subject: How to Repair Chips, Cracks and Scratches In Your Auto Glass [print this page] At some point in the history of you owning a car, you'll have to repair its glass. Either because you were passing a large truck that kicked up some rocks or just out of some act of sheer stupidity, it's something that's pretty common. When that moment of truth comes, do you really want to pay out of pocket for both materials and labor? This is something that's pretty simple if you know what you're doing. Just make sure that you have the right tools and knowledge and it'll take away the worry of expense. Although I can't help you with tools, I certainly can explain the right way to fix your auto's glass.
Before this simple procedure can be performed, you'll need to go get an auto glass repair kit. You can get them at any auto repair store or they're sold on Amazon for around ten bucks. You should have:
Some sort of applicator. (They come in a couple of different styles.)
A suction cup stabilizer.
Resin.
Adhesive.
Curing film.
Once you've got all of that, there are a couple of things that need to be done before we get going. Make sure you know the extent of the damage. You'll be applying pressure to certain areas of the glass and you don't want to make it worse than it already is. If you're just repairing a scratch, just mix equal parts glycerin, jewelers rouge and water; mix them thoroughly and apply it to the area. Once it dries, wash it off with soapy water. You don't really need to read this entire thing for a scratch. Unless you wanted to.
Chips, small cracks and even certain spider cracks can be easily repaired without a specialist. Cracks that have developed into longer cracks are almost never repairable and require replacement of the entire glass.
Once you've determined whether or not it's possible to repair the chip or crack yourself, thoroughly wash the area using soap and water. Any dirt or debris left in the crack will cause problems later when mending the area. Now that that's taken care of, we can start.
Apply adhesive to the cracked area and carefully position the suction cup stabilizer over it. Make sure that the stabilizer is firmly in place because you'll have to start over if it comes loose.
Once the stabilizer is secure, attach the applicator to it. If the applicator is like a syringe (most are), pull back on it to draw the air away from the crack. You will notice that this pulls the suction cup towards the crack. From there you can start to apply the resin to the crack. With the lack of air inside the cup, you can be sure that the resin is coating all the parts of the crack. Make sure to give the resin ample time to dry. It usually takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
Now that the resin is completely dry, you can gently peel away the stabilizer and the applicator. Put a small amount of resin over the area and put the curing film on top of it. Make sure that there are no air bubbles under the curing film. A credit card or license will help you smooth the film until it's free of bubbles. Allow this to dry as well.
After this has fully dried, gently remove the curing film. It should be fixed; however, you can repeat the process if there are any outstanding chips. Make sure that you remove all excess resin with soap and water.
There you go! You're a regular handy man extraordinaire! This is an extremely simple process that can reap great rewards for your wallet; but if you do need experience, don't hesitate to ask. It really doesn't cost that much just to have cracks repaired; and I'm sure that you'd rather just pay the cost of a repair instead of a full replacement. Bottom line: call a Portland auto service specialist if you think you need one.
How to Repair Chips, Cracks and Scratches In Your Auto Glass
