It can be frustrating to have a chip or worse in your windshield. A small chip can be anything from an annoyance that catches your eye while you drive to causing legitimate visual impairment by creating a harsh glare. It’s crucial that you get even the smallest chips repaired before they become a much larger problem like a crack that spreads across the windshield. At Simbol Auto Glass, we want to make sure you know what to expect with Michigan auto glass repair so our team put together this short guide to outline the process for you.
Assess damage
Your windshield is designed to be able to take quite a bit of punishment. This is essential to ensure your safety should debris hit your windshield as you’re driving down the road. The structural integrity of windshield glass comes from a design that puts two layers of laminated glass on each side of either rubber or vinyl. This ensures that the glass doesn’t shatter when something like a rock hits the glass with great force.
Even with the reinforcement of laminated glass against vinyl or rubber, the integrity of a windshield is compromised with cracks or deep rock chips, so repairs must be made. Your auto glass repair technician will diagnose the extent of the damage to your windshield and let you know if a simple resin filling of a rock chip will be a sufficient repair or if you need to replace the glass entirely.
Determine proper repairs
If a chip in your windshield is minor enough that it can be repaired with a resin filling, your technician can have the repair done in about 15 minutes. This involves drying the area to ensure that there’s not any water sitting in the chip as this can affect how the resin cures. The resin will then be inserted into the chip using a syringe. This will fill in the chip to prevent further damage to your windshield as it could crack with changes in weather if left untreated.
If the chip is either larger than a quarter or the associated cracks are more than three and a half inches long, it’s too big to be repaired. Some chips and cracks might also be too deep to repair. When this is the case, you’ll need to replace the entire window. Your auto glass technician will put a new windshield in place using a special adhesive that’s specifically designed for auto glass. This will have to cure for at least an hour before you can drive.
Insurance coverage
It’s a good idea to talk to your insurance agent before you go in for auto glass repair. This makes the process go much smoother as you know what to expect as far as the deductible you might need to pay for windshield repair or what your portion of the cost will be for a chip repair. You can also speak with an auto glass repair technician beforehand as it’s not uncommon to have a deductible waived by the repair shop.
Contact us to learn more
You can learn more about what to expect with Michigan auto glass repair by getting in touch with our team at Simbol Auto Glass. We offer free quotes for glass replacement and repair so you know exactly what to expect from our team. Get in touch by calling our location nearest you or feel free to send a message using our online contact form. We look forward to speaking with you and providing you with quality auto glass repair.
