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3 Questions to Help You Decide Whether to Repair or Replace Your Damaged Windscreen

11 February 2020

Gavin Lawson

Buying new auto glass for your windscreen is an expensive affair. This is especially true if you opt for quality OEM glass over the cheaper aftermarket options. Therefore, when there is a choice of whether to repair or replace the glass, most people will entertain the thought of fixing it. However, before you choose between these two options, here are three crucial questions to ask yourself.

What's the Location of the Damage?

First, examine the damage to determine its location. If the crack or chip is located on the passenger's side or out of the driver's view, it can be repaired. However, if the position of the crack is in the driver's line of sight, it would be best to replace the entire windscreen. Cracks and chips on the driver's side can obstruct the view. Repairs further distort the glass, and this can limit the driver's visibility. Therefore, it's advisable to get a new windscreen.

Similarly, damage occurring around the outer edges of the glass may be harder to repair than if it were localised around the middle. Cracks or chips near the edges compromise the structural integrity of the glass. Even with repairs, the glass may still be weak, and this may affect its performance during rollover accidents or when the airbags deploy. In this case, it's safer to replace the glass.

What's the Size of the Crack or Chip?

The bigger the crack or chip, the harder it is to repair it. Ideally, repairable chips should be fairly small. Anything bigger may call for a total replacement of the glass. However, note that chips are generally easier to fix than cracks.

Since most chips only scratch the upper layer of the glass, they can be fixed easily. On the other hand, cracks go deep into the inner layers of the glass and cannot be repaired without leaving a distortion on the glass. Replacing the windscreen might be the only option you have if there are long cracks.

How Severe Is the Damage?

Finally, check the damage to see how bad it is. As mentioned above, shallow chips are repairable and deep cracks aren't. In addition to this, consider other factors such as leaks and shattered glass, which would make repairs impossible. Also, if the windscreen had been fixed several times before, repairing it again may compromise its integrity. Getting a new one might be the better choice in this situation.

The decision of whether to repair or replace a windscreen depends on these factors. Talk to a windscreen repair professional who can inspect the damage for you and give you advice.

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