DRIVING WITH CLEAR VISION

Author - Rob Sargent

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DRIVING WITH CLEAR VISION

Your windscreen is a very important part of your car. It forms the integral strength between the cars bulkhead and the roof.  Sort of a role cage!

When you get a stone chip, usually caused by debris thrown up by either a passing vehicle or an on coming vehicle, the surface tension of the glass has broken.

The glass has now become extremely unstable and can crack at any time,  the  problem is, you don't know when!  

With all chips there is always an impact point, the point where the glass was hit. This can be varying in size, depending on the size and shape of the debris and how the glass was hit. This will also determine on how the final finish will look like.

When a chip is caused, air is introduced in to the damage, this air must be extracted in order to fill the fracture properly.

Once the damage has been repaired properly, it should last for the life time of the glass.

Here are a few important factors to remember

• Always get a stone chip repaired within a couple of days of it happening.
• This will prevent contamination (dirty water and screen wash etc ) making the fracture dirty.
• Never allow a chip to develop in to a crack.
• Never allow a crack to be at two different points at the edge of the screen, this means, effectively, the glass is in two pieces and very dangerous.
• When a chip is caused, try to look ‘through’ the screen and not it especially if the chip is in drivers side. This will help you avoid looking at the chip and being distracting. Get it repaired as soon as possible.
• Never try to repair a chip or fill it with ANY type of glue.