Windshield Repair Kit ????

I have what I believe is called a bulls eye chip in my windshield - it's a small round chip. I've been reading reviews and watching Youtube vids on it. RainX and Permatex are two of the brands. I'd really appreciate any input from members who have had successful experience with DIY repair to keep it from spreading. Thanks for any reply.

 

I used Permatex a couple months ago...

You can still see the small dot where the impact was but the legs/cracks or whatever you want to call them are gone. Seems to have done the trick. I think if it's under 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter it can be fixed. Just be patient and follow the instructions, takes 30-45 minutes from what I remember

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm happy to be able to ask someone with experience a question. The glass is between plastic and the chip is in the glass. Is there a drill bit in the kit ? The Youtube vid I watched showed a guy taking chips out of a chip but didn't show how he got to the glass. Thanks for your help.

 

Not sure I'm following you here. Glass is between plastic?

Anyway, no drill bit. The kit has a syringe, resin, and a few other small pieces. No drilling required at all. The syringe acts like a suction almost to get the resin into the cracks, or something of that nature.

 

My bad. Being a virgin I don't know anything. I just checked the windshield again and chip is in the glass on the outside. I've been reading and what I read was the plastic is in the middle with glass on the outside and inside if that makes sense. Thanks for your help. Is this what you used ?

$13 Permatex 09103 Automotive Windshield Repair Kit For Chipped And Cracked Windshields. Permanent Air-Tight Repairs, With Repair Syringe & Plunger, 9-piece Kit

http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-0910...r=1-1&keywords=permatex+windshield+repair+kit

 

Huh???

 

Yes it is a laminated glass. Glass/Plastic/Glass sandwich.

 

Windshield chip fixes are just for aesthetics. The windshield will crack eventually (no matter how nice it looks) when the window gets iced up and then defrosts a few times. Ask me how I know.

I'm sure someone from Florida or Ecuador will soon pipe in and tell everyone I'm wrong (because that's how the internet works).

 

I use to be an installer for a glass if the the chip doesn't have spider cracks in it it's a good chance it won't break. But you will be better off just getting a new window shouldn't be more then 250.

 

Do you live in an area where chips are a regular thing?

I had a similar chip in my windshield. Took over 7 years to finally crack. So IMO just leave it.

 

Hey, can someone from Texas still tell you you're wrong? LOL (Sorry, couldn't resist.). Doc may be right, in that cold climates may cause an eventual "re-cracking," but I think chip repair is a viable option in many cases. We've had it done on the last 5 vehicles we've owned. Rather than buying a kit and trying to repair it yourself, have it done professionally. It doesn't cost much if you decide to pay out of pocket (I think I paid $40 to repair my wife's car) and in most cases your insurance will cover the entire cost. You'll need to check with your insurance provider about details, but it may limit what they'll pay on repair/replacement later on if it's needed.

 

Well it depends on what you mean by eventually. Just for the arguments sake I had a windshield chip repaired back in 1986 and had that van for another 10 years with no issues or cracks... The windshield was iced up many times during those 10 years.

But then again I'm not from Florida or Ecuador.

Your turn....

 

I repaired a bullseye chip in the windshield of my S-10 pickup with one of those do it yourself kits about 15 years ago. I still have that truck and the windshield still hasn't cracked, and it can get pretty cold here in Kansas, pretty hot in summer as well.

 

I've had about a dozen chips and cracks over the years and I always take it into a professional glass repair place the next day if possible. There's been 2 occasions where I couldn't because they happened right before I had to go on a trip and left the vehicle parked at home. Once was for a week in the spring, the other was for a weekend over the winter. Both times they were very small chips with an almost invisible 1/8" crack coming out of them. By the time I got back from each trip they'd grown by a foot already so I just had to let them go and claim the entire windshield. None of the ones I've had repaired have ever spread. I think a new windshield costs north of $700 so I can handle $50 here and there to let a pro fix it the right way.

I did a lot of reading on DIY repairs after I got 2 chips in 2 weeks last year but I didn't feel confident that those products could hold up for the long haul so I just took it back in.

 

^^^This. The perfectly round chips might never crack, but if there are little cracks on the edge of the chip it will eventually go (granted, it might be a long, long time even in a place that gets cold and especially if you garage your vehicle). My last one cracked over two years after the initial chip. But the important thing to know is that any kind of repair (professional or DIY) will not not hold or glue glass together. If it's going to crack it's going to crack and any shop that says otherwise is being dishonest. However, it looks nicer to have it fixed and it's safer as there's no distraction, so it's worthwhile. Just don't think you did it wrong when it cracks. The OP mentioned that he wanted to "keep it from spreading." That won't happen.

 

Glass continues to crack overtime due to the glass expanding and shrinking as it heats up and cools back down. The sharp points of the crack acts as a weak point causing the glass to separate directly at the tip thus lengthening the crack. Fighter pilots in WW2 used to drill a hole at the end of each crack which took away the tip and therefore the weak spot. Not that you should try that.
If the kit can restrengthen the crack and fill it in completely then it shouldn't keep spreading. I've never used the stuff though so if I'm wrong don't hunt me down.

 

I used the permatex kit because my chip was spidering in a couple of directions. Now you just see the impact which is fine with me.

 

They do the same thing with sheet metal. I have also seen a glass repair do the same drill holes at the end of each spider crack and then fill it with the resin material.

Also the longer you wait between getting the damage and getting it repaired lessens the odds of it holding properly as contamination will get into the small cracks, which are impossible to clean.