Windshield Repair Option: Notes

Why repair?

• Repair is often less costly than replacement.
• Qualified repair services are available nationwide with the latest products and techniques.

Un-repaired windshield damage may eventually spread and require that the entire glass be replaced. During the replacement, the original factory seal and windshield molding must be removed. Any damage during replacement may create a water/air leak.

Windshield repair is a proven and accepted technology more than 20 years old. It is a procedure recognized by all major insurance companies. Glass repair procedures call for extracting all the air from the damaged area and replacing it with a polymer resin. This resin, when cured, has similar properties to the glass, including strength, optical clarity, refractive index, and impact resistance.

Glass industry associations publish standards and practices. They recommend that to achieve quality repairs and replacements the technician must have:

1. Procedures to:
   • inspect damage and apply repair criteria.
   • check for moisture or contamination.
   • adjust windshield temperature, if needed.
2. Equipment to:
   • remove moisture or contamination.
   • access damage through drilling or probing.
   • remove air and inject a repair resin.
   • protect the resin from premature curing.
   • properly cure the resin.
   • fill in the finished pit.
3. Resin which will:
   • meet the requirements of a windshield repair system's specific equipment and procedures, such as viscosity, cure rate and the ability to be polished.
   • in its cured state, match the refractive index, color and clarity of the glass being repaired.

   Compliance to glass industry recommended testing performance for:

   • tensile strength.
   • color stability
   • luminous transmittance.

Since it is possible for the windshield to crack during repair, TMC recommends that a fleet have the proper windshield available as a replacement. This necessitates proper storage facilities and training technicians on safe handling of glass. Windshield edges are especially susceptible to damage in storage and handling. Keep the spare windshield in its original packaging material as long as possible.

Quality repairs require good equipment, quality resins and careful technician selection.