dho24

I recently had a two small chips in my windshield occur after driving behind a truck. Has anyone used a DIY windshield repair kit? If you have, how were the results and which one did you use?

bgfalcon

Insurance covers windshields.

darowa

I've had 2 cars that had windshields receiving chips. The repairs were both done by a car glass company at no cost (your insurance picks up the cost). The repairs were excellent.
There are restrictions on what can be done. The size of the damage has to be small - like a large coin. The position of the damage can't be in your primary field of vision - there is a small amount of optical distortion at the repair. The amount of distortion will vary with the skill of the repair person and maybe just plain luck.
I would suspect that your insurance company will do the repair for free and then let you determine if its satisfactory.

msmching

yup, insurance pay for windshield..

not show about your insurance. but mine (Farmers), doesnt pay OEM windshield.

However, i wanted OEM, so yea, had to pay the difference of it.

Oem windshield cost around $790......... then depends on how much ur insurance pay for the aftermarket windshield.

ck123

any have a DIY?

some insurances do not cover this like state farm in california.

msmching

somehow, i dun think any diy work will get that thing cleared away tho...

xSteveO325

they usually won't fix chips, only cracks. They would probably send someone out there to fill it.

I'm not sure how your state/insurance works, definitely check with them before this, but most glass places will say the glass is cracked just to get the money and make you happy in the process.

TSX408

if there no cracks take it to a glass shop and they will fix it for like $30 here what mines looked like after fix

kanonen

I had one last month from driving behind a truck too, small one by the passenger side. The size of the whole chip is smaller than a dime, the perforation is about half a millimeter. I went to my insurance agency and they said that I had to pay the deductible: $500. Screw that. The dealer said he will fix it for $45 and a glass company in town for $75. I bought Fix-a-windshield do it yourself thing for $11 at autozone. I spend about 2 hours reading about how to do it and watching videos online. Then I did it. So far so good. It did rain a lot since and I am not seeing the crack expanding. The chip is smooth on the surface of the windshield now. If you are doing it yourself, read and watch videos, there is a couple of things that you ought to know before. And certainly follow the manual.

kanonen

And yes, you won't get it completely cleared away, just slightly. The purpose is to seal it so you do not have moister getting in and expanding the chip/crack.

dho24

Which DIY kit did you get from Autozone? Was it the Pennzoil product? Do you have a link to the DIY video? Both of my chips are less than a centimeter in diameter. I have State Farm and they want me to pay my deductible too. Both chips are not in my sightline while driving so I just want to seal it without it being an obvious eyesore.

kanonen

It is called "Fix-a-windshield", yeah Pennzoil. I don't have the links for the videos anymore but an internet search will give you a bunch.

elusive_wind

I have been procastinating on sealing the chips on my windshield for a while now. My wife's sister's fiancee has a is250 with OEM windshield that recently just cracked from the top. looks like a very long arc about 90 degrees in length. The purpose you mentioned just struck a cord with me and I will definitely get it sealed ASAP now as I do not want a low cost preventive measure to become ~400+ windshield replacement!

Now the method of repair .. either go to a shop or get a Canadian variant of that DIY kit probably from Canadian Tire. Any canadian know the product name by any chance?

Elusive

malnik

This video should help for DYI kits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loj2u7CG78g

oldguytsxer

remembered this from way back, works best on chips not in your field of vision......clean damaged area with rubbing alcohol, after dry,liberally: apply clear nail polish...works like a champ.

dho24

The nail polish idea seems pretty good for a quick fix. How long do I let it sit/cure before I try to remove the excess? Do I use a razor blade to scrape off the excess or something else?

oldguytsxer

Overnite is good, razor blade fine......did one two years ago and no further problem.

Tsx536

The local windshield guys around here charge about $40-$50 a piece for each chip. That DIY video looks good. I've seen them fix one of mine and they did a similar thing. My TSX is a highway warrior so I have about 3-4 chips already. I'm not looking to replace the windshield only to get another chip. This is a good alternative.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

When I got a chip in my windshield, I had mine done for free, through insurance.