Windshield Chip

[Ed Csoltko]

We got alot of people on the roads today claiming to repare windshield chips for $35. Has anyone used them on their Cobra windshield?

I got my first chip a few days ago, and upon inspection the chip is located on the inside (between glass panels) of the glass.

Should I give these guys a chance to fix the chip, or should I go to a professional glass place to have it fixed? Or should I leave it alone?

Any recommendations on where to go would be appreciated.

[Ron61]

Ed,

I don't know about the people in Texas but I had one of the traveling chip fixers do a job on my Comet windshield a few years ago and he was right about when he got through no one would even see the chip. When he left it looked good but that night it got cold and there was no chip, just a big crack. I had to have the windshield replaced and now I go to one of the regular windshield places if I need work done. But the people there may be a lot better than this one was and the others out here may be good. That was my only experience with trying to save a few bucks doing this. Hope yours works out better.

[Mr.Fixit]

I have been amazed at the repairs dcone by a glass chip repair guy. I knew where the chip was and was still fooled until the car owner told me he had it fixed, not replaced. (on a honda, not a cobra) I have also had two windshield shops break the new glass on cobras while trying to install replacement glass on customers' cars. Neither one is a guaranteed bet. If you can get the glass repair guy to warrantee his repair for some timeframe, that is what I would do.

[cobrajeff]

I recently had a chip in the windshield of my 1957 Thunderbird repaired. It looked like somebody shot it with a BB gun - right on the side of a wrap-around windshield. A friend told me he thought that glass shops would do "chip repairs' for free. I wasn't as interested in getting it done "free", as I was in getting it done "right".

I took it to a shop, but the repair was not "free". They charged $50, but you would have a difficult time finding it, unless I told you where the chip had been. I am completely satisfied - the repair is virtually unnoticeable, and the repair cost a faction of what a new windshield would cost.

I think the way they make it "free", is to waive your deductible, and then increase the price to charge your insurance company for it. Since I have a lot of cars, and pay quite a bit in insurance premiums, I do not EVER make a claim unless it's a major catastrophe. I paid this one "out of pocket".

My gut tells me that the guy in a shop has more of the proper tools and equipment at his disposal to "do the job right" than a guy with a roving truck - just my .02 cents. (I could see risking a "mobile" repair on a daily driver, but, on your COBRA?....nahhh, not for me, anyway.....)

Regards,

Jeff Burgy

[Tongue Pirate]

I had a mobile guy fix a chip on my 59 Cad windshield. It had obviously been there for years & had yellowed inside the cracks. The guy fixed the chip but if you look close you can still see where because of the discoloration. He told me beforehand that this would be the case. I am satisfied with the job done & the guy was a true professional. So it may just really depend on the company who is doing the work.

[4RE KLR]

Ed
This is a very simple process. If you are simi talented you can go to the auto parts store and get a kit yourself. cost abot $7.00. Takes about 1/2 hour. Piece of cake man just read the directions and make sure the glass is clean and dry.

Ferrari Killer
Steve Parks

[petek]

I used one of those do-it-yourself chip repair kits on a VW Westfalia (Bus). Worked great. Took my time, read the instructions. If you didn't know where the chip had been you'd never be able to find it after the repair.

I picked up the chip on the bus windshield ... not on the trip up the Alcan from San Jose to Anchorage and back ... but the day after we got back while I was traveling down 101.

[Pete C]

Ed,
I’ve had mobile guys fix chips and I’ve taken cars in for chip repair and they both seem to do an equally good job. I prefer repair rather than glass replacement since they often leak after replacement, and it is never the fault of the repair shop. As for the Cobra, I don’t worry about leaks and the glass has always broken beyond crack/chip repair. I currently have a lexan windshield and I hate it but it has saved me a bunch of money since I had broken 3 glass windshields in 3 months before the lexan!!

Cheers, Pete

[Ed Csoltko]

My next question: It's a small internal chip between both layers of the glass near the top center of the windshield. What would happen if I just left it alone?

[Ron61]

Ed,

The glass guys will know more about this but I think I would try to have it fixed. I had a tiny chip in one of my cars with a top once and it was ok until a cold day when I turned the heater on. I was driving down the highway and heard a loud snap and there was a crack from the top where the little chip had been all the way down and across the driver's side of the windshield and I had to have it replaced. This wasn't on a Cobra, but I would think the glass might react the same way to heat and cold changes. Also if your car rides a little rough that is something else to consider. Just my guess.

[flipper35]

I've had a chip between the glas since '97 and haven't yet had any problems. When it does go bust I am buying a lexan replacement. Mine is dead center in the windshield both ways, and that may make a difference.