Think You Can't Repair a Crack Longer Than 6 Inches? Think again!

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There are two major considerations to determine whether a windshield needs a full replacement or can be repaired using a long windshield crack repair kit. These two factors in order of dominance are length and dust/dirt in the crack and there is correlation between the length and dust in the crack. Cracks at 14-inches and under will have dust in the crack less than 3% of the time. The ROLAGS recommendation is 14-inches.

When a stone hits a windshield it will make one of two types of damage - an edge crack or a stone-break/chip. There are two types of cracks, an edge crack and a floater crack. Over 90% of cracks will be an edge crack. This is due to manufacturing defects around the entire perimeter edge area which causes this area to fracture easier than the rest of the windshield and cracks immediately to about 8-10 inches. The other crack is a floater crack. This is a stone-break or chip that cracked-out, most often due to severe temperature change. The floater crack is not nearly as common as the edge crack, usually 10% or less. This is because over 90% of stone-breaks or chips will never crack-out in the most populous areas of the United States due to the fact that most people choose not to the live in severe temperature states.

Smaller, shorter cracks 3-6 inches can be repaired by some auto glass repair shops, however many specializing in auto glass replacements such as Safelite say they can but usually bait and switch the customer into a replacement when their technician shows up. If an auto glass repairer can correctly repair a short edge crack then they can repair a long edge crack. It is just a matter of sliding the proper windshield crack repair tool with the proper crack repair resin a few more inches. Repairing a long crack correctly on your windshield requires specific tools and experience with specific long crack resins. Typically, though it is by far much easier than a replacement and it can be easily done on cracks up to 18 inches long with the right tools and resins. The standard in the United States is 14 inches long. 

 The type of stone-break is also a main factor in determining whether a repair or replacement is necessary. There are five basic types of windshield stone breaks: combination break, half moon, bullseye, radiating crack, and star breaks. Some say that star breaks, bullseyes, half moon, cracks, and other chips and cracks that can be covered with a quarter can be repaired, however the standard in the United States states the specific sizes with each type chip- see the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard. Keep in mind that multiple cracks or chips off the same impact in a vehicle's windshield may also call for more advanced treatment.

The location of the windshield's damage is also a factor when determining if a repair is possible. If it's in the driver's line of sight, it could cause complications. For safety reasons, auto glass technicians must make a careful judgement as to whether the damage could potentially impede the driver's vision. If the crack or chip could feasibly interfere with the driver's line of sight, then a replacement may be the safer option. See the United States Windshield Repair Guidelines and the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard for when the damage is in the acute or driver's primary viewing area.

Ultimately, long crack repairs offer huge potential savings for vehicle owners with damaged windshields. While there is a misconception that long cracks require replacements, this is simply not true and a current federal court ruling has recognized it to be false advertising. Understanding when a vehicle's windshield can be repaired or needs a full replacement can help your windshield repair business maximize efficiency and increase profits. For more information about repairing a long crack on your windshield, or to order the original long windshield crack repair kits, contact Ultra Bond. 

Here are Federal and ROLAGS Lab Test Reports and Scores on long crack repair.