Windscreen repairs !!!

nearlyrich

I had a chip repaired last year which is not invisible but it's not bad however I have another problem that needs fixing and I think it means a new windscreen this time.

Glassman

Ladies and gentlemen of this thread, if anyone is telling you that they will reduce a stonechip down to 'invisibility', they're lying and walking a very thin line.

If you consider the concept of repairing damaged windscreens, it's quite astonishing that this process even came about (around 30 years ago, would you believe?!). Many people know this, but here's the deal: there is no invisible repair, period. You may get a very good repair (and some are better than others) but this will depend on:

1. Type of Damage.

The impact is usually the same, but the impact crater can be large, small and if it has been hit at the right angle, there could also be a shell-like shape in the glass next to that point of impact.

The laminated windscreen is a sandwich construction consisting of two sheets of glass and one vinyl interlayer which is 'sandwiched' between them. This interlayer is what holds the whole thing together. When a stone hits the glass, if the impact is hard and deep enough, the tightly packed sandwich will let in air and give you the stonechip. Some look like bullseyes, others look like crescent moons. The most common is a star-break or a combination of two descriptions. The more cracks there are coming from the centre of the impact, the harder it is to penetrate them all. Ergo, the appearance will not change as dramatically as say, a bullseye (which has no cracks - just a pocket of air behind the impact). Despite the bullseyes looking like they have become 'invisible', there will always be a trace of the repair.

2. Who is Carrying Out the Repair.

Self-explanatory, but like with anything, there are good technicians and bad cowboys. Simples. It's never the equipment, the weather, or the location... it's always down to the experience of the technician.

HTH

DEPTFREE2010

very interesting thread.

ive just had to take out my own policy after driving under ex hubby for 9 years hence no no claims and the cheapest i found was through hastings :mad: their excess is £295 for a car accident but that is also for a windscreen repair too :mad: so avoid hastings if you can.

my windscreen is alot cheaper to buy myself than go through the insurance lol

Glassman

anewman wrote: »

That's the same stuff most of the "pros" use under their little marquee in supermarket car parks. Most of them like to tell people it will be all free on their insurance and many people later get invoices asking for payment. They're first and foremost salesmen, not specialised technicians.

Wrong.

The pros (and I'm not a repair-only guy, I do repair but my core business is in repalcement). The professionals use resins which cannot be bought retail - especially from Hal F. Ords. If you look around, you may find a few people selling their soul to the devil by flogging the pro resins on flea-bay.

The guys in tents are usually repair only type franchisors/ees; some are good and some are quite frankly, awful.

Most fully comprehensive insurance policies include glass cover for repair and replacement. The problem is not that you're not covered, it's that your insurer may not be happy to deal with someone with whom they do not have a billing agreement. When you sign the jobcard / invoice, the small-print will usually be words to the effect: if my insurer doesn't pay, I will... etc.