You wouldn't do your own open heart surgery, would you? While automobile windshield chip repair crack repair isn't as complicated as surgery, it's best to leave it to the experts to ensure the job gets done correctly. And with most auto glass repair services offering guarantees on their work, you can be rest assured you won't have problems down the road that could cost even more to remedy.
First things first the chip should be repaired before it gets filled with grit. To do this, the chip needs to be drilled while the cracks in it get vacuumed. An acrylic or crystalene resin is then inserted via syringe into the chip to restore the air trapped in the crack. Afterwards it is dried with UV light which hardens the substance and reinstates the original state of the glass. Acrylic resin is made up of carcinogenic acid which turns the chips yellow over time. Crystalene resin has better clarity and doesn't change color over time. It's available at ultra-low consistency and high consistency. Extra resin is scraped away and then polished for a finishing touch. This kind of treatment usually runs about $45-$100.
If you do decide that front window repair is your best bet, you have a few choices. First of all, make sure you check to see if your insurance covers it. In a lot of instances it does. The problem is that many policies have a deductible that is higher than the cost of the replacement or repair job. If that is the case, you will have to pay for it yourself.
There are auto glass shops that offer mobile windshield repair to give you the best convenience. With such, you can have the auto glass technician to come to your place so you no longer have to bring your car to the shop.
Still no big deal? In some states it's illegal to drive with a crack in the windshield that is in the driver's line of sight. In other states it's illegal to drive with a cracked windshield at all. I'd call that a big deal.
Not all chips and cracks can be repaired when windshield damage occurs. It is definitely worth the time to have any damage evaluated by a professional to avoid further cracking and damage and eventual replacement.