it may simply be beyond repair. Major impacts, such as those from big objects or accidents, will damage the windows and windshields beyond what any repair facility can fix. In these severe cases, and generally once a crack or chip grows larger than a certain size, replacement is the only option.