Identifying Your Options

Repair or Replacement?

Types of Chips• Bull’s eye is the

most common • Combination is the

hardest to repair• Type of chip

determines the method of repair

Repairable Chips• A bull’s eye crack can

be fixed if the diameter is no wider than one inch

• A combination chip is repairable if no wider than two inches

• A repairable star chip cannot exceed three inches

Chips to Cracks• Precipitation can

cause water to enter the chip and expand it

• Winter’s cold cycles can exacerbate this process

• Even a few weeks can turn a simple chip into an irreparable crack

Types of Cracks• Short crack

– No longer than six inches

• Long crack– Over six inches

• Edge crack (displayed)– Extends to the edge of

windshield• Stress crack

– More than one edge intersection

Repairable Cracks

• Short cracks are repairable, simple, and cheap

• Most long cracks are still repairable– though more

expensive and require more time

• Edge cracks and those over 12 inches aren’t repairable

Identifying Cracks• Place a dollar bill on

the crack• If the entire crack can

be obscured corner to corner, then it’s a short crack

• Edge cracks, no matter the size, cannot be repaired

Safety• Chips and cracks

which obstruct the driver’s view are illegal and dangerous

• Edge cracks risk the structural integrity of the entire windshield

• Repair or replace both immediately

Repair• Usually possible if

you can catch the issue early

• Always the cheaper option

• Sometimes repair is never an option, depending upon incident

Replacement• Usually much more

expensive• Insurance will

sometimes cover part or all of cost– Depending on

scenario• Can usually be

avoided through prompt response

Options Depend on You• Likelihood of cracks and chips depend

mainly upon:– Safe and aware driving–Weather– Road conditions

• The incidents cannot always be avoided

• Without procrastination, high costs usually can be avoided