06 Apr

4 Types of car glass cracks and how to fix them

By AIS Windshield Experts

Category: Cracked Windshield ,Windshield Protection ,Car Glass Repair ,Car Glass Replacement ,Car Windshield ,Car Windscreen ,Windshield Maintenance ,Windshield Cracks

Damage to the car glass is something that many car owners would have witnessed at least once in their driving experience. Side & rear windows, windshield, and glass panel roofs (optional) are some of the components in the car where there is the extensive usage of glass. Car glass provides much-needed safety to the occupants in the car. Car windshield provides protection from wind, debris, rocks, rain, and other such external elements. The frontal glass element (i.e. windshield) is the most critical glass element in the car. Hence, car front glass crack repair should be considered on a high priority in case there is a deep crack in the glass. In this blog, we have a look at the four major categories of glass cracks and how you can fix those cracks.

Types of Car Glass Cracks

Cracks in the car glass are categorized based on their type and size. Depending on the size and crack location, a decision has to be made whether the car glass has to be repaired or replaced. Here are the major types of car glass cracks:

1. Minor Chips

As the name indicates, a chip is a crack on the car glass that ideally should be repairable. Minor chips are around 40 mm or lesser in size. Such chips can be easily repaired by trained and experienced technicians from Windshield Experts. This is applicable for chips observed on the windshield glass, mirror glass, and glass panel roof. Here are some of the major types of chips on car glass:

Bull’s Eye Crack

This type of crack normally happens on the windshield glass when a small pointed rock hits the windscreen. In some cases, a small piece of glass might fall off, with the impact resulting in a circular-shaped crack.

Star Crack

This type of crack is caused when a sharp object hits the windshield. Based on the momentum of impact, a small chip of glass might fall off. A star-shaped cavity that can escalate quickly develops on the glass. It is recommended to address this crack at the earliest.

Half-Moon Crack

It is largely similar to the bull’s eye crack except that the crack is semi-circular in shape.

Clover Leaf

This crack separates the under-layer of the glass.

Edge Crack

This type of crack normally occurs close to the windshield lining (or close to the windshield edges). If not addressed on time, the cracks can escalate quickly resulting in a larger crack. The crack can turn out to be hazardous if the crack blocks the sight of the driver.

Combination break

This type of crack is a combination of star crack and bull’s eye crack. It is normally caused when a pebble falls on the windshield glass at a very high speed. Minor chips should be fixed on time else the chips can widen resulting in big cracks in the front (or windshield) glass.

2. Large Cracks

A crack is different from a normal chip as the depth of the crack (caused due to the impact of a sharp object) on the car front glass is more than 14”. It is likely that the PVB (or poly-vinyl butyral) layer would have been damaged, making it an immediate contender for replacement. You should consult professionals like Windshield Experts that provide car front glass repair solutions. They use car glass from renowned brands like Asashi - a leading automotive glass manufacturer.

3. Internal Cracks

External cracks on the car glass are visible from the outside. However, internal cracks (also called stress cracks) can develop due to sudden changes in temperature. Pouring hot water on a car driven in cold temperatures causes rapid temperature change eventually resulting in cracking of the car glass. Since stress crack is internal to the glass, it can be felt by moving a finger (or a ballpoint pen) over the crack. In such scenarios, you should opt for car glass replacement as the crack can widen over time.

4. Non-repairable (or major) chips

These chips are different from minor chips & cracks that develop on the windshield. Here, the damage exceeds more than 40mm in diameter. Replacement is the only available option, as such chips can have life-threatening repercussions. If the car glass has many minor chips, you should choose car front glass replacement over car glass repair.

Conclusion

Car glass cracks should be fixed on high priority, as they can cause a distraction to the person driving the car. You should choose professionals from Windshield Experts, as they follow all the safety norms and use genuine car glasses from world-class manufacturers like Asahi India Glass Limited.

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