How do you repair little windshield cracks??

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kpatter

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I have a star crack about the size of a dime on my front windshield. I assume I need to repair it or it will grow. I called Geico yesterday and inquired about fixing it. They told me not to file a claim against it and to use Safelight and they can repair the crack, just mention I am a geico customer. Not sure what the cost is to do this.

I saw one of those windshield crack repair kits at autozone... Do those work?? Any hints on using them?? I bought one of those kits a few years ago to repair a crack on my previous vehicle and I remember thinking that it was a little difficult and not sure if I really did it right.

Anyone have any experience/thoughts?
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If the chip/crack is large, I would get it professionally done and even then, it may continue to grow. The do it yourself kits are good for the smaller imperfections.
 
According to their website, they waive the deductible for windshield crack repairs (not replacement)if you have comprehensive coverage. Essentially it is free for you. A professional will be able to do a better job than you.

https://www.geico.com/more/geico-community/your-policy/got-a-chip-in-your-windshield-no-sweat/ "“Our customers are delighted that we offer windshield repair service to them at no charge,” says John Little, an assistant vice president at GEICO. “

In Michigan, chip repairs are covered for free by most, if not all auto insurance companies.
 
Do you have glass insurance? I just went through and reworked my auto insurance, found out that only one of my vehicles had glass insurance. Oddly enough it's the only one that has needed glass work, for a starburst. i forget if i had to give my insurance card or what, but they came out while I was at work, five minutes of my time.
 
Better get it done quick before it spreads. I had a rock hit my windshield, when I called it in, their metric was whether it was smaller than the width of a dollar bill. At the time it was. But a couple of days later when I drove it over there, it had spread so that by the time they saw it, they couldn't fix it. Safelite needed to put in a new windshield and they did a horrible job, it creaked afterwards. It was the winter though, they claims it still cures in the winter, my suggestion is never get glass replaced when it's really cold out.
 
Some of those crack repair schemes are truly bogus. They claim it's a resin that fills the crack, but it's often just a thin oil that improves visibility. Does absolutely nothing for the strength of the windshield. WD-40 and transmission fluid has been used for years by used car resellers to hide windshield cracks.

Clear epoxy resin is used to fill chips. It's ugly and optically imperfect.

Your best bet is to install a quality replacement windshield if the flaw is in your vision.

On that note, many replacement windshields are absolute junk. OEM is likely the best choice.
 
My car is in the shop today getting a new windshield. My deductible is $500 (CAN) but the windshield is $300 ($210 US) so I just pay cash. That was always my strategy and it has paid off. Also, I use the parking lot windshield repair places that will do small star type hits for about $25. (less than $20 US). Fixing small cracks is worth it unless you plan to fix 12 of them.
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Originally Posted By: Cujet
Some of those crack repair schemes are truly bogus. They claim it's a resin that fills the crack, but it's often just a thin oil that improves visibility. Does absolutely nothing for the strength of the windshield. WD-40 and transmission fluid has been used for years by used car resellers to hide windshield cracks.

Clear epoxy resin is used to fill chips. It's ugly and optically imperfect.

Your best bet is to install a quality replacement windshield if the flaw is in your vision.

On that note, many replacement windshields are absolute junk. OEM is likely the best choice.


A new OEM windshield on the OP's dime v a free crack repair for an otherwise OK windshield that has a dime sized star crack? C'mon buddy!
 
What I have found out and Geico has confirmed is that ANY claim (whether your fault or not) will negatively affect your insurance premiums. I totalled a 7 Series BMW and it was not my fault.. It did affect my rates and that is the standard in Texas.

The Geico rep said it is the same principal on filing a windshield claim ( you dont want to) and to pursue Safelight etc..
 
I've had good luck with professional repairs. You can still see the blemish after the repair but it doesn't spread.

I've had bad luck with windshield replacements, the last one they came out a second time to reinstall, and it still wasn't right.

I generally try to go with the least evasive repair.
 
Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
If the chip/crack is large, I would get it professionally done and even then, it may continue to grow. The do it yourself kits are good for the smaller imperfections.


This! I had one on my Corolla windshield. Got it repaired. Then a year later I came out on a real hot day and a crack from the repair ran all the way across the whole window.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I've had good luck with professional repairs.


Same here. My 300ZX got a rock ding right after I got it. My dad had a friend who owned a small glass shop and they repaired it for me. This was almost 20 years ago and the repair is still perfect!
 
With any chip repair the quality of the job will depend on how much dirt has gotten into the chip. The sooner it’s fixed the better. Most places have little stick on circles you can apply right after the chip happens to limit the dirt and moisture from entering.

Insurance companies will promote the free chip repair because it saves them money on getting the whole windshield replaced when the chip cracks spread as they will.
 
go to a professional place to do it.
half of the procedure is the art and expertise to repair the chip for it to look good.

You do not necessarily need to go to safelite, call other shops and see if they will deal with geico.

the glass places should handle all the paperwork and you shouldn't need to pay. even out of pocket without insurance this is maybe a $40 service. so it's not the end of the world.
 
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Used this, can't say too much as it has only been 6 months or so. No different than a "pro" job.
 
I'm fine using the kits. The sooner the better. The best ones I've used have a suction cup apparatus that can pull a small vacuum in the local area and then release the glue into the wound, with the vacuum pulling it deeper in. There's also a fine art I've found of "massaging" the windshield from the inside to help distribute the glue. Too much pressure and the crack spreads, but the right amount will promote greater adhesive travel. Sometimes they come out really good! I've never had one perfect, but almost all have prevented the crack from spreading after that.
 
I've used DIY glass repair kits twice with good results. One I got on ebay for 7 or 8 bucks and the other was a JB Weld kit from NAPA for about $15. Both the kits were identical and the chip held up well.
 
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