Car Glass Damage: Common Causes, Types & Repair Tips

Most car owners treat their windshields as a mere decoration, which is why they overlook damages, ultimately aggravating them and spending more than expected. Most people continue to drive their vehicles around with a damaged windshield.

As one of the essential aspects of automotive components, a car windshield must be given due care so that the vehicle faces no loss of structural integrity. Several types of exterior and interior safety and driver-assistance features of your vehicle work together to ensure that you have a smooth and safe driving experience. One of the significant components responsible for ensuring your safety is the windshield or car glass. Car glass is a particular type of glass designed to withstand the rigours and pressures of driving. Your car glass provides you with a 360-degree vision to know what is happening around you, ensuring that you operate your car safely. But, a windshield is highly prone to damage from debris, rocks, even tiny pebbles and several other unexpected factors. 

Damaged car glass reduces visibility and increases your chances of incurring grave injuries, becoming a considerable safety threat. Understanding why the windshield or car window gets damaged can help you safeguard it.

Before getting into the other factors that can cause damage to your car windshield, let us know a little about the importance of a glass car windshield.

Importance of Glass Car Windshield

Your car windshield is not an ornamental addition to your car but plays a crucial functional role. Apart from protecting you and your fellow passengers from the wind, dust, debris, and other outside elements, it also provides structural integrity to your car. It holds the roof intact and, in the case of an accident, prevents it from falling and crushing the car's occupants. It also prevents you from being thrown out of the vehicle in the case of a harsh impact. A damaged windshield will not withstand the severity of an impact in an accident like a regular glass car windshield, which is why it is essential to take good care of it.

Types of Windshield Damages

Minor Chips

Whether a chip can be repaired or not depends on the chip’s size, location, and, most importantly, its severity. If the chip damage is restricted to the outer layer of the windshield glass, the damage can easily be fixed by a repair. Minor chips on your windshield that are about 40mm or smaller in size can be easily repaired by expert hands.

Here are some different types of chips that can damage the windshield in the car –

Star Break

It is shaped like a star, this type of chip damage has cracks of various lengths protruding from the point of contact. These chips, when left unattended, can spread and weaken the windshield; hence you should get it repaired immediately.

Half-Moon

The half-moon chip is a half-circle in the middle. Windshield repair technicians can quickly fix them.

Clover Leaf

This damage features a separation of the under-layer of the glass. This chip can also be prepared, provided you attend to it on time.

Bull’s Eye

This is the most common type of windshield chip. It is small and appears with a circular break and a pit in the centre. Under proper guidance, these can easily be fixed without much hassle.

Bee’s Wing

Like the star break, the bee’s wing chip can also be fixed by a well-trained technician.

Combination Break

This damage features a combination of different chips, as we mentioned above. The combination break is also repairable.

One thing that should be kept in mind while getting minor chips fixed is that you can only repair two chips at most. Anything more than that warrants a windshield glass replacement. You can fix the chips quickly, but they can worsen if left unattended, wherein replacing the windshield becomes the only viable option.

Irreparable Chips

Repairing all types of chips on your windshield in the car is not feasible. If the chip damage exceeds 40mm in diameter, you will need a windshield replacement. Moreover, if the damage penetrates both the layer of your windshield glass, a repair won’t suffice. A chip repair is also not an apt solution if the damage is in the driver’s line of sight. In these circumstances, it is best to opt for a windshield replacement.

Cracks

If the crack ends or begins at the edge of the windshield, a windshield crack repair is not feasible as it will significantly affect the structural integrity of your vehicle. No matter how small, Cracks can compromise the structural integrity of your car. Hence, instead of windshield crack repair, always opt for a replacement.

Causes of Car Glass Damage

Extremes of Temperature

Glass car windshields are sturdy, but they are still glass, which is why they don't deal with pressure very well—windshield glass contracts when it is exposed to cold air and expands when exposed to heat. Leaving your car under direct sunlight on a sweltering hot summer day and then blasting the air-conditioner inside can cause damage to the car's windshield. This is why you should always try to park your car in the shade. Also, let the hot air escape the car first and then lower the car's internal temperature.

Not only in summer, but you should also pay attention to your windshield during winter. If you have left your car outside in the frigid cold for days, then you are robbing your car of much-needed heat. Extreme cold weather is one of the primary reasons to damage your car windshield and make it more likely to crack. When you get inside your car during winters, you should also refrain from blasting your car heater. The sudden change in the temperature causes pressure on the windshield glass.

Ice can also be incredibly damaging to a car windshield glass, along with cold weather. If not done correctly, ice removal can also gradually damage your windshield. Using a scraper to scrape off the ice can harm the surface of the glass. Make sure not to use boiling water to defrost your windshield. It is better to use a defroster during winter to allow your car windshield to warm up gradually.

If there is already a chip or small crack in your windshield, exposure to extreme temperatures or rapid temperature changes can cause more severe damages and even shattering. This is why it is always better to get your glass car windshield repaired by a professional as quickly as possible.

