I found this question on Yahoo!’s Answers:
My car windshield has a 5-inch horizontal crack starting at the very edge and going toward the center. When I run my hand over it from either the outside or inside of the car, I can’t “feel” the scratch. Why is that?
P.S. I would like to get this repaired before the crack spreads. I dropped by an autoglass repair garage and they told me I had to replace the whole windshield. Is there a way to just repair the crack itself…like the process they use for rock chips? I feel like the mechanic is just trying to take my money.
This is a great two part question.
First, if you can’t feel the crack, it’s because of how the windshield is made. The two layers of glass with a layer of safety laminate in between is designed to keep it’s shape, including holding the layers of glass together after a crack. It’s doing such a good job that you can’t feel the crack (or cut your hand trying to feel it!).
Second, YES. You absolutely can repair a windshield’s crack! The best candidate is a crack that is small enough to be covered by a dollar bill and is not directly in the driver’s vision. A crack repair will fill the crack with a special resin that returns the windshield to its full strength. It will make the crack nearly invisible, but under certain circumstances, you may catch the sun reflecting off the crack. That’s why we do not advise repairing cracks directly in front of the driver.
There are times when a shop might recommend you have the windshield replaced even if it falls under those two criteria. It’s important to ask the shop why, because engaging the repair technician in a dialog will give you the information you need to make a good decision.
Read more from James Lee.
In 2009 he joined TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @jronaldlee.
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