Windscreen chip repair is of injecting resin into the damaged section of the windscreen called a chip.
Most insurance policies will cover windscreen chip repairs so it probably won’t cost you a penny. We will take care of the insurance paperwork too.
How to identify if your windscreen can be repaired?
If you are sitting in the driver’s seat of your car and you look straight at your windscreen, draw two lines up from your steering wheel. This area is known as Zone A and the repair size of a chip here is 10mm or the same size as a 5p coin. Zone A is in the direct line of vision of the driver and it can affect the drivers ability to see the road.
Windscreen repairs for scratches and cracks
If you have a scratch, chip or scratch on the passengers side then the repair can be up to 40mm, roughly the size of a £2 pound coin. This is because it does not impair the divers main line of sight. This can be seen in the diagram in Zone C.
On most modern vehicles you will see a black band that goes all the way around the windscreen. This is called the obscuration band and you are not able to fix any damage to this part of the windscreen.
- Zone A Damage up to 10mm
- Zone B Damage up to 15mm
- Zone C Damage up to 25mm
- Zone D Damage up to 40mm
Repairing a windscreen should take an auto glass technician about 20-30 minutes, restoring the full strength of the windshield. Having a chip repaired is a lot cheaper than having a full windscreen replacement and in most cases is covered on your insurance policy. If your insurance policy does not cover the cost then it will cost approximately £50+ VAT.
What is the process of repairing a windscreen?
When a technician arrives they will carry out a pre inspection of the vehicle to check the damage to your windscreen is within the repair guidelines (location and size of the chip).
If the technician is happy to perform the repair then they will start by placing a protective sheet on both the interior and exterior of the windscreen. This protects the vehicle paint work against the resin that is used to mend the chip.
When the protective sheets are in place the technician uses a small mirror to the inside of the windscreen so they can see the chip from the outside. A small suction cupped tripod is placed on the outside glass over the chip where the repair system is connected and held in place.
Windscreen resin
A small amount of resin is then injected into the suction cup and the chip will start to repair. When the technician is happy he will remove the suction cup and use a UV light over the windscreen which will cure the resin. To finish off the job the technician will polish the repaired areas and then clean the windshield both inside and outside.
Please note that a windscreen repair can only be performed on a chipped windscreen. If at any point the chip turns into a crack while performing the repair then the technician takes no responsibility and a windscreen replacement would be required at a cost to you or your insurer.
