Auto Glass Repair or Replacement?

One of the first questions that comes up very often after a windshield damage is whether to repair it or replace it. Originally, damaged windshields had to be replaced. This practice was very expensive, so windshield repair became common. According to Scarborough auto glass google data, most insurance companies will give you the option of repairing a windshield for free, instead of replacing it (in which case you might have a deductible to pay). Commonly, if the windshield repair is smaller than 6″ long, it can be repaired (and that chips/dings fitting can be repaired). There are 2 companies, Ultra Bond and ETOK that have a product which can repair cracks up to 24″ long. Repairing is often desirable because it keeps the original factory windshield the same. Repairing also prevents the old windshield from being thrown out, saving more money in your pocket and environment friendly.

Repairing the windshield costs about $60 and up for the first chip, plus about $15 to $25 per additional chip. Auto glass cracks can be more expensive depending on the length, up to about $200 to $250. Windshield replacement is significantly more expensive with the average price being reported as $550. You must also consider that the price can be well over $1500.00 if branded windshield is used. Try to check for marking that has information about the piece of glass and who manufactured it. Since we couldn’t find any good reference out there, we started questioning Scarborough auto glass team of experts from auto glass changers. According to them majority of car windshields are required to have a DOT (Department of Transportation) code on them.Ontario Motor Vehicle Council (OMVIC) have a lot of cases in regards to the windshield and vehicle glass which I thought would be helpful for you to read.

When a windshield is replaced, 30 minutes’ drive away times are common. However, it can take 8-24 hours for the adhesive to fully dry. This means that in some types of collisions such as rollovers or head-on, the windshield could pop off, causing the roof to crush more easily, or airbags not to function properly as you are using the windshield for support. Cracks on the glass are also the results of chips which were left not repaired and grew into a larger problem. The google data reports about Whitby Auto Glass that auto glass standards require 100 percent windshield retention in frontal barrier crash tests, while DOT only requires 80 percent, and that some aftermarket parts do not match the tolerance, thickness, and shape of auto glass changers parts. Therefore, they can have a higher rate of leakage, wind noise, imperfect fit, solar performance and optical distortion which will be very costly for replacement. The question of repair vs replacement depends to the situation and condition of the damage. In my opinion is better to read more and ask frequent questions as the concept of vehicle manufacturing is changing every year. Majority of auto manufactures in USA use their own parts as the percentage is less with the European, Japanese and Korean auto industry. If you want to look up a part number for a recent model year car, you can do so from the corner side of the door with complete specifications. Read more of our blogs as next time I will write you some good hints in regards to preventing the problem before it happens.