At Splashes Auto Glass in Surrey BC we continuously get phone calls from customers saying that they saw an Auto Glass commercial stating that Windshield Rock Chips are repaired at no cost to the consumer when claiming under their comprehensive insurance.

These commercials are run by a national AutoGlass chain and they advertise for all of North America. But here is Surrey, British Columbia most vehicles are insured through ICBC and ICBC does not cover the repair of Windshield Rock Chips.  ICBC did once pay for windshield chip repairs, but have since removed that coverage all together.

And most private insurance companies do not cover Windshield Rock Chip Repairs either. Although Family Insurance and Canadian Northern Shield are two private companies that come to mind who DO cover Windshield Rock Chip Repairs at no cost to the consumer when claiming under their comprehensive insurance.

If you have recently have had a rock hit your vehicle windshield, you’ll likely be on the hook for getting it repaired. If you do not get your Windshield repaired and it splits or cracks you'll have no choice but to replace the entire windshield. To my knowledge the lowest deductible available from any insurance company in BC is $200.

Therefore Windshield Rock Chip Repairs are much cheaper than a replacement and they only take about 20 minutes to complete. At Splashes in Surrey BC we guarantee our Windshield Rock Chip Repairs for LIFE and there is no appointment necessary! Should your Windshield Rock Chip ever crack or split for any reason, we will refund to you the entire amount of your windshield repair!

 

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There are two types of glass in a vehicle; tempered and laminated.

Tempered glass, otherwise known as safety glass, is so named because it is heat treated and therefore is up to four times stronger than regular glass. This heat treatment makes the glass brittle and so, when it breaks, it does so in tiny fragments.

Laminated glass is two pieces of glass that have been bonded together with a resin.  Laminated glass is only used for car and truck windshields. The laminated windshield ensures that nothing can pass through it even if the glass has been completely smashed. This is how your glass windshield is able to stop a rock traveling at 150kms. Your windshield may chip, crack or break but it will stay intact.

The strength of a car or trucks windshield is amazing. I have personally tried to kick out a properly installed windshield with both feet from the inside. I am telling you, it is not possible! I tried with two people and then resorted to a sledge hammer! It took a long time but the sledge hammer finally worked its way through the windshield. This was performed on a vehicle specifically for auto glass testing purposes! All this strength is useless if the windshield is poorly installed. Urethane is the bonding agent that attaches the windshield to a vehicle. If the glass and urethane are not properly cleaned and applied, the windshield will not have any strength. I have removed a windshield from vehicles with no more than a hard push from the inside. This is a classic example of a windshield poorly or incorrectly installed.  

If a windshield rock chip or crack is not bigger than a loony then it can be repaired. The chip, once repaired, will be nearly invisible and it won’t crack or spread. We repair a windshield chip by drilling the top or first pane of glass on the windshield with a tiny diamond drill bit. We then use equipment to inject resin into the broken pane of glass. The new resin then cures and holds the chip or crack together.

It is especially important to get a windshield chip repaired as soon as possible.  Because of temperature changes due to ambient air temp and a vehicle's heat or air conditioning, small chips can spread without warning.

The most important thing you can do to ensure the safety of your vehicle's glass is to use a reputable shop for any glass repair or replacement. A poor install can cause major problems