Why DIY Windscreen Chip Repair is Riskier Than You Think

When you first notice a chip on your windscreen, it can be tempting to take matters into your own hands and attempt a home repair – especially with the amount of DIY windscreen repair kits on the market today. However, what may seem like a cost-effective solution to a professional repair, may well leave you with further damage to your windscreen and a more substantial repair cost on the horizon. In this piece, we’ll highlight just some of the drawbacks and dangers associated with DIY windscreen chip repair and let you in on why opting for a professional service is always the more sensible option.

Lower Quality Tools and Materials:

Commercially available Windscreen Chip Repairs Kits are not even close to the quality of the tools utilised by professionals. DIY kits don’t contain the same professional-grade resin or even the appropriate tools to apply the product. If you’re on a budget, a DIY kit might sound tempting but keep in mind that you’ll get what you pay for. If you pay for a low-cost kit, you’ll end up with a low-quality repair. Ultimately, there’s a high probability you’ll end up right back where you started: with a windscreen in need of a professional’s attention.

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Lack of Expertise:

Repairing a windscreen requires a high level of precision and individual expertise to ensure it’s done correctly. DIY windscreen chip repair kits provide instructions, but without proper training and experience, it’s easy to make mistakes that can worsen the damage. One wrong move could result in a larger crack spreading across the glass, rendering it irreparable and necessitating a costly replacement.

Without the training and skills necessary to perform a quality windshield repair, you won’t know whether the work you’re performing will actually hold up. Common DIY auto glass repair mistakes include:

• Not cleaning the glass properly before applying resin
• Applying too much pressure to the glass during application
• Failing to apply the resin correctly to provide a proper seal
• Improper buffing of the resin after sealing or failing to buff the area at all

All of the above application mistakes can result in further glass damage, immediately or gradually over time.

Safety:

The absolute integrity of your windscreen is vital for the overall safety of your vehicle. If the worst happens, and you find yourself in a rollover accident, a properly fitted windshield provides essential structural support and helps prevent the roof from collapsing in on you and your passengers. By attempting DIY repairs with windscreen chip repair kits, you run the risk of compromising this safety feature. Autoglass® professional windscreen repair technicians have the knowledge, training and tools to perform windscreen repairs that meet industry safety standards.

Windscreen safety – what is it and why is it so important? >>

Insurance:

Many insurance policies cover windscreen repairs, often with little to no out-of-pocket cost for the policyholder. Any attempt at DIY windscreen repair could stand to compromise this guarantee from your insurance provider. Opting for a professional repair performed by an expert not only ensures the job is done properly but also significantly simplifies the claims process with your insurance provider.

Windscreen Chip Repair with Autoglass®:

Here at Autoglass®, we are proud of our ‘Repair First’ promise. Repair First is our commitment that our technicians will always try to repair a chipped windscreen before fully replacing it. Ultimately Repair First is a commitment made with your interests in mind, usually saving you both the time and money involved with a total replacement.

Following the repair, a minor blemish may still be visible in place of the chip, once the repair is carried out. That said, it is worth keeping in mind that a chip repair will totally restore the structural integrity of the windscreen, making the vehicle absolutely safe to drive once again.

So how do our experts go about repairing a chipped windscreen? It is a four part process:

Step 1: First, our expert technicians make sure that the chipped area is spotlessly clean so that the special resin used to repair the chip can be applied to the glass without any issue.

Step 2: Next, our technicians place a special device over the damaged area to create a perfect vacuum. Once all the air has been sucked out of the chipped area, our top of the range resin is applied. This process also ensure the resin permeates all micro cracks.

Step 3: Our expert technicians then use a specially designed UV Lamp to harden the resin. After 3 minutes of exposure to the UV light, the resin is rock hard.

Step 4: Once the resin has hardened, our team clean the windscreen of any excess resin and buff and polish the repaired area to make sure your windscreen remains perfectly smooth.

The Dangers of Driving With A Damaged Windscreen >>

Now that you have a better understanding of the risks associated with DIY chip repair along with a greater sense of why this work is better left to specialist technicians, we urge you to consider a professional service the next time you have a windscreen chip in need of attention.

Check back with the Autoglass® blog again soon for more explainers, guides and tips.

Safe driving!