Most windshield cracks begin with a chip. The chip is noticeable and usually caused by debris. Most of the time drivers hear the debris hit and can make a good guess on what kind of debris caused the chip.
Those are easy to diagnose. And even easier to repair. A small chip in your windshield glass can be repaired without replacing the whole windshield.
If you use Fast Glass Services for your glass repair, we’ll fix it up while your car is parked at the office or your home. It’s easy, and it’ll save you money by preventing the larger crack the chip will turn into if you ignore it.
1. Something hit your windshield when you weren’t around.
We can’t all be Sherlock Holms. Perhaps some debris hit your windshield and left a small enough crack you did not notice at first. Are kids playing in the neighborhood? How close did you park to trees? Small meteor? All of these are reasonable culprits.
It happens. But if you really can’t let it go, feel free to conduct a full investigation. The team at Fast Glass can give you our best guess as to what caused the chip.
Cracks grow. You will eventually notice that your windshield has been compromised. Even though the cause is unknown, it’s still a good idea to get it repaired as soon as possible.
2. Your windshield experienced an uneven or extreme temperature change.
Have you ever taken a frozen, glass dish and put it under hot, kitchen sink water? Perhaps you were lucky and the glass heated up properly. However, often, this causes the glass to crack or even shatter.
For the same reason, your windshield will crack from extreme or uneven temperature changes. This is why it’s never a good idea to defrost a windshield with boiling hot water. The opposite is true too! It’s not a good idea, whatever your reasons are, to give your car an ice bath on a hot summer day.
The extreme change in temperature will cause the windshield to expand too quickly and crack or even shatter.
In rare cases, excessive heat can cause your windshield to crack. The windshield could heat up unevenly since the outer edges are against the metal frame. The edges expand faster than the center of the windshield. This results in a crack. A crack originating from the edge of a windshield can not be repaired. It must be replaced.
3. The pressure on your windshield was too much or changed too fast.
Action movies get this right every time. When an explosion goes off, the shock wave can crack a windshield several miles away. Nearby windshields will likely be shattered.
Pressure on your windshield can also change due to wind, high speeds, or heavy objects.
4. Your windshield was not installed properly, or your vehicle has a structural defect.
At Fast Glass, we keep a close eye on windshield manufacturers. We need to stay updated on any recalls. We also need to know everything up-to-date about how to properly install new windshields.
A windshield that is not properly fitted to your vehicle will not be able to handle the vibration your vehicle experiences when going down a highway. This poor-fitting might not be noticeable just by looking at your vehicle. However, eventually, a crack will form when there is too much movement.
Windshields are a key component of the structural integrity of your vehicle. They are designed to protect passengers in the event the vehicle rolls over. If there is a structural issue, the whole car is effected. If your alignment is off, for example, it could possibly cause a stress-related windshield crack.
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