Stones, Dirt, and Debris

Windshield glass damage also occurs due to vehicles travelling in front of you or passing you on the road. Road debris, dirt or stones may be small, but their danger gets heightened when you combine the speed and force of the impacting material. Debris or rocks get caught in the tyre on roads and are propelled straight towards your glass car windshield. The impact of the flying stone causes damage as it is magnified by the speed at which you are travelling. These impacts can easily cause cracks or chips. Avoiding these flying stones and debris mostly depends on luck, but you can surely take extra care to maintain a safe distance from the vehicles in front of you. It would also help reduce your speed when being overtaken by a car or a truck.

Your Wiper Blades

It might come as a surprise, but your wiper blades also cause damage to your windshield. Like most objects, wiper blades tend to wear down over time. This causes them to expose their hard plastic. Even if your wiper blades are still effective and might look all right to you, if they’ve been hardened by age, they might be chipping away at your car windshield. This is why it is essential to swap your wiper blades at least every six months so that they don’t cause any damage to your glass car windshield.

Collisions

Collisions ranging from traffic accidents to the driver accidentally hitting an animal on the road can cause serious harm to your windshield. Even bird strikes cause damage. A flying cricket ball or a golf ball colliding with the glass car windshield can be weak and damaged. Collisions and accidents of different kinds can happen on the road, which is why the best way to safeguard your windshield is that you drive your car vigilantly while paying proper attention to your surroundings at all times. If your car windshield has been in a collision, it is best to get it checked by professionals who tell whether a repair can fix the glass or a replacement is needed.

Poor Installation or Repair Job

If your windshield is damaged, it is always better to opt for a professional solution. DIY solutions may sound appealing, but they mostly lead to more significant problems that are more time-consuming and money-consuming. Similarly, lousy workmanship is also a huge problem. A poorly-installed windshield glass can affect the car's structural integrity and could pop out at any time, especially in the face of an accident.

If a windshield repair is carried out incorrectly or poor-quality adhesives are applied, it is more likely to create further problems than fix the integrity of the glass. You're at risk of incurring fatal injuries. This is why it's a repair or replacement job; it is vital to get the job done by an experienced technician, especially someone who offers a decent warranty. Also, you may ensure that the windshield expert has used high-quality glass so that a glass car windshield can provide the protection it is designed for in case of an accident.

What Should You Do if Your Car Glass has been Damaged?

Below are some crucial repair tips that you should keep in mind if your car front glass has been damaged.

Tip#1 Assess the Severity of the Damage

If your car front glass has been damaged, the essential thing to do is check the damage’s extent. The damage’s severity, size, and location will determine whether a repair job will be sufficient to fix it or a replacement is needed. A simple repair job can quickly fix minor chips below 40mm in diameter. Moreover, if the damage is limited to the outer layer, a repair job can promptly correct it. When it comes to chips, a vital thing to remember is that minor chips, at the most two, can only be repaired; apart from that, all damages warrant a replacement; this includes cracks. If you find your car front glass littered with chips, getting it repaired is not feasible as a repair job can leave you with structurally weak glass, which can jeopardize your life. Getting the front glass replaced is your best choice in such a situation. Similarly, cracks, irrespective of their size, can compromise the structural integrity of the glass; therefore, you must opt for a replacement at the earliest.

Tip#2 Choose the Right Course of Action

Once you have evaluated the car front glass damage, the biggest dilemma is whether you should go for professional solutions or fix the damage yourself. DIY solutions might seem tempting, but in reality, they worsen the damage. This is why trained professionals should only handle car front glass matters. Unlike you, trained windshield experts have the expertise, experience, and skills needed to take your car front glass with precision. Trained professionals are equipped to deal with car front glass problems, and they can inform you of the best way to fix it. Furthermore, trained experts also have the correct tools and materials to repair your car front glass. Therefore, instead of making misinformed decisions by resorting to DIY solutions, you must seek professional solutions to restore your car front glass to its pristine state.

Tip#3 Hire the Right Professionals

The car front glass plays a vital role in keeping you and the rest of the occupants safe. This is why choosing a reputable windshield provider to tackle your auto glass problems becomes crucial. When looking for experts who can help you with your car front glass woes, turn to AIS Windshield Experts; our team of well-trained experts can assess the damage and tell you the best solution. Whether it’s a replacement or a repair job, our experts follow all international safety norms and are equipped with high-grade tools to provide you with the best solutions. We offer a one-year written warranty on our workmanship and the products used. If you want to know the car glass price for a replacement, request an online quote from us. To learn more, check out car glass repair and car glass replacement.

Why AIS Windshield Experts?

Are you looking for the perfect place to get your damaged glass car windshield repaired? Look no further than AIS Windshield Experts – India’s leading windshield repair and replacement company. We provide the best windshield repair and replacement services for your car. Our team of trained technicians can take care of all your windshield repair requirements and provide you with the best results. Our 90+ conveniently-located service centres in over 50+ cities and several mobile vans allow us to reach you whenever and wherever. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today!