There is many reasons why someone would need windshield repair. Sometimes a windshield is damaged and cracked due to hailstones, rocks flung in traffic, falling branches and many other instances. Windshield repair is important because having a cracked or shattered windshield will impair the driver's vision and can potentially cause an automobile accident.
There are many ways windshield repair can be accomplished. Windshield repair could be replacing the entire windshield, depending on how bad the damage is. Windshield repair could also be as simple as filling a small hole caused by gravel thrown from another vehicles tires while driving. No matter which method of windshield repair a customer chooses, it is always important to have it done.
There are many places to have a windshield repaired. Windshield repair is often available at paint and body shops. They order the windshield for your car and replace the entire windshield. Windshield repair at a body shop is usually only for cars that have to have the entire windshield replaced. Body shops usually won’t fix dings in the windshield caused by rocks.
Windshields that have been damaged due to a rock flinging up in traffic and causing a small ding in the windshield can be repaired without having to replace the entire windshield. Windshield repair involving this type of damage can easily be done at a glass company. They have special fillers that can fill the damaged portion of the glass to where it isn't even noticeable.
Glass companies will also do another type of windshield repair. They can also replace the entire windshield for a customer, just like a body shop. Sometimes windshield repair at a glass company costs significantly less than at a body shop. Typically body shops charge more for labor than glass companies. Another disadvantage to using a body shop for windshield repair is that due to the number of cars being worked on simultaneously, a simple windshield could take a week to get fixed. At a glass company, the windshield repair is done within the same day, and usually while the customer waits.
Windshield repair is pretty costly if you happen to need the entire windshield replaced. Windshields that have only a minor damage and do not need to be completely replaced are often much cheaper than replacing the entire windshield. Windshield repair can also be covered by an insurance company for no cost at all, depending on the type of insurance the customer has and whether or not they've met the deductible. Windshield repair caused by hail damage is usually covered by the insurance company but isn't really worth it unless the entire car has been damaged, and the cost of the damage adds up to more than the deductible.
Windshield repair is fairly common, and most cars will need some type of windshield repair during the life of the vehicle. This is especially true for cars that travel long distances on highways where rocks can be flung from other vehicles. Long commutes in heavy, high speed traffic can cause multiple dents, or dings in the glass, and if these dents/dings aren't repaired they can send cracks all the way across the windshield. It is important to have rock damaged windshields repaired early to prevent further damage.