How to Stop a Windscreen Chip Becoming a Crack
A $120 chip repair beats an $800 windscreen — but only if you move fast. A Cranbourne West specialist explains.
First aid for a fresh chip
Keep it clean and dry — a piece of clear sticky tape over the chip (not across your vision) keeps dirt and water out of the void, which is what makes repairs invisible versus cloudy. Avoid slamming doors (pressure spikes flex the glass), blasting hot air or cold A/C at the chipped zone, and rough roads where you can.
Temperature swings are the crack-maker: a hot screen hit with cold washer fluid, or a frosty morning demist on full heat, finishes what the stone started.
Repair windows and the ADAS wrinkle
Chips smaller than a $2 coin and away from edges and the driver’s direct sightline usually repair invisibly — resin-injected in half an hour. Cracks longer than a few centimetres, edge cracks, or damage in the camera’s zone generally mean replacement — which on modern cars means ADAS recalibration too, not just glass.
Glass itself is the glazier’s trade; the calibration and roadworthy consequences are ours, and we’ll steer you right on both.
We’ll take care of it
Prefer to leave it to a specialist? We look after all of this as part of a service or a quick check — with honest advice on what your car actually needs, not what sells.
Book online in 60 seconds or call a Cranbourne West specialist on 03 8782 0711.
How to Stop a Windscreen Chip Becoming a Crack — FAQ
Tape over it (clean and dry), avoid door slams and temperature shocks — hot demist and cold washer fluid are the classic crack-makers.
Smaller than a $2 coin, away from edges and the driver’s sightline — resin repair is quick and near-invisible on a clean chip.
Long cracks, edge cracks or camera-zone damage — and modern replacements need ADAS recalibration with them.
In the driver’s vision or structurally significant — yes.
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