4 Reasons Not to Put Off Chipped Windshield Repair
While the need to fix cracked windshields is obvious, having a small chip in your windshield while driving in Tucson, Arizona, might not seem like a big deal. If this damage isn’t actively distracting you, spending time and money on chipped windshield repair might even feel like a waste. What you might not know is that ignoring a chipped windshield can put you in real danger—no matter how careful you are on the road.
If you want to protect your windshield and avoid unforeseen consequences, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn all about the importance of timely windshield chip repair from the pros at Max Auto Glass.
1. Your Windshield Damage Could Get Worse
Admittedly, windshield chips can seem relatively minor when they first appear, but the problem is that they don’t always stay that way. In fact, there’s a strong chance that your “insignificant” windshield damage could get very significant, very fast.
All kinds of factors can cause your windshield chip to turn into a full-blown crack, and most of these are beyond any driver’s control. These factors include, but aren’t limited to:
- Vibrations on the road. Is your chip near the outer edge of your windshield? If so, vibrations in your frame could easily contribute to reduced windshield integrity. That includes vibrations from everyday driving.
- Force from sudden impacts. Running into something on the road (even potholes) can cause problems for your vehicle at the best of times. If you have windshield chip damage, even a minor jolt could be enough to start forming a crack in your glass.
- Roadside debris. Foreign objects like rocks can create chips when they hit your windshield, so it’s easy to see how they could worsen existing chips.
- Temperature changes. Your auto glass naturally contracts and expands as temperatures change throughout the day, and that process could be enough to exacerbate your vehicle’s chip damage.
2. Windshield Chips Can Make Driving Difficult
You should still take care of chips on the passenger side of your windshield ASAP, but it shouldn’t get in the way of your vision while driving. However, the same doesn’t hold true for chips on the driver’s side. If they’re big enough, these chips can make it considerably harder to see the road in front of you—and could even be enough to get you pulled over.
3. Damaged Windshields Make Accidents More Severe
If you’re driving a car with windshield damage, you can expect most accidents to be worse than they normally would—even if the damage in question doesn’t seem like a big deal. After all, merely driving over a pothole can cause a windshield crack if you already have chip damage. Since that’s the case, you can expect hitting another vehicle to have an even greater effect on your car’s glass.
On top of that, having a compromised windshield can create additional problems during a collision. Your windshield is responsible for protecting you from frontal ejection in the event of a crash, and it won’t be able to do this job as effectively if it’s been damaged. Furthermore, a damaged windshield can even get in the way of airbag deployment—one of any vehicle’s most vital safety features.
4. You Could Encounter Legal Issues
Since windshield chips can quickly get worse than you’d expect, it’s best to respond to this issue before you get pulled over. And while Arizona requires drivers to have adequate windshields, it has no specific laws against driving with small-scale windshield damage like chips. Still, you’ll need to comply with federal regulations. That means your windshield cannot have the following:
- Multiple connected cracks or damage zones
- Damage or discoloration in the center
- Damage zones three inches or less from another damaged area
- Cracks or chips longer than three-quarters of an inch
Will Windshield Chip Repair Be Enough?
If you’re only dealing with a simple windshield chip (and haven’t waited long enough for this to get worse), there’s an excellent chance that you’ll be able to get this damage repaired. Of course, this isn’t always the case. If your windshield chip is especially large, you might need a total windshield replacement.
The Max Auto Glass crew can easily determine whether you need a quick windshield repair or a total windshield replacement. If you’d like to get a sense of which service you’ll need ahead of time, ask yourself these questions:
- How much of the windshield is damaged? If you have a quarter, you have all the equipment you need to check your windshield damage area. If your windshield chip is smaller than the quarter, it can probably be repaired (assuming there aren’t any other issues).
- Where is the windshield chip? If you’re hoping to get a windshield repair, having a chip near the edge of your windshield is a red flag. These chips can negatively affect your windshield’s overall integrity. On the other hand, chips near the center of your windshield that aren’t directly in your line of vision are good candidates for repair.
- Does the damage go below the windshield’s surface? Your vehicle’s windshield almost certainly contains multiple glass layers. If a chip only goes through one of these layers, it should be easy to fix. But repairing chip damage that goes through more than one layer could be more trouble than it’s worth.
Tucson’s Choice for Chipped Windshield Repair
If you’re a safety-conscious driver in Tucson, you know that windshield chip damage isn’t something you can avoid for long. Still, you shouldn’t choose just any auto glass shop to handle your windshield repair or replacement job.
Max Auto Glass is Tucson’s most reliable auto glass company, and we’d be happy to fix or replace your chipped windshield. We take pride in only employing mechanics with Auto Glass Safety Council™ and Dow certification, and we can meet you where you are, thanks to our complimentary mobile service.
Have you just noticed chip damage on your windshield, or have you been putting a repair off for months now? Either way, take the first step toward getting this fixed by contacting us or requesting a quote for chipped windshield repair today!
