Well, it happened to me yesterday while coming home from work. I heard that irritating “snap” on my windshield and then there was a good half-inch crack on the lower left side. And there was no vehicle in front of me.

My question is: can it be repaired by a good auto glass shop before it grows, or do I join others forum members who had to get new windshields?

 

If it is a star crack that is to big (an inch or so) it can be repaired (filled). If the cracks are spreading or are right in your face (obstructing field of view) the winshield has to be replaced. Check with your insurance company, mine will fix cracks for free to save them the expense of having to replace the winshield later. Before I knew that I bought a crack repair kit from an auto parts store for $8 and fixed the crack myself. It lasted 3 years until I found a good deal on a new winshild at a junkyard, $150.

 

Thanks for the advice. It's been a week now and the crack, sort of a 1/2 inch star, has not grown. I'm off to the glass shop as soon as I can to see what they can do.

 

Check your insurance policy.. many new cars have full glass coverage written in for pretty cheap.

I have a chip in my windshield as well.. I didn't notice it for a few weeks.. as it is perfectly blocked by my rear view mirror.. keep forgetting to have it fixed.

 

Yup, ins. will fill it for free but there will still be a lil' knick where the rock chipped the windshield!

 

I went to a local glass shop yesterday and they said they could not fill in the crack because they would be liable if the resulting disortion caused an accident. They only do fill-ins on the passengar side or in other areas not in the driver's direct view. Here's another example of lawyers destroying our freedoms in a litigious society.

They suggested an outfit called Novus who may do it anyway, but there's no Novus shop near me. I may try a few more local shops.

 

I called my insurance company (USAA) on Friday and they sent out a glass specialist to my home on Saturday. He did the repair in around 20 minutes by drilling a small hole and filling in the crack with epoxy. Now all you see is a small dot that’s hardly noticeable. He charged me nothing, saying that USAA pays for his services. This is a great result, considering that I would have had to pay my comprehensive deductible ($300) toward a new windshield.