You know the feeling. You're driving down the road with your clear and unblemished windshield when the tire of the car in front of you spits out one tiny rock that smashes into your windshield like a mini bullet. Now you're faced with a choice. You can drive to the nearest professional windshield repair shop to prevent bigger cracks later on or you can go to the nearest auto parts store and pick up a DIY windshield repair kit. But is one option really better than the other? Here are the pros and cons of choosing professional windshield repair.
PROS
A Job Done Right
Even though it may seem like you can save quite a bit of money with a DIY windshield repair kit, you might end up spending more. That's because repairing rock chips can be tricky. Professionals have done the job over and over again and have the experience and know-how to do it right. With a DIY kit, you're using your own vehicle as a test case and if anything goes wrong, you may end up spending more money to fix your mistake.
Know If It's Fixable
There are only certain types of rock chips that can be repaired. Professionals that specialize in windshield repair know exactly what types of problems can be repaired and those that can't be fixed and therefore will necessitate windshield replacement. Do you? If you don't, you may be out the cost of the kit and still have a problematic windshield that needs to be replaced.
Best Materials
DIY repair kits are made to be cheaper than professional repair work and in order to make that possible, the manufacturers of the DIY kits must use cheaper products than the professionals in order to come in at the desired price tag. With a professional repair job, your windshield will be repaired with the highest quality materials available.
CONS
Price
The only reason that someone would opt for a DIY kit over a professional repair is the price tag. DIY kits are available for much less than the average price of professional windshield repair—at least for the materials. You can expect to pay between $10 and $15 for the average kit, whereas a professional windshield repair can cost between $60 and $150, depending on the type of windshield and the type of chip. What's not included in the price of a DIY kit is your labor and frustration in performing the repair yourself. Keep in mind, you might also have the type of chip that's not repairable.
Contact an auto glass repair service to learn more.
Did you know that until the 1500s, most glass that was made had a cloudy look? Clear, colorless glass wasn't invented until the 1500s, and it didn't become popular until the 1700s when people started using it for windows. Clear glass is very common today, but not all of our glass is clear. We also use a good amount of colored glass and clouded glass as a population. And glass has a wider array of uses than ever before. There are entire buildings made from glass, marbles and other toys made from glass, and even fake eyeballs made from this hard material. Learn more about glass as you peruse this website, which we hope serves as an excellent resource.