Make sure the company you go to follows the standards of the ANSI (or American National Standard Institute) for auto glass replacement. The specialist should use the latest in adhesives for their windshield installations. One of the newer ones only has a one-hour dry time before you can drive away. Using the latest in materials insures that you new windshield will be up to modern safety standards.
Getting a windshield replacement is very common on most vehicles you have had for any length of time. A rock even accidently hitting a windshield can cause it to crack or even break. If you don't have the windshield replaced at this point you could have further damage to it and even the car. If the crack or break goes clear through then when it rains in could leak into the car. This is not a bad expense if you have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance, especially if you don't have a deductible.
Most windshields only take about 30 minutes or so to install. You may have to wait on the seal to set a bit before you can drive it though. This will insure that it does not shift out of place while you are driving home. It is well worth doing to protect your car from further damage too.
We rarely stop and think about how cracks and chips out of glass can turn into bigger problems. Well they can and often do when left alone. This can be dangerous if it is on the windshield, because it could affect you seeing to drive. A small chip or ding can turn into a large crack just by normal vibrations the car goes through while going down the road.
Also warm and cold weather can have an effect on the glass on your car too. The heat in warm weather can even make the windshield change a bit in shape and cause a crack to happen. Also the AC in the car running may also affect the windshield the same way. Warm weather makes the chips turn into cracks that go in a vertical direction though more than horizontal.
The cold brings on changes to the windshield too. These changes can cause the chips to go into cracks in a more horizontal direction. The amount of times this happens depends on how cold it gets though. The cracking increases the colder it gets.
So when you first notice a chip in the windshield you should have it taken care of immediately. Sometimes a chip can be repaired before it spreads. This will save you having to have auto glass replacement done to begin with. So be watchful over the condition of the glass in your car and try to catch problems early.
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