10 Things You Should Never Do When Trying to Repair a Windshield Chip or Crack

People become their most creative selves when solving a problem. Faced with a cracked or chipped windshield, we have seen some seriously innovative individuals with temporary auto glass repair fixes we felt were savvy enough to share. Over the last 18 years of service, our technicians at Glass America have seen it all from duct tape windshield crack repairs to clear nail polish windshield chip fixes. Although our experienced technicians do not advocate mimicking these home remedies, we wanted to share them with you as some are quite humorous, requesting you keep in mind general car safety tips. DO NOT try these at home!

10 Ways Not to Repair a Windshield

1. 1. How to keep a windshield crack from spreading - the wrong way: A customer came in to the shop who had used clear nail polish on both the internal and external glass of the front windshield to keep a three-inch crack from spreading.

   2. How to stop a crack in its tracks - the wrong way: This customer leveled up from clear nail polish and used half a bottle of super glue to seal up a long thin windshield crack. What seemed like a great idea at first became a full front windshield replacement due to lack of visibility through the glass.

   3. How to mix up a cocktail coating for a windshield crack - the wrong way: We received a call from a customer requesting mobile service from our technicians after he had mixed up a cocktail of salt, bug spray, rubbing alcohol and water to repair a large crack in his rear windshield - it didn't work.  That is not logic anyone could follow.
   4. How to correct a windshield chip - the wrong way: Let's just start out by saying that chewing gum is not a quick fix for anything but potentially curbing hunger. This customer clogged up a quarter-sized chip with two chewed up pieces of grape Hubba Bubba bubble gum. Talk about a sticky situation!
   5. How to seal up a large windshield crack - the wrong way: The customer pulled into the lot with strips of duct tape all over the front windshield, some even impairing visibility. He noted that the duct tape was to keep out moisture.
   6. How to cover damaged vent auto glass - the wrong way: Apparently, the rear vent glass had been broken through, and to avoid moisture and draft getting into the vehicle the customer duct taped a flap from a cardboard box over the damaged area.
   7. How to epoxy windshield damage - the wrong way: A customer came in with a crack in the driver's line of vision in the windshield on which she tried epoxy glass glue as a fix. Needless to say, way too much epoxy was used.
   8. How to use a DIY kit for windshield chips - the wrong way: DIY kits look user-friendly in the packaging but once the tools come out, there is a serious lack of a trained eye and years of experience. This customer tried using a DIY kit, as many do, and applied too much pressure to the windshield, increasing the chip two times its original size. What could have been a simple repair ended in a full replacement.
   9. How to prevent a crack from growing - the wrong way: One customer read online that if you don't wash your car, the crack won't grow. He claimed to have kept his vehicle in the garage without cleaning it for a full year or more since he had a busy schedule. Lucky for this customer, we have mobile technicians who can usually complete repairs within thirty minutes.
   10. How to wait to fix your windshield chip or crack- the wrong way: Don't wait! This customer claimed she only waited a few weeks after the initial damage occurred before calling our techs to help, and the crack had already grown too large to repair. A full windshield replacement was necessary but could have been prevented.

As one of the nation's largest auto glass and windshield replacement and repair businesses, Glass America is bound to see all different kinds of unique situations, including quirky home solutions. Luckily for these customers, we were able to step in and implement safe solutions to solidify a permanent fix for each. If you're at home reading this and are guilty of trying a temporary home fix for your auto glass, please call (877) 220-1724 today and an experienced auto glass technician will come to you for a fast and affordable repair or replacement. Ditch the danger and call in the experts!