Ontario police officers admit a damaged windshield isn't likely to get you pulled over. The damage, however, may warrant a more thorough inspection if you're involved in a traffic violation. Your car's windshield is a safety feature, and like every other aspect of your vehicle, you need to protect it. There are common damages to windshields, and ways to prevent them. Would you like to learn more? Check out this guide for windshield repair and installation in Burlington, Ontario.
1. CHIP
This is one of the most common reasons customers seek windshield repair from Canada Auto Glass & Sunroofs. A chip often occurs when you're driving and a stone or a piece of gravel hits your windshield at high speeds. There are three common types of chips seen on windshields, each with its repair strategy and limitations.
Bullseye: A cone-shaped chip repairable if less than 25.4 mm in diameter.
Half-Moon: Appears like a crescent due to the impact point and repairable at a diameter less than 25.4 mm.
Star: Like a bullseye or half-moon but with cracks extending from the impact point and can repair if less than 7.62 cm in diameter.
While these chips don't seem preventable, there are precautions you can take. If you're driving through a work-zone or on a road with excessive debris, reduce your speed and increase your distance from other drivers.
2. STRESS CRACK
You've seen glass crack in your home. The usual cause is when the glass comes in contact with clashing temperatures. This is why you don't fill a drinking glass fresh from the dishwasher with ice water. Though windshield glass is treated to withstand these temperature clashes, that treatment weakens throughout the life of your car. Unfortunately, these cracks without an impact point reveal a structural issue. Our Burlington windshield repair technicians recommend a full windshield installation for this damage.
If you leave your car to bake in the hot sun of a southern Ontario summer and then crank the AC, a cracked windshield might be the result. To avoid these cracks, keep your car's temperature regulated. On hot days, park your car where it's shielded from direct sunlight. On cold days, avoid clearing ice from your windshield with hot water.
3. EDGE CRACK
This is the most common type of crack drivers see. The area along the outermost edges of your windshield is its weakest point. Usually found within 3 cm of the perimeter, these cracks form and expand very fast thanks to the pressure and vibrations of rough driving. To prevent these cracks, make sure you drive at safe speeds. If you see a pothole or drive over bumpy terrain, decelerate before you drive over or through.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR WINDSHIELD REPAIR AND INSTALLATION, BURLINGTON
With any of these common types of damage, you must seek repair immediately. What might be a simple repair will develop into a much more expensive fix should you delay. For expert windshield repair and installation, Burlington residents call on Canada Auto Glass & Sunroof. Make an appointment and fix your damaged windshield today.