Guide

Chip Repair or Full Replacement: How to Tell

Time matters more than most people expect when it comes to a rock chip.

A chip that is caught early is almost always repairable. The same chip left alone through a season of temperature swings can turn into a crack that no longer is.

Size and depth matter

A small chip that has not penetrated through the full thickness of the glass is generally repairable. Larger damage, or damage that has gone all the way through, tends to fall on the replacement side of the line.

Location matters too

Damage sitting directly in the driver's primary line of sight is treated more conservatively, since a repair can leave a slight visual distortion that is more of a problem there than elsewhere on the glass.

Cracks that have already run are the clear case

Once a crack has extended past a certain length, it generally cannot be repaired in a way that reliably stops it from continuing to spread, and replacement is the honest answer at that point.

Freeze-thaw cycles are the thing that changes the answer

A chip that would have been a simple repair in October can be a crack that needs replacement by February, because moisture works into the damage and expands when it freezes. This is a real reason Utah winters turn small chips into bigger jobs.

When in doubt, get it looked at soon

The cost of finding out a chip is repairable is small and the visit is quick. The cost of finding out too late that it was not is a full windshield instead of a small resin repair.

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Get the Glass Fixed, and Aimed Right Afterward

Tell us about the damage and we will match you with a shop that treats recalibration as part of the job.

Get Matched With a Glass Shop