National Motorists Association Blog

When you notice a small crack or chip in your windshield, what should you do? Many drivers would likely just check if they can still see the road clearly over or through that crack or chip, and if they can, they’ll just drive as if there’s nothing wrong.

The fact that there is a blemish in your windshield should tell you that there is something wrong. When you forego auto glass repair and continue to drive around despite the crack in your windshield, you are already putting yourself at risk of getting into an accident.

When your windshield or a car window has a crack, don’t ignore it. No matter how tiny you think it is now, it will grow bigger over time. Don’t wait for that problem to present itself. Go for auto glass repair right away, and enjoy these five benefits:

It Will Save You Money
The most common reason why many drivers simply ignore tiny cracks on their windshield or car windows is that they don’t want to spend money on something they regard as a minor problem.

A small crack may be a minor issue now, but as mentioned above, it will eventually become a much bigger one. The damage to your auto glass will become worse, right to the point where you’ll be forced to replace the entire thing. Auto glass replacement is so much more expensive than a minor repair job, so don’t delay auto glass repair to save money.

It’s A Much Faster Process
Auto glass repair of a tiny chip or crack is going to take much less than time than having the entire windshield or window replaced. That makes your car much more readily available for you to use to go to work or school.

It Preserves the Integrity of Your Windshield or Window for Longer
When you get a cracked or chipped windshield repaired right away, you’re not just fixing the problem. You’re also helping strengthen the affected area and prevent the crack or chip from spreading.

Auto glass repair professionals often use windshield resin to fix small cracks. They inject the resin into the crack or chip, then heat up the spot to harden the resin, which will then expand slightly and fill in the problem gaps. When you get small cracks repaired immediately, the integrity of your windshield will last for a much longer time.

It’s An Environmentally-Friendly Thing to Do
When you have your auto glass repaired, you are doing the environment a favor. A windshield or car window repaired the soonest possible time means you won’t have to replace it anytime soon. That, in turn, means you won’t be removing the entire windshield or window made of non-recyclable glass and dumping it into a dumpster, where it will eventually find its way into a landfill.

It Keeps You and Your Passengers Safe
Some drivers just try to see through or over a crack or chip. Doing this is very dangerous, because it’s entirely possible for a driver to mistake that crack or chip for an oncoming vehicle, try to swerve to “avoid” it, then end up hitting an actual car or other road user on the road.

Ignoring a crack or chip will also weaken the glass over time. If and when you get involved in a vehicular accident for real, the integrity of the glass may become so compromised that it could break into sharp pieces that could severely hurt or kill you and your passengers.

If you’re considering repairing auto glass by yourself, don’t. Repairing auto glass takes a fair amount of skill, training, experience, and specialized tools. Just bring your car to an auto glass professional to ensure precise, dependable, and safe auto glass repair.

Adrian Bell is the Content Marketing Strategist for Reliable Glass, a local, family-owned and operated business that serves the Valley of the Sun with auto, home and commercial glass repair since 2001. On his spare time, he draws and plays a game of hoops with his friends. Reach out to him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Photo attribution: Paul L Dineen licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).