After more than 40 years in the automotive glass business the following questions about chip repairs are asked most often:

Q. I have a star crack on my windshield, do I have to replace my glass?

A. At all nine Ace Auto Glass locations,  we follow the most widely used National Standards for windshield repairs.  According to these standards, “Using the edges of the steering wheel and within the wiper sweep is considered the critical area of the glass. Repairs are not recommended to be performed in this area.” Cracks outside of this area may be good candidates for a repair.

Q. How large can the crack be? When is a crack or chip too big to repair?

A. It is not recommended to do a repair on a crack over the size of a quarter coin or over 6” long.

Q. Will the cost of the repair be “Free” from my insurance company?

A. Depending on your coverage and deductible, your repair could be “Free”.  Many insurance companies will waive your deductible if you choose to repair versus replace your glass, check with your insurance provider to be sure.

Q. Will the crack go away completely? Will I be able to see where the crack was after the repair?

A. No, the process of injecting resin into a crack  helps hold the crack from spreading.  When and if the crack spreads after the repair, most likely glass will need to be replaced. The finished result will help fill much of the crack and will make it much less visible,  but there will still be a small trace of the original crack.

Q. Will the resin change color?

A. Today’s resins are very good at retaining its original color so the chances of this happening is very low.

Q. I had a crack in my glass for over a year; will it eventually “run” and become a longer crack?

A. Many times smaller cracks have less chance of running or getting longer,  but there are many situations when a customer has told us, “I had this crack in my glass for x amount of years but only now it ran”.  There are also many instances where a customer says that they just got the crack in their glass last week and the crack had already run.

It is always better to get the crack repaired as soon as possible to avoid replacement of the glass. There is also the chance of contamination of the center lamination sheet (plastic interlayer between the glass) that can turn yellow and make the final repair more visible.

Ace Auto Glass Guarantee:

If a customer is ever unsatisfied with a repair, Ace Auto Glass will credit the amount paid by the payee to a replacement windshield. This is provided that there are no new cracks or damages to the windshield.