5 Common Types of Windshield Damage You Must Never Ignore

A perfectly installed and working windshield offers optimal protection to you, your passengers, and other road users. It also ensures maximum structural integrity for your vehicle, keeping it in perfect shape for optimal performance.

However, your windshield can also be the most vulnerable part of your car, exposing you and your passengers to unprecedented danger. The risk is even higher if the windshield is already showing some signs of weakness. Below, we’ll look at five common types of windshield damage you should never ignore, and if possible, get to the mechanic immediately when you spot them.

A Chip or Crack on Your Driving Side

These chips or cracks might be too small to notice, but since they’re on your driving side, they’re too dangerous to ignore. Besides posing risks to your car’s structural integrity, the cracks and chips in a driver’s line of sight can also cause obstruction, leading to collisions and crashes. The slightest obstruction on the road can divert your attention, exposing you to any danger that might be lying in wait.

To ensure safety, always inspect your car’s windscreen to confirm it’s clear without the slightest cracks and chips. If you find any, verify with a windshield repair checker if it’s a crack or chip you can fix alone or seek professional help. Regardless of the repair path you take, ensure you don’t drive the car until it’s properly fixed and safe.

Edge Cracks

An edge crack forms at or inches away from the edge of your car’s windshield. They typically develop as a result of excessive pressure around your windshield’s perimeter and can extend up to 12 inches from the edge. Like the bullseye crack, edge cracks can also expand or worsen due to increasing pressure or impact.

Taking your car to a technician as soon as you notice the edge crack can help you save the cost of replacing the entire windshield. Smaller edge cracks can easily be repaired if they are noticed early before spreading to a larger screen section.

Once at the garage, always confirm that the person handling your windshield repair or replacement is experienced. Just like you don’t let any driver drive your car, don’t let an amateur fix your windshield.

Bullseye Cracks

If you’ve scored the bullseye on a dartboard before or watched someone do it on TV, you perfectly understand what a bullseye crack looks like. This type of crack forms when your windshield receives a direct hit from an object, leaving cracks spreading out from a central point in a circular formation. A crack of this magnitude should never be ignored, as it can quickly develop into a bigger crack due to additional impact or pressure, leading to more damage.

Depending on the magnitude of the impact, the crack can be repaired, or you might have to replace the entire windshield. Your technician should advise you on the next course of action, but you should already know what to expect before they even review it. A crack not larger than an inch in diameter can be repaired. However, larger damages, especially those on the driver’s line of sight, would mean replacing the entire windshield.

Floater Cracks

While they look exactly like edge cracks, floater cracks differ because they appear at least two inches from the edge and are not as close to the perimeter as edge cracks are. The risk with floater cracks is that they can spread faster, posing more risk to your windshield and, ultimately, your safety. You can minimize the spread of the crack by protecting your car from dramatic fluctuations in temperature.

You may repair a floater crack only if it’s six inches and below. Anything above that would mean budgeting for a new glass for your windshield. If you have a floater crack extending across most of your windshield glass, it’s crucial you get quick help to minimize the risks.

Combination Breaks

Sometimes, single, separate cracks might not be enough to get your attention, so they come into two, joining to form a combination break. As the name suggests, a combination break is when two different types of windscreen chips or cracks occur on the windshield and combine to form a bigger crack.

For instance, you can have a combination break when a floater crack and an edge crack combine. Depending on the size of each crack, the magnitude of the resultant combined break can severely impact your car’s windshield integrity. Once it gets to a combination break, chances of repair are usually slim. You’ll more often have to plan for a complete replacement.

If you’ve encountered windshield damage, it’s essential you address it immediately or stop driving the car until you can fix the problem. Driving a car with a cracked or chipped windshield is a risk you’re too valuable to take. Remember, your safety on the road always begins with you.