Windshield glass repairs are something that all drivers experience at one point or another, but we all like to live in bliss as long as we possibly can before we admit that we need to do something about it because repairs can be costly. The trouble is, it is no joking matter and a roll of tape is not the solution. It is easy to dismiss the importance of the windshield until you realise that it holds up the entire roof of your car and I’m sure the last thing any of us wants is to end up with a caved-in car.
At First Class Auto Glass, we have seen it all; cars being held together using the flimsiest of materials in the hope that the car-owner can make it last ‘just one more day’. The most important thing, when it comes to maintaining your car windshield is to not just listen to hear-say. Professionals exist to help you make the best choices and advise you what to avoid. Caution is paramount when it comes to playing with glass, so it’s worth investing your time into making sure that you’re getting your advice from a reputable source.
Here is some of the worst advice for repairing auto glass that we have come across, and must avoid situations.
-1- Tape is NOT the answer
Tape has a lot of great uses, from wrapping presents to sticking things to the wall but glass repair is not one of them. Most tape including that trusty adhesive tape that you think will do the job is incredibly easy to break, even within the palm of your hands so with that in mind, you absolutely cannot tape together your screen and expect it to hold. All it takes is a bit of rain or heavy wind and your screen will continue to crack. The more your screen cracks, the harder and more expensive that inevitable repair is going to become.
-2- Superglue and glass. You can’t go wrong, right?
Wrong. Superglue is not the answer and it certainly isn’t a permanent solution. It is very easy to forget just how strong the glass of a windshield is, it is there to hold up your roof and superglue is simply not strong enough to withstand the pressure of driving against the glass. Not only will the superglue amount to little more than a sticky mess that you will not be able to clean up. The mess will simply impair your vision and that is the last thing that anyone of us wants.
-3- Doing your nails, doing your screen
One of the strangest and most unbelievable tips that we have ever encountered is this; nail polish will hold together your windshield screen. Your nails and the glass that holds up the roof of your car are not, nor should ever be comparable. Nail polish does not last on nails, it chips and withers away over time. Glass is not different. You cannot expect it to survive certain conditions. As soon as your windshield is exposed to intense heat, rain or varying other weather conditions, that chip will turn into a crack and you will be dealing with a much bigger problem.
-4- Windshield band-aids do not exist!
It is very easy to think that specially made band-aids for windshields would work. After all, they’re being heavily advertised to specifically handle your windshield cracks, right? However trusting these is not recommended, at all. They are, in effect, just tape and as we have already mentioned, tape does not work. It will not fix your screen, it will not even hold for any sustained period.
We know that the prospect of having to spend more than you’d like to get your windshield professional repaired is something that you’d like to avoid, but quite simply, it is counter-productive. When you rely on cheap, quick fixes, you will be left wholely disappointed when the crack gets bigger and the fix becomes more expensive. Always trust the professionals, call them before you attempt self-repair.
