A stone chip is small when it happens and rarely stays that way. Every time the glass flexes over a bump, heats up in the sun or cools overnight, the damage works a little further into the laminate. Repaired early, a chip is a twenty-minute job. Left for a season, it is often a full replacement.
What a resin repair actually does
A modern windshield is two layers of glass bonded to a sheet of plastic in the middle. A chip is a small void in the outer layer. Repair means cleaning that void, drawing the air out of it under vacuum, then injecting a clear resin that fills the space and cures under ultraviolet light. Once cured, the resin bonds to the glass on every surface of the break, so the damage can no longer spread and the glass regains most of its original strength at that point.
The repair is structural first and cosmetic second. Most chips become far less visible, and many all but disappear, but a repair is not the same as new glass. If the blemish sits directly in your line of sight you will still see a faint mark, and we will tell you that before we start rather than after.
What can be repaired
Bullseyes, star breaks, combination breaks and short cracks are the usual candidates. Whether a specific chip can be repaired depends on its size, how deep it goes, where it sits on the glass and whether dirt or moisture has already got into the break. Damage at the very edge of the windshield, cracks that have grown long, or breaks that reach the inner layer of glass usually mean replacement is the safer option.
If you are not sure which side of that line your damage falls on, send us a photo with your quote request or bring the vehicle by. It takes a minute to look at, and it is a lot cheaper to find out now.
Before you come in
Keep the chip dry and clean. Put a piece of clear tape over it if you can, avoid the car wash, and go easy on the defroster on a cold morning. Sudden temperature change is what turns a chip into a crack.
Getting a price
Glass work is quoted per job. Tell us the vehicle and what the damage looks like, and we will come back to you with a price. We also do repairs at your home or workplace: tell us where you are when you ask, and we will confirm what is possible.