Stop Your Windscreen Crack From Spreading With These Tips

You’ve noticed a crack or chip in the windscreen of your car? The most important rule is: Don’t panic, or you might end up making things worse than they are. But then again, you also can’t just ignore the issue, because a tiny crack can quickly turn into a safety hazard. If you notice a crack spreading rapidly, you need to act immediately and keep a few things in mind until you get your windscreen repaired professionally.

Can You Stop A Windshield Crack From Spreading?

To answer this question, you need to evaluate the type, severity, size, and location of the crack. Anything under five to seven centimetres in length can usually be repaired unless the crack affects the driver’s line of sight or the very edges of the screen. Windshield repairs, no matter how advanced, can leave a slight distortion in the glass. This may affect your line of vision, which is not only annoying but also really dangerous.

Why you shouldn’t drive with a cracked windscreen

You may be wondering, how dangerous could it really be to drive with a crack in your windscreen? After all, if it’s only a small chip or crack, it can’t be that bad, right? Well, we should probably mention that it’s not just risky, you could also cop a hefty fine if caught driving with a crack in your windscreen. Should you be caught driving with a crack that impedes your vision, and it affects more than one layer of glass or is located in the area swept by the windscreen wipers, you might be looking at a penalty of three points and a fine, depending on where in Australia you live.

Choosing to delay the repair of your windscreen is your decision. It’s up to you how comfortable you are with delaying a windscreen repair or replacement. Windscreens are ultimately designed to protect you from debris and during collisions. A cracked windscreen creates a weak point that affects the overall structure of the car. Consequently, it is much less effective in keeping you and your passengers safe.

A cracked screen is also a lot more likely to crack and shatter upon impact and it is less likely to offer protection from debris. Keep in mind, the longer you wait to fix a broken windscreen, the more likely it is to affect more parts of the glass, which will result in higher repair costs and possibly the replacement of the entire windshield. Even small bumps in the road, reversing out of your driveway, and parking in direct sunlight can cause cracks and chips to spread beyond the point of repair.

The team at Novus Autoglass always recommends visiting a professional windscreen repair provider as soon as possible. Leaving a crack or chip in your windscreen or undertaking a DIY attempt at saving your screen, can be extremely unsafe. The following tips are meant to tide you over a day or two until you make the trip to see a windscreen repair professional.

How to stop windshield cracks from spreading

• Seek a professional windscreen repair service

Before you do anything else, we recommend speaking with a windshield repair expert first.

They have the knowledge and experience required to assess the damage and can possibly help you to temporarily repair the screen and preserve the size of the crack or chip.

It’s best to get on top of the damage without too much of a delay.

Even small cracks can impair your vision or be distracting. Not to mention that they will lower the overall strength of your windshield. The smaller a crack, the easier it usually is to repair. If you hesitate or put off seeking the help of a professional, you risk making the issue worse. Should the crack spread, it’s likely that you’ll end up having to replace the entire windscreen.

• Avoid using nail polish or superglue

We focus on educating customers about old wives tales and DIY hacks that can actually damage your car further and make repairs more costly – and sometimes even impossible.

We know you mean well, but using nail polish or super glue to fix a chipped windscreen is a recipe for disaster.

According to RAA motoring expert Mark Borlace, using nail polish on your windscreen really does sound too good to be true: “You could actually contaminate the chip and cause it to be unrepairable, so what might have been a simple repair job turns into a whole windscreen replacement.” If you’re looking to stop a crack from spreading, use clear tape instead. This will also prevent dirt from getting into the crack or chip before it gets repaired by a professional.

• Purchase a windscreen repair kit

Windscreen repair kits in Australia typically cost anywhere between $35 to $42. These kits are easy to use – which is great if you’ve never experienced a crack before and want to use something more substantial than a DIY hack like nail polish (please, don’t). In just under 20 minutes, you can have your crack temporarily fixed.

Remember these kits work the best on very small or round chips no bigger than 30mm or cracks larger than 100mm. And keep in mind, this is still just a temporary fix and you will eventually have to seek the assistance of windscreen repair professionals. Until then, a windscreen repair kit can buy you some time – as long as you also follow the rest of our tips.

• Avoid parking in direct sunlight

This might come as a surprise to you, but you’ll want to avoid parking in direct sunlight for the next day or two. Until you take your car in to see a professional windscreen repairer, the cracked screen will be sensitive to temperature changes. Heat can quickly increase the temperature inside your car whilst it’s parked, which pumps up the pressure on your windscreen.

Living in Australia means we get decent sun exposure all year round, which isn’t ideal when you’re unable to see your repair professional straight away. Make sure to park your car in the shade or even better, leave it in your garage and restrain from driving until the crack in your windshield is fixed. Novus Autoglass specialists are mobile and can come to your home or office. So there’s really no reason to put off a windscreen repair or drive around town with a cracked windshield.

With over 60 mobile Novus windscreen repair experts across Australia, our windscreen repair services are just a call away. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at 13 22 34 or make an enquiry online to get a free quote and get your windshield repaired sooner rather than later.