DIY Windshield Repair Kits: Are They Worth It?

If you have a small chip on your windshield, it’s tempting to try to fix it on your own. After all, the damage is small enough that a DIY windshield repair kit is an easy, quick, and cheap solution – right? Not quite. The reality is, DIY kits don’t come with the correct tools necessary for an effective repair and most car owners who attempt to repair a damaged windshield don’t do it well.

The disadvantages of DIY windshield repair kits

Typically, a windshield repair kit includes a tool to clean debris out of the chip, an injector for the resin, and a film to cover the applied resin as it cures.

While this may seem easy enough, there are some major disadvantages that come with repairing the windshield yourself:

The time it takes to read instructions and learn how to do the repair
No professional knowledge of the different types of chip damage
Once a resin or other substance is placed in the chip, it is very difficult or impossible to correct and re-inject into the chip.
A lack of technical knowledge on different factors of windshield repair, such as pressure application, injection cycle, and temperature control

When a repair is performed incorrectly, the damage will eventually spread and require a full windshield replacement. In this case, the promise of a ‘cheap’ solution is not always the most cost-effective.

Professional windshield chip repair in Canmore

At Aspen Auto Glass, we do windshield chip repair the proper way with the latest technology and methods. Many auto glass repair shops continue to repair chips the old way of drilling and heating the glass, which can actually create more damage to the structure than the damage itself. Instead, we use an advanced computerized windshield repair system that enables us to return your windshield to its original strength.

Here’s a step-by-step example of how we complete chip repair:

We work on vehicles in a controlled environment, with a working temperature of 10C in the winter and below 20C in the summer. This method alleviates any hot spots that can cause stress in the glass.
Assess the vehicle’s entire windshield and identity all chips and damage.
Clean debris out of the chip and install an injector head.
Use a thorough injection cycle method, alternating between 15 minutes of vacuum and pressure cycles. This removes the air and allows the resin to move into the damage.
Cure the resin with UV for 40 seconds at the end of the injection cycle.
Remove the injector head, fill the origin of the chip with a pit resin, and cure for another 40 seconds. This pit resin is formulated to handle harsh environmental elements.
‘Dress’ the chip to make it smooth and level with the surrounding glass, clean, and polish it to make it almost invisible to the eye. The entire windshield is then cleaned.

As you can see from the above process, professional windshield chip repair is more extensive and may take more time than a DIY effort. However, you can rest assured that it will be done correctly and the repair will last. When it comes to something as important as your windshield and the safety of you and your passengers, having your windshield repaired correctly is always a better choice than the ‘quick and easy’ fix.