When do I need to repair or replace the damage on my windscreen?
- As a rule of thumb, you may be able to repair the damage if it meets the following conditions:
- Tiny crack in a windscreen that needs replacement
- Even the tiniest cracks in your windscreen can spell danger
- The windscreen chip is smaller than a £2 coin
- If the windscreen chip it is at least 3cm away from the pane edge
- The windscreen chip is not in the driver’s line of sight. However, the chip/crack may be repaired in this instance if the diameter is smaller than 10mm.
- The diameter of the chip/crack measures from the longest edge to the other side.
- The windscreen glass will need a full replacement if the damage is located on the internal side of the windscreen or if it is obstructing the driver’s vision. It is important to consider that new chips or cracks in the windscreen glass can quickly compromise the overall strength of the windscreen as well of course as impairing the driver’s line of sight.
What is a windscreen repair?
If your windscreen damage is small enough to be repaired, our qualified specialist simply cleans the problem area and injects it with resin. This is cured so it bonds with the windscreen around it. When it’s polished, in many cases you’d never know it was there. The whole job should take around 30 minutes. The advantage is it’s significantly cheaper than having a whole new screen and resin is so good these days it should last the lifetime of the vehicle.
Check with your insurer
Rather than rushing for the phone to get your screen repaired, go through your car insurance. Many insurance policies include windscreen replacement. Sometimes there is no excess some occasions there is a small excess.
Frequently the windscreen excess is significantly smaller than the policy excess. And claiming for a windscreen repair or replacement shouldn’t affect your no claims bonus.