Windscreen chips...

[chris1972]

Well of all things... I was on my way back from Canterbury with the roof down when the sound of something hitting the windscreen interrupted my fun.

The object has created a small chip. My question is, can these screens be repaired like any other or do I have to take the laminate into consideration? Will it peel away around the windscreen?

Cheers
Chris

[K12beano]

I don't see any reason why a repair wouldn't be possible - you can even get DIY kits.


BUT


having had my Eurobox sorted by a little independent specialist in Norwich, I would say three things:


DON'T think of entrusting it to a "national" firm - the stories i have heard make me cringe
I paid about £40 (for a windscreen that would cost £180 in full) for an hour of a well trained chappie's time and expertise. Extremely well spent (and wouldn't even dream to tempt an insurance company any excuse to put up a premium!!!!)
It is impossible to make the fix invisible, so have realistic expectations.

[Mark.]

K12beano said:

DON'T think of entrusting it to a "national" firm - the stories i have heard make me cringe
I paid about £40 (for a windscreen that would cost £180 in full) for an hour of a well trained chappie's time and expertise.

Had mine done by AutoWindscreens in Southampton and they did a bloody great job!
And don't think the Chimaera screen will take an hour - if they are doing it properly it'll likely take all day, it took them 2 hours to get my old one out.

[chris1972]

Thanks for that. No need for replacement then. I'll speak to a reputable glass repairer...

[Quietlybonkers]

There's a great bloke in Norf London. He posts on here under the name of Glassman. I will see if I can find his card, but his name is Paul. He's a one man business.....

[Quietlybonkers]

Found him

http://www.glasstecauto.co.uk/

[SILICONEKID340HP]

A quick tap with a ball pein hammer did it for me ! then it`s trip down autoglass with a crisp £50 note ..thats all it costs

[chris1972]

Quietlybonkers said:

Found him

http://www.glasstecauto.co.uk/

Thanks for that, but a little far for me to travel... perhaps if the weather was better!

[chris1972]

SILICONEKID340HP said:

A quick tap with a ball pein hammer did it for me ! then it`s trip down autoglass with a crisp £50 note ..thats all it costs

It has gone up now I think...

[Hedgehopper]

My insurance company had mine done free and with no loss of no-claim. If you are going to have the chip repaired get it done sooner rather than later or dirt will become trapped in the chip. Very pleased with the repair on my car.

[sibowers]

Don't know if this will help, but we always use http://www.shatterscreen.co.uk/ where we can and they've not let us down yet, always a decent service and we get a quality finish.

[pac1uk]

Windscreen chip repairs are usually free with your car insurance.

To do a repair properly they create a Vacuum and inject the clear resin in to the gaps left by the Vacuum. It's not 100% invisible repair but its close and its a strong repair.

If you leave a chip, it can turn into a crack or overtime water can get into the laminate and it goes milky white.

I have had mixed results, a few years back I had a stone hit my Lotus this was a big chip. The chaps from TV adverts turned up and made a right mess. They put the Vacuum pump on to get the air out, then they remove it, letting the air back in then they squirt the resin in.

I had to get a Glass specialist out to drill out the resin, and do it properly. In hindsight I should have left it and waited for Windscreen to crack and then get a new screen.

[Julesprivate]

Those DIY kits are bloody dangerous...

OK maybe I was a bit "ham fisted" but I used one on one of my cars that had a chip (not a crack) and as i turned the crank to flatten the rubber seal it split the screen from top to bottom... Not a big fan of them I can tell you...

YMMV