Auto Glass Repairs – All You Need To Know

Posted on May 9, 2023

Automotive glass is an integral structural element of your vehicle that is important to maintain the structural integrity of your vehicle. It is not only meant to provide you with a clear, unobstructed view of your surroundings and the road ahead but ensures your safety.

If your car’s rear screen or windshield is cracked, chipped, or damaged, you must go for windshield repair in San Diego on the same day.

Delaying windshield repair or replacement not only endangers you but is also against traffic laws as it puts pedestrians, vehicles, and the general public at risk.

Why Do You Need To Get Windshield or Car Glass Repaired Immediately?

There are many reasons why you need to get your windshield repaired immediately, including –

Worsening Damage

A damaged, cracked, or chipped windshield tends to worsen with time as the vehicle rides on a bumpy or uneven road. Moreover, if a damaged windshield is slightly rattled or suffers from a minor impact, a small chip can become an irreparable crack.

Cracked or chipped car glass is also vulnerable to further damage due to harsh weather conditions, thunder or hail storms, temperature fluctuations, and even loud music.

These situations can worsen the damage’s extent on the windshield or car glass, necessitating immediate windshield repair in San Diego.

Decreased Visibility

It’s no secret that clear visibility is important to a safe and smooth driving experience. A damaged, cracked, or chipped windshield can hamper the driver’s line of vision, creating an alarming safety hazard.

Reduced Safety

A cracked or damaged auto glass is one of the biggest safety hazards to drivers and passengers in cars. The car glasses, including the windshield, are a part of the car’s safety restraint system.

In case of an accident, the car’s windshield is meant to ensure the passenger and the driver remains within the car. The function of the airbag is also partially dependent on the structural integrity of the car’s windshield.

So, a damaged windshield means compromised safety for the driver and the passengers.

Reduced Market Value

Selling your car can be challenging with a damaged auto glass or windshield. No buyer would want to put their money on a damaged vehicle.

If your car’s windshield is partially damaged, rest assured of getting a far lower price than the market average.

Going for windshield repair in San Diego or replacement is essential to safeguard yourself and your vehicle from further damage. Don’t neglect a cracked windshield or rear glass; get it repaired or replaced immediately.

Types of Windshield & Auto Glass Damages

Windshields and auto glass can sustain a variety of damages depending on the impact. It includes –

Chips

These are typically minor damages caused to the windshield or auto glass by debris, stones, rocks, and other smaller objects hitting the windshield or auto glass.

Even though chips are repairable, it needs to be immediately treated for the damage to be controlled. If not repaired immediately, the chip can become a major irreparable crack.

Cracks

Cracks are more intense than chips and lower the windshield’s or windows’ structural integrity to dangerous levels. Cracks can occur for several reasons, including changes in pressure, temperature, stress, and even collision or impact.

Whether the cracks can be repaired or windshield replacement is the only option, depending on the severity and location of the crack.

Scratches

Scratches do not necessarily classify as severe damages but can impair the driver’s visibility and are unsightly.

Scratches don’t impact the structural integrity of the windshield or auto glass. However, to improve the aesthetics of auto glass, you should get the windshield polished or fill it with special transparent resin.

Auto Glass & Windshield Repair Methods

Several ways are applied for windshield repair in San Diego, and it primarily depends on the type or severity of the damage.

Some of the common methods used for windshield repair are –

Windshield Repair

In this method, a special resin is injected into the cracks or chips and treated with UV light. This method is only useful for small cracks or chips, usually around 6 inches long, and must be outside the driver’s line of sight.

Windshield Replacement

The windshield repair in San Diego is not an option, and windshield replacement is necessary if the damage is in the driver’s line of sight or too severe. As the name suggests, windshield replacement involves removing the damaged windshield and installing a new one.

Scratch Repair

In this method, the cracked or chipped portion of the windshield is thoroughly polished or filled with a special resin to renew the glass’s look. The special resin used is ideally the same color as the auto glass to retain the original look of the glass.

Side & Rear Window Replacement

If the side or rear auto glasses are damaged, the ideal solution is auto glass replacement. This involves safely removing the auto glass while ensuring no broken glass pieces are scattered inside.

Once the damaged auto glass and windows are removed, the new one is installed.

Auto Glass & Windshield Repair San Diego Cost

The cost of the windshield or auto glass repair depends on several variables, including –

Type of damage
The extent of damage
Make and model of your car
Type of auto glass used
Whether you go for an on-site appointment or book a mobile service.

To give you a better idea, here are the average cost of –

Windshield Repair San Diego – $50 to $200
Windshield Replacement – $200 to $500
Side & Rear Window Replacement – $200 to $500
Scratch Repair – $50 to $150

If you own a luxury vehicle, prepare to pay more for windshield repair in San Diego.

