Auto Glass Repair

Some windshields may be able to be repaired, and not need to be replaced. This is huge cost savings, and your insurance company may pay for it 100%.  Only windshield glass can be repaired because it is made of laminated glass.  But not all windshield damage can be repaired.  That will depend on the location and severity of the damage.  And C Auto Glass will not repair damage that is in the area of the windshield covered by the driver’s side windshield wiper.  Let a C Auto Glass technician determine if your windshield damage is repairable. We can do windshield repairs in shop, at both our locations, or we can come to you.

The first step in windshield repair is determining if the damage qualifies for a repair.  These include:

• Chip: A simple divot without any radiating cracks.
• Bull’s eye: Essentially, a divot with a small crater around it.
• Spider: A divot or bull’s eye with small cracks radiating outward.
• Crack: A long thin split that may include a visible chip that started it.

Any damage in front of the driver, in the driver’s wiper swipe area, should not be repaired.  A crack that extends to any edge of the windshield should not be repaired.  A crack longer than 2” should not be repaired.”. 

The next step is to extract the air from damaged area.  This is accomplished by applying suction to the damaged area. The more air that is vacuumed out, the better.  Once the air is gone, a special resin is injected into the void created by the suction.  This requires steady pressure for some period of time to insure the resin has filled as much of the void as possible.  

The resin cures by exposure to UV rays.  Once cured and bonded to the windshield glass, its optical properties of the resin are similar to that of glass.  Not all repairs will have the same result.  Some will look better than others. But your windshield will look better and the damage should be contained and not spread. 

There are many windshield repair systems available to the auto glass repair industry, but the basic principles are the same for all of them.  The tools may vary.  The resin may vary, But the essential process of suction, injection and pressure remains the same.

Auto Glass Replacement

Replacing a windshield is not something to be casual about. Your windshield is a structural component of your vehicle. A windshield that is not installed properly could compromise your safety. By being installed correctly, your windshield once boded to the body of your vehicle will provide the structural strength to insure your vehicle will perform as designed in the event of a crash and/or roll over.  Your windshield is part of the passenger side air bag deployment system.  It helps control how the front end collapses in a crash.  And it houses various sensors of your Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.  A windshield is no longer just a “wind shield”.

Auto Glass Recalibration

Your windshield is part of your vehicle’s Advanced Driver Assistance System.  The camera attached to your windshield detects lane departure, possible front end collision, speed signs and pedestrians and other objects.  It also functions in conjunction with your front end radar and laser sensors.  If your windshield has been replaced, this camera needs to be recalibrated to ensure it is working properly.  If its alignment is off as much as a millimeter, lane departure and collision warning systems may not work as designed.  Which could result in a crash and bodily injury.

Your vehicle has loaded with various sensors and modules, designed to protect you while driving.  On your windshield you probably have a camera.  You may also have a rain detector that will turn on your wipers.  You may have a high beam detector.  You may have a humidity sensor.  You may have a heads -up display.   Every time a windshield is replaced, these all need to be checked for proper functioning.

For those of you in the collision repair industry,  C-Auto Glass is equipped to scan all the systems in almost any vehicle.  C-Auto Glass can perform both pre-scans and post-scans, and provide the documentation required by insurance companies.  C-Auto Glass can check air bag programming, recalibrate all ADAS components and check module programming and coding.  We can do this in our Parma calibration center, or we can come to you with mobile testing and calibration equipment.  Sufficient indoor space is required.