We’ve had a little snow and the temperatures have dipped, and now you are thinking about that chipped windshield. Is it necessary to get it repaired or can you put it off a bit longer? Of course, we say you should repair it. That’s what we do, right? So, of course that is our advice. If you want to know for sure why, though, we can answer that. We aren’t simply advising repair because that is what we do; we are advising repair because we know glass, we know how it responds in weather, and we know what it is supposed to do for your car and how a chip can affect that performance.
First, a chipped windshield is now a weak spot in your glass. Glass is made as a cohesive whole, and a chip weakens that cohesion. Once a piece of glass has been weakened, it shatters more easily. That science is the whole reason behind shatter-proof films that you can apply to glass, or shatter-proof glass that has a layer of resin between two thin sheets of glass. On its own, glass can give way once the cohesion of the material has been compromised.
And how glass responds to weather is key in keeping your windshield safe. Like most materials, glass contracts in the cold and expands in heat. In winter, we get a lot of both, and your car might be outside for a while, then you get inside and blast the heater, and that rock chip turns into a crack across your glass due to the changes in temperature.
And what happens to the car when the windshield is weakened? A ca relies on a strong windshield to protect you, not only from wind, but also from damage in a rollover.
Bottom line? Get that chipped windshield fixed!