Did you know that repairing a windscreen is cheaper than replacing one?
If you don't get your windscreen repaired or the damage is beyond repair then a new screen will cost you your insurance excess - typically £50 - 60.
Again, this won't usually affect your NCB but check with your insurer. If you don't have insurance then you are looking at a couple of hundred pounds for a new windscreen. As you can see, windscreen repairs can save you money
Windscreen chips are caused when something such as a stone flies up and strikes the windscreen causing impact damage to the surface of the glass.
A lot of factors influence windscreen damage including the speed of your car, the condition of the road surface, the amount of traffic and even the weather. My windscreen was the victim of a stone from a highway gritter though I could not prove it.
Stone chip damage to a windscreen can take various forms. 'Bullseye' is a rounded impact crater in the glass and there are others with tiny cracks radiating from the centre of the impact.
Windscreens are laminated - i.e. they consist of two layers of glass with a plastic layer in between. This is why the glass does not shatter like a side window. Instead it sticks to the plastic layer.
Windscreen repair companies such as Autoglass Ltd are able to repair windscreens by sucking the air out of the chip with a vaccuum device and injecting a clear resin. It takes about 20 - 30 minutes and the repair will be almost invisible.
They can't guarantee the windscreen repair will pass an MOT test because that is at the discretion of the MOT tester.
It's best to get a chip repaired as soon as you spot it. That way you save having to get a new screen and fork out for your insurance excess.
Plus, you'll be safer as the chip won't obscure your vision. And, the windscreen chip won't suddenly turn into a crack and scare the s**t out of you while you are driving. You have been warned!
Find windscreen and vehicle glass web sites here: