Home » Blog » How to protect your windshield from stones
Most experienced drivers have encountered various types of windshield damage. Even small stones and pieces of hard soil that fly out from under the wheels of the car in front at high speed lead to an unexpected violation of integrity. Cracks also appear in other situations, for example as a result of a road accident. In these cases, windshield repair becomes a must. It is necessary not only to improve the appearance of the car. Repair and preventive measures do not allow damage to increase in size, as often happens under the influence of external factors. After all, if you leave a crack unattended, in a couple of months it will increase in size tens of times. We'll tell you how you can protect your windshield from stones and protect yourself from damage and unnecessary expenses.
Installing a protective film
ClearPlex film is designed to protect against common road hazards. This is an American development designed to protect glass from chips, cracks, scratches, and combined defects. The transparent polymer film absorbs the impact force if a stone flies. The glass surface is not damaged. A small mark may remain on the film itself. But the glass will survive, and this is the meaning of the technology.
Due to its properties, the film provides a number of advantages:
- maintains transparency up to 99%;
- protects against ultraviolet radiation;
- reflects infrared radiation;
- does not deform, fits correctly when pasting;
- strengthens the windshield;
- prevents peeling;
- reliably protects against gravel on roads.
When deciding how to protect your windshield from chips, contact a car repair shop. Even the most modern and easy-to-use materials have nuances in application or installation.
Work performed using professional equipment is covered by a guarantee. This means that for at least a year you will have the right to rework or reimbursement for defects if they arise due to poor quality workmanship or poor material.
Do two things: protect the glass with film
Unlike driving style, this measure will reduce the consequences of hitting a pebble. Of course, no film can save you from the consequences of hitting a cobblestone, but modern impact films can withstand impacts from most stones, including sandblasting, gravel and crushed stone.
However, when booking glass you need to consider a couple of points:
- Only expensive films really work
- the film does not stretch and applying it so that it fits perfectly on the glass requires skill and time, so you won’t be able to achieve the desired effect yourself
- The main function of the film is to protect, not decorate, the glass; therefore, depending on the glass model, there may be technological cutouts on the film.
- The film is erased by the wipers, so after 6-12 months the protection should be renewed. The good news is that this is better than rubbing the glass with brushes - but it remains fine.
Reserving glass is definitely worth it for car owners who want to keep their expensive original glass intact and safe and avoid replacing the glass at a service center at all costs.
Also, glass armor will help those drivers who regularly drive on bad roads or have already “caught” pebbles with glass to feel more confident.
Installation of armored glass
Are you wondering how to protect your windshield from stones more reliably? Armored glass ensures complete safety for the driver and passengers. It protects not only from stones of any size, but also from bullets. The design consists of numerous layers of glass bonded together with a polymer film or photo-curable synthetic substance. The minimum glass thickness is 10 mm. It can be thicker, but in this case transparency suffers. Special chemical additives help improve transparency characteristics. In general, an armored windshield does not differ in appearance from a regular one.
Do three: be a pessimist
How the glass will survive a shock, if it does happen, depends on many factors. Here is the place of contact of the stone with the glass, and the force of the impact, and the speed and trajectory of the stone. As well as the quality and strength of the auto glass itself, the angle of its installation, the condition and age of the glass itself.
To prevent the glass from breaking due to a small pebble, “treat” the glass in a timely manner, repair small chips and cracks on the surface.
Always carry tape with you to seal the chip that appears and quickly take the car to a glass repair service: this increases the likelihood of saving the part.
If the glass needs to be replaced with a new one after encountering a stone, choose a part taking into account the roads you drive on: some manufacturers make stronger glass or, conversely, softer glass.
Find out how to choose reliable glass for your car here.
How to behave on the road so that you don’t need auto glass repair
If you have to drive on a rough road or there are potholes on the highway from time to time, avoid driving recklessly. The greater the distance between cars and the lower the speed in potentially dangerous places, the less likely it is that crushed stone will fly onto the windshield.
To protect your glass from cracks on winter roads, beware of cars with ice build-ups on the body. The stuck pieces of ice also fall off, flying into the cars behind. Ice floes are not inferior to stones in hardness and are also quite capable of ruining the appearance if hit accurately.
Exercise extreme caution on sections of the route marked with a repair sign. There the prospect of “catching a stone” is much higher.
Try to avoid potholes and pits in all situations, but at the same time monitor the situation on the road so that as a result of your maneuvers you do not create an emergency situation for nearby cars.
Even if your windshield breaks at speed, don't panic. In most cases, triplex is placed in front, which does not fill the interior with small fragments, but remains connected to the last by the inner film. Turn on the emergency lights, reduce speed, pull to the side of the road.
What to do if a stone breaks the windshield of your car?
