Dashersonic

Hi All, my 6 week old TSX caught a rock kicked up by a truck in the windshield today. Got a chip about the size of a pencil eraser.

I was just wondering if anyone has had their windshield repaired instead of replaced?
Does the chip repair work?
Can you tell that there was a chip or does it look good as new?

I was thinking of calling Safelite Auto Glass to come out and fix it. Has anyone used them or a similar company for glass repair?
Would you reccomend this type of windshield repair?

Thanks for your feedback.

Tsx536

Yeah it works. It may or may not show depending on how big the chip is and how bad it is.

When I got mine repaired I found a place that was using some type of new technique to fill the cracks in. Turned out pretty good. I had a really big chip, so it still shows, but I was still happy. If you don't plan on replacing the windshield, you should fix it ASAP so that a crack doesn't form.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

chip repair > getting window replaced

it works well...not only does it prevent the the crack from spreading, but it also reduces the size of the chip.

Sojournin

Yeah, I'm getting mine done tomorrow by Safe Lite. Did you get yours done yet? I just got this chip yesterday!

Alin10123

They've got a do it yourself kit from home depot for like 10 bucks. I figured i'd give it a try, worst case scenario, i take a blade and scrape out what i messed up on and let someone else do it. The trick is to get ALL Of the tiny particles of glass out. You can use a blade and start scraping away the loose stuff. Then the next thing to watch out for is to get ALL of the air out as possible. Using a heat gun/hair dryer to heat up the glass so it expands slightly also helps too while you're pushing the air out. Then make sure it's sunny and you cure it properly. Then follow the rest of the directions on the kit.

When i was done with my GF's car. I couldn't even tell where the original rock chip was. So needless to say i was pretty impressed with myself. I got the kit from home depot. It's made by the same company as "fix a flat". Just follow the directions VERY DETAILED and whatever you do DONT RUSH!

Feel free to post any questions here. I'll be glad to answer.

Sojournin

You must have done a MUCH better job than the guy at the windshield repair shop. I can still see a little "something" inside the window, but at least the outer surface is smooth. Annoying to think it's not "perfect". Insurance paid for it - $55

Alin10123

lol, yea. I spent a LOT of time to do it and i wanted to do it perfect so i paid attention to every single detail. I was going to have my insurance pay for it, but they didn't want to. So i figured no harm done in wasting $10. But yea, i'm actually fairly happy with the results. I think if i really try to look for the spot up close, it will take me a long time to find. That, and when i do find it, it's barely a tiny dot. Like a needle tip sized dot that i see. I'm VERY happy!

Sojournin

I'm comin' down to Atlanta the next time I get a window chip. Well done man!

Dashersonic

SafeLight did a great job. you can still a little tiny dot like a bubble in the glass, but it is way better than before it was fixed.
It was worth the $60 bucks for me.

moda_way

I'm personally not a fan of the window repair, but that has more to do with the fact that I don't carry a deductible on my windshield. For as many windshields as I've managed to kill since I got my car in June 2003, I just prefer a new one.

slandonlong

I would take my car to a company that specializes in windshield repair. Most auto glass shops specialize in windshield replacement and do a great job at it. However, I found that a lot of full service car washes have people that specialize in windshield repair and I would much rather have someone that performs 10 to 20 repairs per day work on my windshield than someone that only performs a few windshield repairs per week. Contact your local full service car wash and find out if they have a windshield repair tech available before contacting your local windshield replacement shop. Also ask if the person has a repair tool with a vacuum system attached. Creating a vacuum on the chip will help the finished repair appear less visible than it would without a vacuum. Hope this helps.

curls

Wow, 4 1/2 year old post. I hope he has fixed his windshield by now...