The windshield is a much more important part of your automobile than you may realize. Of course, it’s fairly obvious that having an intact windshield helps drivers and passengers by keeping debris, bugs, and other undesirable things out of the car. However, it goes a lot deeper than that. The way your car handles and the gas mileage it gets is strongly tied up in the aerodynamics of the car. While we might not feel it on our skin, there’s a lot of air pressure, which increases greatly at speeds. The windshield in proper shape helps the car maneuver better and do better on fuel. Plus, there’s the issue of things impeding your vision being incredibly hazardous to you out there on the road.
The bottom line here is simple. When you need a windshield replacement, do not hesitate in any way to have it replaced. However, what about smaller levels of damage to a windshield? Sure, if it’s smashed in, people know to have it replaced. But what if we’re only dealing with chips in the windshield? Should one still get those repaired, or should one just ignore them and think of them as meaningless? Chips are actually quite dangerous things, and here are eight reasons why you should have your chips repaired by a qualified professional. Also, you can check professionals from superautoglasscalgary.ca.
8 Important Reasons to Repair Chips In Your Windshield
1: Chips Are Easy Repairs
Yes, chips are dangerous, however, the repairs are going to be far easier to deal with than with larger cracks or multiple chips. The professionals can make very quick work of these chips and have them patched like perfect in a matter of minutes. Best of all, you’re looking at far less of an expense when you come in to have chips filled in. Larger cracks and replacements take a lot more time and will end up costing you a significant amount more.
2: Chips Spread
Chips might look innocent enough. If they’re not in your field of vision, they’re things you might not even notice, like a dead pixel in the corner of your television set. So, for most people, this isn’t a large cause for concern. However, any damage to the integrity of your windshield is something that will certainly spread over time. It might be a day, or it might be a year, but this damage is going to multiply exponentially. Fixing chips now will stop that damage from spreading out across the windshield.
3: View Obstruction
Some chips are going to obstruct your view. A lot of people think that they can get used to this, a slight little dot in their vision. Though you should also understand that chips affect the way your windshields operate. This means rain could pool up here and not wipe off, or it could cause dirt and debris to settle where you can’t spray it off. These things are incredibly dangerous, as they can easily obstruct your vision and greatly affect your driving performance.
4: Windshield Integrity
Windshields are pretty strong, but that has a lot to do with their integrity when fully intact. Have you ever owned a glass (cup) that had a small crack, and the next thing you knew, it shattered? It’s the same principle here. While the glass is very strong and durable, it relies entirely on the full integrity of the intact glass to retain that strength. Chipping away at the windshield is chipping away at its structural integrity.
5: Possibly Illegal
Depending on where you live in the world and where these chips are located, it might even be illegal to drive around with those chips. More often than not, the police officers out there have bigger fish to fry. However, they do sit stalking around roadsides often enough, and they’re ready to pounce on the slightest infraction. Tail and brake light issues, seat belts, and even windshield chips and cracks; a vigilant officer will quickly pull you over for this infraction.
6: It’s a Quick Fix
We spoke above about how simple the fix was for chips, though we want to speak specifically about the time it will take you to get them fixed. If you’re going the DIY route for chips, this is something that’s not going to take you the full day, as a windshield replacement might. Now, while we do recommend using the pros, this is still one area where it’s also a quick fix for you if you need to repair those chips in a pinch.
7: Pros Know When to Replace
Speaking of replacing your windshield, this is a huge benefit of allowing the pros to handle all of your issues. Say that you take your car in to have those chips repaired, but the professionals notice that your glass integrity is pretty much shot and that any sort of force is going to cause it to shatter. This is not something you’re likely to catch by going the DIY route, so it’s yet another reason why having the professionals handle things certainly pays off.
8: Better Repairs
The pros also do better repairs than you can do with a DIY kit. Sure, you might follow the instructions and do the job right, and even have it looking great, but the pros in their shops have all the specialized tools and equipment to fix these chips so seamlessly that you cannot even tell that repairs have been made. Everything becomes a solid piece, one windshield. The danger with a DIY fix is that you might not perform the repair that well, and you could end up making things look worse (per your view) than just having the chips. Don’t be shy about going to see the pros. You will be glad you did.
Chipping the windshield is a pretty common thing that happens to many cars. In fact, about half the cars out there on the road whose windshields are chipped, the owners don’t even realize these chips are there until they become much larger or cracks start to occur. Check your windshield regularly, and if you find any issues at all, go to a local professional shop for a quick fix.
