Types of Windshield Cracks
October 12th, 2020 by Fix Auto USA
Imagine you are driving on the freeway when out of the blue, a rock or some other object hits your windshield, leaving a big ‘ol crack right smack in the middle of the windshield.
There are two main reasons you need to address a windshield crack promptly. The first and most obvious reason is that a windshield crack can impair your vision of the road ahead and pose a danger for you and any passengers. The other reason is that your windshield plays an important role in holding up the structure of your car. If you don’t get it fixed, it could turn into a much bigger and more serious problem.
Can your windshield be repaired, or is the damage so extensive that you have to replace it? The good news is that auto body shops nowadays are often able to repair the damage, sparing you the cost of a replacement windshield. There are various types of windshield cracks, from a windshield stress crack to a bulls-eye crack and many others that we’ll touch on in just a bit. Whether an actual crack can be repaired or not depends on the type of windshield crack and how severe the damage is.
Types of windshield cracks
Most cracks initially resemble a straight line across your windshield. Sometimes you might see a straight line crack that has multiple branches radiating from the impact area.
Have you ever seen a crack in your windshield and had no idea how it got there? This is mostly likely what we call a windshield stress crack, which is essentially a crack that is caused not by a rock or other flying object but by natural elements – too much exposure to cold temps or extreme heat.
A floater crack originates at the windshield center and can spread out beyond the affected area very quickly if left untreated. Though smaller-sized floater cracks can usually be repaired. An edge crack is a crack that occurs on the very edge of the windshield and can be as long as 12 inches.
A chip, also known as a ding, forms as a result of the force of a flying object impacting a windshield. It will often cause you to lose a tiny piece of glass from the windshield, but an experienced technician can easily fill any holes.
If your windshield damage takes the form of a circular pattern like you might see on a dart board, then we call it a bulls-eye crack. It’s similar to a chip in that you will notice a small piece of glass missing due to the impact, but a bulls-eye is much bigger and more difficult to repair; in fact, you may end up having to replace it with a new windshield. If your cracked windshield has several small chips, each with multiple crack lines emanating from the area of impact, you have a constellation of “stars.” Depending on the chip size, a qualified technician will probably be able to fill them in.
It is amazing how many types of windshield cracks there are, and we didn’t even cover them all in this blog! But now that you know a little more about the different types of windshield cracks, you have a better idea of what to expect.
In the event your windshield becomes cracked, bring your car into your local Fix Auto USA body shop and let our auto glass specialists inspect the damage and determine if it can be repaired or needs to be replaced. It can be repaired in all likelihood, but we won’t know for sure until we can put our eyes on it. We are open for business and ready to serve you.
This blog post was contributed by Fix Auto La Puente, a leading industry expert and collision repair shop serving La Puente and Southern California
