5 Causes of Cracked Car Glass and How to Fix It

Have you ever experienced a cracked car window? The presence of cracks in the windshield should not be ignored. If not addressed immediately, the crack has the potential to expand and become dangerous.

You may not know what triggers the crack in the windshield. Sometimes, there are certain factors that are not easy to see, but can affect the condition of your windshield.

There Are Various Possible Causes of Cracked Car Windows

There are several conditions that can cause cracked car windows. Usually, these causative factors include the following:

1. Poor Glass Quality

Sometimes, cracks can occur because the quality of the windshield is really bad. Low-quality windshield will be easily damaged, even when hit by a single blow.

Usually, a car with poor glass quality is a car with a fairly cheap price. The higher the price of a car, the more guaranteed the quality of the materials.

2. Hot Temperature

Keep in mind, extreme heat can also cause car windows to crack. Especially if the car is used under the hot sun for a long time.

Not only that, sudden changes in temperature can also cause damage to the windshield. For example, when a car has been exposed to high temperatures for a long time, then suddenly it is brought into a building with very cold air temperatures.

3. Falling Objects from Trees

If you've ever parked your car under a tree, the windshield may have been cracked by a hard object falling from the tree. For example, if your car fell on a sharp branch or dried and hardened fruit.

As much as possible avoid parking the car under a tree, especially if the tree looks heavy and large.

4. Sunshine

Sunlight is one of the most common causes of damage to car windows. Sunlight can expose it to extreme heat, causing the outer edges of the glass to expand faster than the center of the glass.

To avoid cracked car windows due to excessive sun exposure, try to always park the car in a shady place or in a building.

5. Accident

Of course, accidents can also damage the windshield. In fact, not only car windows, accidents can cause severe damage to various other car parts.

In particular, if the collision occurs from the side, then the windshield cracks are more likely to occur. However, that does not mean that a collision from the front or rear does not have the potential to cause damage to the car's windshield.

How to Fix a Cracked Car Glass

You may have made efforts to prevent car glass, but cracks still occur unavoidably. If you have this, the only way that can be done is to take care. So, how do you fix a cracked car window?

1. Clean the Glass

First of all, you have to clean the windshield first. The goal is that you can make repairs to the glass without causing dirt or dust to enter the car.

This is especially true if the crack occurs as a result of an accidental impact or a fall from hard objects. Of course, you need to remove dirt and objects that cause glass damage first before proceeding to the glass repair process.

In addition to cleaning with water, you can also use nail polish remover to clean car windows.

2. Patching with Glass Liquid

If the damage is not too fatal, you don't need to completely replace the windshield with a new one. Simply patch the cracked part of the glass by injecting glass liquid.

But, to do so, the windshield needs to be drilled first to make holes where the glass liquid can enter. After that, the new glass liquid is injected and wait for about 30 minutes.

3. Flatten the Glass

Cracked car windows that have been patched need to be leveled. After waiting for 30 minutes, the equalization process is carried out by using a layer of film.

After that, the glass will be heated with UV light. The goal is that the liquid glass used for patching can blend with other parts of the glass, so that the glass can be reused.

4. Replace the Glass with a New One

The previous methods can only be done if the cracks in the glass are not too fatal. But, if the glass damage is very severe, then the only way that can be done is to replace the car glass with new glass.

Fatal damage is indicated by cracks in the glass whose length is approximately more than 5 cm. Cracks that are too long have the potential to break when you try to fill them with liquid glass.

Why Is It Necessary to Repair a Cracked Car Glass?

If the windshield damage is left alone, it will be dangerous when used for driving. Cracks in the windshield over time have the potential to cause negative impacts such as the following:

Disturbing Vision While Driving

Cracks in the windshield can reflect light into the eyes, making it difficult for you to see the road properly when driving. Of course, this is dangerous, because maximum vision while driving is very important.

Officer Ticketed

In some cases, a very visible crack in the windshield can result in your car being ticketed by a police officer. Because cracked car windows are considered as something dangerous and should not be used for driving.

Increase the Risk of Accident Severity

During an accident, the windshield also acts as a protector so that the impact experienced by passengers is not too severe. However, if the windshield is cracked, then even a small impact can make the glass completely shatter, so the impact of the accident is even worse.

Repair Car Glass Damage with Insurance

The cost of repairing car glass may seem burdensome, especially if the damage is very severe. But, as long as you have car insurance, you don't have to worry about these costs.

Car insurance can help you pay for car maintenance funds, including when the windshield is damaged. That way, you will not be burdened with expensive maintenance costs.

Even though the current condition of the car is still good, you should start insuring your car from now on. This is an anticipatory effort to deal with unexpected events in the car, for example when the car is badly damaged.

Calculate the amount of car insurance premiums here.