If you think about it, you'll agree that ordinary house glass is pretty amazing. It's strong, clear, and really quite affordable. Its only real drawback is that it is brittle so when it breaks it can create dangerous shards, making it a poor choice for automobile glass.
Plastic is safer, but it isn't scratch resistant so it doesn't remain clear enough for automobile glass. Auto manufacturers? use tempered glass on the side windows which is much stronger than house glass and when it does break, it breaks into tiny little cubes that aren't as dangerous as shards. They can still be sharp but they are far safer.
But tempered glass doesn't work for windshields. Because the windshield is constantly being hit with tiny pebbles, sand, gravel, and other road debris, tempered glass would have a very short life span. So manufacturers started using laminated glass years ago.
Laminated glass is simply two thin sheets of tempered glass that are fused to a rubber inner layer. The two sheets are independent. What the rubber layer does is act like a sponge, absorbing the shock and reducing the chance of breakage from small particles like pebbles.
If a rock hits the window hard enough you'll land up with a stone chip, but it usually only breaks the outer layer of glass. If something really big hits the window and shatters both layers, the rubber membrane will stop the windshield from falling in your lap. Windshield repair works for the rock chips that have damaged the outer layer of the glass.
Start by buying a windshield crack repair kit at Wal-Mart, Sears, Canadian Tire, Lordco or other department or auto stores. Once you've got your kit, dry the windshield to room temperature. Don't bother trying to do the repair on a wet day unless you can park inside.
Use a hair dryer to dry the window. This will pull the moisture out of the window so that the repair works. If the windshield is dirty, clean it using a harsh cleaner such as lighter fluid. This will remove any grime or film.
The repair process is very straightforward. Peel the back of the adhesive strip and apply it to the pre-cleaned glass. Center it over the chip, then burnish with a blunt object. Peel away the remaining film. Line up the adapter so it's as vertical as possible, and then stick it to the film. Again, burnish with a blunt object.
Take the cap off the syringe and attach it to the adapter. Pull the syringe out as far as it goes. Hold this position for one minute to create a vacuum. While you are holding the vacuum the air in the crack begins to bubble up in the syringe while at the same time the adhesive seeps deep into the glass and chip.
That's it. Your chip is repaired. The adhesive is a type of resin that bonds with the chip and creates a seal, and thus a repair. You can also use the windshield repair kit on cracks. Once you've correctly done the repair, the glass will no longer spider and the damage won't spread.
This is a true story regarding the White family and their windshield repair nightmares in Houston. There are numerous White families with all kinds of White family stories. This particular family we are referring to consisted of a mother, father, and two grown kids, one boy and one girl. Their windshield repair nightmare had more to do with just amazingly bad luck than anything. It just goes to show you that anything can happen in Houston.
We'll call him Papa White for these purposes. And he was driving off to work one day where out of nowhere a tree limb fell from the sky. Naturally it didn't really fall from the sky, but from a tree that Papa White had the unfortunate timing of driving under when the tree limb decided to let go. He was quite fortunate that all he needed was a windshield repair and a few minor repairs to the side view mirror which clung to the car by the threads of the wiring which controlled and defrosted it. His windshield repair took the normal amount of time, about 40 minutes to replace the windshield and a few hours for the glue to harden up. He felt he was a very lucky man that evening, especially since ironically this was the second tree limb to find him in his lifetime.
It would only be about four months later when the White family needed to call upon the auto glass services company once again, this time for Mrs. White, who was driving along on one of those gorgeous bright days. It took less than ten minutes for the bright day to turn sour and to spit out a storm that could have whipped the fuzz from a lamb's back. With all the debris flying around, Mrs. White pulled to the side of the road. The hail left behind eight large divots on her windshield that threatened at any given moment to break. The windshield repair didn't take long, and Mrs. White's stone cold "I can't believe I survived that" look was thanks enough for those who worked hard to replace it in a timely manner.
In Houston, weather can turn in a moment, as it can in most places around the world. Hail can be terribly damaging and many windshield replacements are due to the little impaling balls of ice. Papa White had shown up just as the windshield repair was complete, naturally grateful that his wife hadn't been impaled by shattering glass in the process of hiding out from the hail storm.
The sister White called only an hour later, as she hadn't heard the damage that had happened to her car while sitting peacefully in the driveway. She found the damage when she was readying herself to leave for work. An entire tree had fallen across her car, leaving her with no way to get to work that day and a project waiting for Papa White since he could drive by his daughter's house on the way home from work.
The tree was removed and for the second time that day, the White family of Houston was in need of auto glass services. She was the second person in the family to require a windshield replacement for the day, and she let out an audible breath of relief when she heard her mother's windshield replacement story. Of course, there was ample chatter about the luck of the White family, as it seemed both amazingly good and amazingly bad simultaneously. Nevertheless, the auto glass services were able to respond to the needs of the entire family that day, and things returned to normal quickly.
The last of the White family crisis would happen about a year or so later, when the brother White, was off with his family picnicking on the lake when the storm came up. Weather events cause more windshield replacements than anything else. As he and his family began to run for the car, a pavilion that looked just a bit closer and more comfortable veered them from their destination. Not long after the family reached the pavilion, about the time they would have reached the safety of their car, an entire tree fell on their car as well.
Of course, this time they were remarkably fortunate not to be in it. The tree, however, did far more damage than an auto glass service could repair, and a windshield replacement would not have even made a dent in the damage. The car was totaled, and for the last three years, the auto glass service has not yet heard from any member of the White family. However, they are a constant reminder that plain and simply, life happens.
Both Gray Rollins & David Warren are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gray Rollins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Property Investment, Guide Guitar and insurance agents. Gray Rollins is a featured writer for WindshieldMend.com. To learn more about and the. Gray Rollins's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.
David Warren has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cars, Home Management and Auto Insurance. David Warren is owner of Apple Glass Company, a glass repair and replacement firm that serves the Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas markets. Contact David Warren at 281-440-1292 or visit. David Warren's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.