This situation is a traffic accident and the important first action is to stop and turn on your hazard lights. You should also try to inform the driver whose vehicle caused such trouble about the incident. At the very least, it is important to remember the number, make and model of the car. It is best to save the recording on the DVR so that the court has grounds to blame the second participant in the incident in the future. The procedure is as follows:
- You should call the traffic police squad to the scene of the accident and complete the registration in accordance with all the rules, this will help you in the future to repair the glass in your car at no expense and receive compensation;
- if the cause of the trouble is the poor condition of the road, it is also important to call the road service specialists so that they sign the protocol (they will pay for the repairs);
- after completing all the paperwork, it is important to submit documents to the court on time and request compensation from the culprit, so as not to deplete your budget by purchasing a new windshield;
- if you have CASCO insurance, it is also important to submit all documents to the insurance company on time; sometimes the MTPL insurer of the driver at fault for the accident will pay for the repairs;
- if the case is not properly documented, there will be no talk of any compensation, since insurers use every opportunity to save money and not pay it to you.
Insurers in Russia are not used to paying for such incidents, but proper registration will help you claim the money you are entitled to and have your car repaired at the expense of the insurance company. In extreme cases, the payer will be the company that maintains the road. But it is worth considering one unpleasant fact - you will have to wait quite a long time for the arrival of road service specialists. So far this service in Russia leaves much to be desired. If you leave the scene of the accident, it is better not to report the damage at all.
How does glass repair work?
If there is damage, the glass must be repaired or replaced. The closer the defect is to the edge, the higher the likelihood that the glass will break in the next traffic accident. A crack that has formed at the edge, even after repair, will most likely “run” further.
Preliminary repairs of glass chips are carried out immediately after they occur. You, of course, will not be able to completely eliminate the defect, but you will prevent the cracks from spreading on the sides. The chip must be sealed with tape. This will protect it from dirt and road dust, and also partially stabilize the damage. If you are still traveling far, you can seal the chip with sealant, but it will take 12 hours for complete hardening. High-quality repairs, especially large cracks, can only be carried out in a car service center.
Our addresses
- Auto glass on Ryabinovaya
, Moscow, st. Ryabinovaya, 65 District: Ochakovo-Matveevskoe (JSC) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 985 714-70-01 - Auto glass on Dybenko
, Moscow, st. Dybenko, 7/1 District: Khovrino (SAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Silikatny
Moscow, 3rd Silikatny proezd, 8 District: Khoroshevo-Mnevniki (SZAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Osennyaya
, Moscow, st. Osennyaya, 35 c3 District: Krylatskoye (ZAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 985 714-70-01 - Auto glass on Vasily Petushkov
Moscow, st. Vasily Petushkova, 3 District: Yuzhnoye Tushino (SZAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Dmitrovsky
Moscow, Dmitrovskoe highway, 110 B District: Dmitrovsky (SAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 985 714-70-01 - Auto glass on Leningradka
Moscow, Leningradsky Prospekt, 37 c6 District: Begovoi (SAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Skolkovsky
Moscow, Skolkovskoe highway, no. 33 b1 District: Mozhaisky (ZAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 985 714-70-01 - Auto glass on Leninsky
Moscow, Leninsky Prospekt, 127 bldg. District: Teply Stan (South-Western Administrative District) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Anokhina
Moscow, Akademika Anokhina, 2 k9 District: Troparevo-Nikulino (ZAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 985 714-70-01 - Auto glass on Mnevniki
Moscow, Nizhnie Mnevniki, 13a District: Khoroshevo-Mnevniki (SZAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 985 714-70-01 - Auto glass on Lipetskaya
, Moscow, st. Lipetskaya, 27 District: Biryulyovo Vostochnoye (Southern Administrative District) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Orekhovoy
Moscow, Orekhovy passage, 11 District: Zyablikovo (Southern Administrative Okrug) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01 - Auto glass on Belomorskaya
Moscow, Belomorskaya st., 40 building 2 District: Khovrino (SAO) daily from 09:00 to 19:00 8 495 664-68-01
The main advantages of athermal film
Such coatings have many important advantages:
- Transparency. Unlike conventional tinting, athermal film practically does not impair the light transmittance of car windows. The materials reduce illumination in the car interior by only 10-25%, while with dense tinting less than 50% of visible light penetrates into the interior. Such coatings are practically invisible from the outside.
- Durability. The warranty period for materials is 1 year, but in practice the products last much longer. Under optimal operating conditions and proper gluing, their service life can be counted for decades.
- Quick gluing. Professional craftsmen complete full wrapping of windshields, rear and door windows of cars in 2-3 hours. It is worth considering that amateur performance is categorically unacceptable: having saved a thousand rubles on the services of professionals, you can spoil the material for 15-20 thousand rubles, and also spend the whole day without achieving the desired result.
- Safety. Athermal film, glued to the windshield, rear or side windows of a car, holds sharp fragments when they break. This allows you to minimize the severity of injuries and wounds that may occur as a result of an accident.
