subject: Preventing Rock Chip Damage On Your Windshield [print this page] It is wintertime and that means chips in the windshield are more dangerous than ever. During periods of extreme cold, windshields are subjected to high shock. The effects of thermal shock amplify the risk of cracking and breakage. Where do the glass break and how can you prevent it?
Why windshields crack there when cold?
Thermal shock is a sudden change of temperature in a relatively short time. The experiments conducted by independent laboratories show a sudden change in temperature above 30 C is enough to impact windshield degeneration into a crack. In winter, when it is -10 C outside and the heating system blows air at about 60 C at the windshield, the conditions of heat shock are met for an impact generates a crack.
Aggravating factors that elevate the risk of broken glass
The scraper- scraping can incidentally impact existing local and additional shock, which can cause a crack.
Thermal shock- By pouring hot water on the windshield, it creates a large temperature difference between the two sides of the windshield. The outer surface expands unlike the inside, which can cause a crack, even without prior impact!
How to prevent cracks?
-Avoid maximum temperature differences during defrost
-Start the car a few minutes before leaving, positioning the heating mode on "cold" first to defrost and then slowly changing over to minimize thermal shock conditions (heating very hot and may cause a sudden change of 60 C between inside and outside of the vehicle);
-It is a priority to avoid pouring hot or boiling water on the windshield
-Scrape the windshield carefully to minimize additional constraints on the windshield
Preserving the windshield on a cold night:
-Arranging your car in a way to avoid exposing the vehicle to very cold temperatures is the first step. Using
-Preserving the windshield with a tarp or cardboard is a smart move as well. Using a windshield cover at night will eliminate the need for this.
-Drive at a moderate pace and leaving a sufficient distance to the car in front of you reduces the risk of cracks on the windshield.
How to repair cracks in the windshield on your own:
1.Drill a hole into the rock chip.
2.Apply vacuum pressure and then inject resin into the chip. These resins are uses to repair chips and are compatible with glass.
3.Once the resin has been injected, take a UV light and run over it for a few minutes to ensure it will mask the same as the windshield.
4.Now scrape any leftover resin and clean the windshield off.
5.If you happen to be driving down the road and get a crack, at soon as you have a chance, cover up the rock chip with some tape until you have time to fix it.
