3 Ways To Tell If Your Windshield Requires A Repair Or A Replacement

Even a minor chip on a windshield can be harmful, as chips and cracks tend to stretch and spread during the cold winter months.


However, not all kinds of windshield damage require you to replace your windshield. Replacing a windshield costs a lot of money, so it’s important to make smart choices.

We’re here to help you do just that:

Understanding How Your Windshield Can Be Damaged

Windshield damage is usually in two forms—chips and cracks. Chips are impacts that are made by debris or small rocks.

This point of impact can be in the shape of a star break (small cracks facing away from the center of the impact), bulls-eye (circular in shape), partial bulls-eye (half-moon in shape) or crack chips (cracks that are smaller than an inch).

Cracks, on the other hand, create a very visible line that can range from an inch to the width of your entire windshield. They are generally in a straight or a diagonal line.

The following are some questions you can ask yourself if you’re confused about whether you need your windshield to be replaced or repaired:

Can Your Windshield Be Repaired?

Whether your windshield can be replaced or not depends on the size, depth, and location of the damage.

What’s the size of windshield damage?

As a rule of the thumb, chips are smaller than a quarter and cracks of up to three inches can be easily repaired. The upper limit of a repairable chip is 14 inches. But keep in mind that the size limit of repairable chips may vary depending on the location of the windshield damage and the repair shop’s capability to repair the damage.


What’s the depth of the windshield damage?

In contrast to the size of the damage, the depth of windshield damage means how deep the chip or a crack is into the glass. Your windshield is comprised of three layers of glass—an upper layer, an inside layer of glass, and a plastic interlayer that separates the two glass layers.

If the damage is through the outer layer and into the inner layer of the glass, it is too deep of a crack to warrant a windshield repair.

Where’s the damage?

The location of the damage is a huge contributing factor in determining whether a windshield needs to be replaced or repaired. If the damage has extended to the outer edge of the windshield, you will need to get it replaced.

Moreover, repairs tend to cause some distortions. Hence, they should never be performed in the driver’s line of sight.

The experts at Auto Glass San Antonio recommend getting your windshield repaired and/or replaced as soon as possible. Get in touch with Auto Glass San Antonio to know more about their 24/7 windshield replacement and repair services in San Antonio! 

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