If you’ve driven a car for any length of time, you’ve likely experienced damage to your windshield. You know that stone that comes out of nowhere to take a chunk out of your windshield and nearly cause you a heart attack. Once your breathing returns to normal, your windshield must be attended to quickly. A small amount of damage can quickly turn into a bigger problem.

Knowing how to prevent windshield damage and knowing what to do if you fall victim to windshield damage will save you both time and money.

Prevention is optimal when it comes to windshield damage. It may seem impossible to prevent chips and cracks to your windshield but there are a few things we can do to reduce the risk.

A vast majority of damage is caused by flying debris. Most of this debris comes in the form of stones. Most of these stones come from trucks. It naturally makes sense to keep your distance while following trucks. This will lower the chances of a stone reaching your vehicle.

It’s important to know a little about the makeup of your windshield in order to understand how it gets damaged and more importantly, how it can be fixed. Your windshield consists of two pieces of glass with plastic in between these two panes. This composition ensures that although damage may occur, the laminated glass will not shatter. Any damage that your windshield may have suffered is likely on the outside. It is rare for the point of impact to be on the interior of a windshield. When your windshield does suffer damage, what kind of damage will vary and affect how it will be fixed, whether it needs to be replaced and how much it’s going to cost you.

The Pit or Divot in Windshield

The pit is where impact occurs and will generally include a missing piece of glass.

Legs in Windshield

Having legs damage in your windshield means splintering. A smaller hole has decided to travel, creating legs or offshoots of damage.

Cracks in Car Windshield

Cracks in a windshield can occur on the inside or the outside of a windshield. A crack represents a single line in the glass.

Bull’s Eye in Windshield

The bull’s eye is just that and it’s bad news for your windshield. The bull’s eye damage will have a dark spot surrounding an impact hole.

Half Moon

Similar to the bull’s eye but not completely circular.

Star break

Looks like a star but not nearly as appealing. Star damage consists of an impact point and short defined legs, giving it the shape of a star.

Combination Break

When more than one kind of damage occurs, this is called a combination break. This kind of damage consists of more than one impact point.

If your windshield does suffer any one of these, the most important factor in remedying the problem is timing. Many damaged windshields can be repaired, others will need replacing. Having the damage repaired as quickly as possible will prevent further damage. Having the damaged windshield tended to in a timely manner can also make the difference between having a chip repaired and having your windshield replaced.

If you’ve experienced a chipped, or broken windshield, trust the experts at Waterdown Collision to evaluate your situation and choose the proper method to get you back out on the road. We auto glass repair and replacement for both your windshield and car door windows.