It is the worst when you drive down the road minding your business, and something flies at your windshield and damages it. The type of damage it receives dictates where it needs to be replaced or simply repaired. According to Insurance Journal, as many as 90% of stone breaks, such as a bullseye, in a windshield never become a floater crack. When determining what windshield replacement services you need, you must first understand the damage you have.

A Chip

A chip happens when a small rock or debris hits the windshield. This damage almost always is on the outer layer of the front windshield. This windshield is made of several panes of glass separated by plastic. The front windshield is designed not to shatter. When debris hits your windshield, tiny pieces of glass flake off.

Types of Chips

It is critical to get windshield replacement services for chips because they weaken the windshield, and cracks might form. A chip is when a small piece of glass is missing from the windshield. A bullseye is more significant than a chip and is a dark-colored circle with a hole in the middle. A half-moon is similar to a bullseye, except it is not a full circle.

Cracks

Cracks can be found in any glass on the car; however, they are most often found in the front windshield. They can occur in the laminate glass of the front windshield or the tempered glass in the back and sides. Cracks can form without any impact occurring.

Types of Cracks

Before contacting windshield replacement services, you should understand what type of crack you have. It could be an edge crack that happens within two inches from the edge of the windshield. A floater crack starts in the middle. A stress crack can occur when there is a significant fluctuation in temperature. A crack chip is a crack that you can cover with a quarter. A long crack is longer than six inches. Lastly, the star break is a series of cracks beginning from one chip. It often looks like a star.

When you have a crack or a chip, most likely, you will need windshield replacement services to repair or replace the glass. You do not want to ignore either one because they can cause weakness in your windshield and may cause more significant problems later on.