Before you go for windshield repair or replacement, always check if your auto insurance provides coverage for the same or not.

Many comprehensive auto insurance policies pay for auto glass repair and replacement, and it’s always better to check it out before paying out of your pocket.

Tips To Choose The Best Windshield Repair & Replacement Company in San Diego

As much as it may seem otherwise, windshield and auto glass damage is a common issue faced by car owners once in a while.

Even a small pebble or object at high velocity can crack or chip a windshield or side or rear glass. In other words, windshield damage can happen anytime, anywhere!

If your windshield or auto glass is damaged, hiring a professional windshield repair San Diego Company is essential to repair or replace the windshield at the earliest.

It is an important structural element of your car that protects the driver and the passengers from accident injuries and other environmental elements.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right experts for windshield repair in San Diego –

Reputation & Certifications

Make sure the company you choose is reputed, certified, and well-trained. If the windshield is not properly installed, the car’s roof can be bent and cave in easily during a rollover accident, causing severe injuries to the driver and passengers.

Whether windshield repair or replacement, a minimum of two trained technicians are required. So, always enquire about the number of technicians assigned to your task.

If the service provider doesn’t offer a clear response or hesitates to answer about certification, qualifications, experience, and number of technicians assigned to the task, it’s best to choose another company.

Quality Products Only

Always choose a company that’s reputed and known for using only high-quality products. Windshield and auto glass is your first line of defence against external elements in a car.

Choosing a company that only uses high-quality products ensures the work done is long-lasting and high-quality.

Everything used in windshield repair or replacement should be of the highest industry standards, from the quality of the windshield or auto glass to the type of adhesive.

Convenience

Most people ignore the task of getting their windshield repaired or replaced until a minor chip becomes a huge crack.

It is mostly due to a lack of time or if the workshop is far away. Look out for a reputed auto glass company that offers mobile windshield repair in San Diego.

It is a convenient option where the technicians travel to your home or office’s parking lot and get the windshield repaired or replaced within an hour. It is an ideal solution for emergency windshield repair in San Diego.

Repair First!

Hire an auto glass company that follows the repair-first policy. Refrain from letting low-tier windshield repair companies trick you into replacing the windshield when it can be easily repaired.

Many auto glass companies usually do it as auto glass replacement is more expensive than auto glass repair.

A certified and reputed auto glass and windshield repair San Diego Company will always repair the auto glass, if possible, before considering going for windshield replacement.

An expert auto glass company only goes for windshield replacement when repairing it can impact the vehicle’s structural integrity.

Things To Do To Ensure Windshield Replacement Lasts Long

If you’re getting the windshield replaced, you must follow certain post-replacement care tips for enhanced durability and long-lasting results.

Things you do or do not do around 24-72 hours post-replacement mandate how long the new auto glass will behave, adhere, and last.

Here are a few tips –

Once the new auto glass is installed, wait at least one hour before driving your vehicle. Let the seal and adhesive cure.
Don’t stress the new glass by letting things rest on the glass, using high-pressure car washes, driving at high speed with all the windows rolled up, driving rashly or on bumpy roads, exposing your vehicle to extreme temperatures, and listening to loud music inside the car.
Shut the doors very carefully post-replacement of auto glass.
Let the retention tape around the new glass stay, and don’t take it off. It prevents dirt and debris from impacting the process of adhesive and mold curing.

How Long Can You Drive With A Chipped or Cracked Windshield?

There’s no ONE answer to this question, as it depends on the severity of the damage. Depending on the damage’s size or severity, you can go for days, weeks, or even months before getting the auto glass replaced or repaired.

However, even though it may be safe to drive with windshield or auto glass that has minor flaws, the longer you wait, the bigger the damage can get. A minor chip that could’ve been easily repaired by polishing can become a huge crack that needs windshield replacement.

Moreover, even if the chip or crack may look small, it’s important to remember that it has weakened the structural integrity of the auto glass or windshield. This means even a minor impact can shatter the entire windshield, exposing the driver and the passengers to accidents.

Hire Windshield Repair San Diego Experts You Can Trust

The damaged, cracked, and chipped windshield is a major problem you must rectify immediately.

Don’t get complacent about a damaged windshield even if you can drive with it because it is a trickling time bomb that can cause serious damage to not only the vehicle but the driver and the passengers.

If you’re looking for affordable, experienced, and top-quality windshield repair or replacement services, trust Windshield Repair San Diego to get it done timely and efficiently. We can also help you with the insurance claim process if needed.