When purchasing a vehicle, we frequently rave about it and fail to consider or even estimate the potential costs of future repairs and maintenance of cracks. However, auto glass repair or replacement is one of the major burdens that car owners must endure once or more than once in their lives.
Your vehicle must be in the best condition, it has the finest interior and bright color to catch eyes, yet one crack or chip on the windshield can ruin the look and cause even more damage than can be predicted.
According to premier auto glass, there is a greater chance that you can experience problems with better visibility while driving if the windshield of your car is broken or chipped. Additionally, this may result in collisions that harm the car’s occupants, including the driver.
Ignoring the chips and cracks on the windshield can never be a good option. Instead, it is better to react quickly and consult an auto glass repair company to get your windshield fixed.
In this article, we will brief you on what a cracked and chipped windshield is. Also, we will discuss some of the things that best explain what to do in such situations.
Types of Damages you should look for in your windshield
There are two types of damage that you can look for in your windshield:
Chip
There are several reasons why chips can appear on your windshield, but one common cause is being struck by a small rock or piece of debris. This is sufficient to crack your windshield’s top layer.
Typically, windshields consist of a layer of glass separated by plastic, which increases the likelihood that the windshield would break. Glass breaks into fragments when a pebble strikes your windshield while driving, which is when your windshield has been chipped.
Types of chips
There are different types of chips that can appear on your windshield:
- Pit: When your windshield is hit by a rock and a small piece of glass goes missing, that open or unfilled area is known as a pit.
- Bullseyes: If your windshield has a bigger hole and that hole reflects a dark color, this chip is known as the bullseye.
- Halfmoon: Similar to the bullseye, the Halfmoon chip is when a chip appears on one side of the glass in a circular shape.
- Combination break: A chip on the windshield with cracks around it is known as a combination break chip.
Crack
People simply misunderstand that only laminated glass may crack; however, this is untrue. Tempered glass has a chance of cracking, and many people are unaware that while chips might occur due to being struck by rocks or dirt particles, cracks can also develop on your windshield without being struck by anything.
Reasons behind causing cracks
According to premier auto glass, there are several reasons for cracks to appear on your windshield:
- Temperature: Change in temperature can cause cracks on windshields, which can be simply explained by someone who has washed his car with cold water on a hot sunny day. This temperature reason can cause the windshield to have cracks.
- Pressure: A sudden, instant, or high pressure can mainly be a reason for crack appearance. For example, a high wind while driving on the road can cause cracks.
- Defects: If your auto glass is not in the best condition from the start, it can cause cracks. For example, you go to a service center to get a new windshield installed, but you notice that the windshield has defects. These defects can cause cracks, no matter if they are minor or large.
Types of cracks
There are several types of cracks that can appear on your vehicle’s windshield:
- Edge crack: Edge cracks are those that appear on the edges of the windshield. For example, 2 inches closer.
- Stress crack: Stress crack usually appears due to changes in temperature.
- Crack chip: Crack chip refers to a crack that has widened by a quarter.
- Long crack: A crack that is 6 inches long; it is called a long crack.
- Star crack: A star-shaped crack that comes out of a chip.
- Floater: A crack that is in the middle of your windscreen.
- Scratches: The common practice of people not replacing their car’s wiper might contribute to scratches. As the wipers age and their rubber wear down, the metal backing is in contact with the windshield, causing scratches. Make sure you check your wiper blades because if not, these wipers could also be the cause if you want to prevent auto glass repair and want your windshield to be in the greatest shape.
Conclusion
A vehicle’s windshield is a crucial component. Not only does it safeguard the car but also the occupants. It is best to have your car’s windshield replaced as soon as possible if it is cracked or chipped.
