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<\/div><\/p>\nThis seems obvious, but it\u2019s good to know whether your windscreen damage is a chip or a crack.<\/p>\n
A windscreen chip<\/a> is a localised form of damage to the glass typically caused by the impact of a small rock or debris.\u00a0 A chip can range in size and shape and generally doesn\u2019t go beyond the first layer of glass. Whereas a windscreen crack is a more substantial and lengthier break in your glass that can happen instantly or develop over time.\u00a0 You can\u2019t miss a windscreen crack! One challenge with cracks is that once formed, they can also extend into larger damage, sometimes while you\u2019re driving, and this can be unexpected and even impair visibility.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your front windscreen is made of laminated safety glass. This type of \u201csafety\u201d glass is designed to respond to excessive amounts of force and break in a way that is \u2018safe\u2019, due to having an interlayer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) that is fused together between two sheets of glass. This flexible clear interlayer is extremely strong and will hold the glass together on impact, rather than shatter. A crack usually occurs in the top layer of glass, and not affecting the bottom layer of glass, which is protected by the strong interlayer.<\/p>\n By design, your windscreen, if it cracks, will not shatter or fall in on the car\u2019s occupants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Often, it starts with a chipped windscreen, which may seem like a mild problem in the short term.\u00a0 However, there is always the chance of the chip potentially turning into a large crack.<\/p>\n Your windscreen is a tough piece of vital glass in your vehicle, but when damaged by a chip (e.g. from a stone), it sometimes doesn\u2019t take much for that chip to expand and crack.<\/p>\n Factors that can cause a chip to crack include:<\/p>\n If this happens, the whole windscreen may need to be\u00a0replaced at a higher cost, so it\u2019s best to get on top of things. In fact, even if the damage remains as a chip but exceeds the following sizes, our technicians will need to replace the windscreen:<\/p>\n Note the Australian Standard sets out a lot more rules for when a chip should not be repaired, such as proximity to previous repairs, maximum repairs in areas of the windscreen, and smaller sizes of chips of certain shapes, as well as when the chip damages both sides of the glass plus a few other things. Our expert technicians can advise you if your chip can be repaired once they\u2019ve assessed the damage.<\/p>\n What happens if your windscreen cracks while you are driving (which, let\u2019s face it, almost always happens)?\u00a0 What do you do then?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apart from the inconvenience and extra cost, getting a crack in your windscreen will not mean you have to stop driving your car necessarily.<\/p>\n Every windscreen crack is different, no one is the same.\u00a0 They can be across the whole screen or just a section.<\/p>\n The most important thing to remember is that your windscreen is designed to crack and remain in place (and not fall in or out).\u00a0 So, if the crack\/damage doesn\u2019t interfere and obscure your visibility while driving (that is, the crack is directly in front of the driver\u2019s critical vision area), and you feel safe to drive, you can still drive your car.<\/p>\n PLEASE NOTE:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As mentioned above, cracks happen! Here\u2019s what to do if you get one in your windscreen.<\/p>\n 1. Assess the damage <\/strong><\/p>\n If the crack has happened while driving on a road trip, and you feel safe to drive, and the crack is not obscuring the driver\u2019s vision in any way, you can still drive your vehicle.<\/p>\n We recommend stopping at a safe and secure location, to fully assess the damage on the windscreen and the rest of the vehicle before continuing. If you don\u2019t feel you can drive your car safely with the cracked windscreen, our mobile windscreen service may be able to get to you.<\/p>\nMore about your windscreen glass<\/h2>\n
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<\/div><\/p>\nSo, what causes a crack?<\/h2>\n
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My windscreen just cracked \u2013 can I still drive?<\/h2>\n
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Steps to take to fix a crack in your windscreen.<\/h2>\n