by Mark & Laurel Miller

 Fixing a damaged windshield should not be an option. It can mean the difference between life and death in a rollover crash.

 “Windshields not only keep insects and rain out, they are vital for passenger airbags to properly function to protect occupants.  In today’s vehicles made of lighter materials, the windshield helps support the roof and keeps the airbag inside the vehicle. If a vehicle with a cracked windshield is in a crash, the force of the passenger airbag deployment could break the windshield instead of protecting the passenger, who may hit the dashboard. During a rollover the roof would crush the driver and occupants.” said Laurel Miller of Glass Doctor of Southwest Riverside County.

 Many windshields do not crack immediately.  Most cracks start with windshield chips from flying rocks, gravel and tree branches. Drivers tend to ignore a windshield chips because a chip is not necessarily an immediate problem. A windshield chip becomes a problem when it runs into a crack.

 A windshield chip can crack when the air conditioning or heating is activated and thermal shock occurs. Thermal shock is the stress on glass caused by drastic differences in outdoor and indoor temperatures. Windshields are made from two pieces of glass that sandwich a PVC laminate film, which is why the windshield does not completely break.

 “There should be no question about whether or not to fix a damaged windshield. At the least a cracked windshield can impair a driver’s vision, putting other drivers at risk. The question is whether or not to fix a chip or wait until a crack appears.” Miller added.

• Most chips less than the size of a silver dollar can be fixed. Repairing the windshield restores the structural integrity of the windshield without touching the original windshield bonding area to the vehicle. There is no possibility of leaks, which can happen with a bad windshield replacement.
• Repairing a windshield costs less than replacing a windshield. Most windshield chips can be repaired for under $50.00 in store, and most insurance companies will waive the deductible and pay the entire cost of the repair.  Replacing a windshield can cost hundreds of dollars, depending upon how much the auto insurance will pay and the policy deductible.
• Relatively minor windshield chips can be repaired in about 30minutes.  Thanks to advanced resin technology, once the windshield repair is done the vehicle is ready to drive.  Most windshield replacements take two hours or more if safe drive-away time is included for the adhesive to properly cure.
• Windshield repair is good for the environment. A repaired windshield is one less windshield in a landfill, since the glass with PVB laminate cannot be recycled easily.

 “Glass Doctor can both repair and replace windshields, so we know whether or not the windshield can be repaired to safe standards,” Miller said. “Glass Doctor will try to repair the windshield first. If it can’t be repaired to a safe standard it will be replaced with an original equivalent manufactured windshield and the manufacturer’s equivalent adhesive, instead of aftermarket materials. That means it will be as good as new.”

www.glassdoctor.com/murrieta

Mark and Laurel Miller are owners of  Glass Doctor in Murrieta.  For questions or more information, they can be reached at (951) 894-5710.  Glass Doctor offers a Saturday special called ‘the no excuse chip repair” for $35.00 dollars cash each Saturday 8:00am -1:00pm.