Windshield Maintenance and Repair: A guide

Windshields are prone to damage that demands proper maintenance. Car owners are required to follow some of the best practices that would help them in maintaining the windshield of their car in order to prevent any damage in the future. In case of severe issues, it is best to get in touch with professional replacement centers that provide specialized expertise for all your auto glass needs.

 

Following are some tips to ensure that the windshield is continually well-maintained:

Keep it clean 

It is important to regularly clean your windshield. They come in contact with a wide variety of objects on the daily basis. It is essential to follow the windshield cleaning routine as it will help in removing any filthy deposits and improve visibility.

Replace damaged wiper blades

It is important to replace damaged wiper blades. Looking at the possible causes of car accidents, it may not appear that the worn-out wiper blades can directly lead to such things but, defective wiper blades can affect windshields and in turn, cause accidents. Suppose you are driving during a rainstorm and the wipers on your VW Polo windscreen are not working properly. What could possibly happen? First, there would be the loss of visibility. Second, worn out wiper blades may lead to deep scratches on your windscreen.

Repair the stone chips immediately

If left untreated, stone chips can lead to considerable damage. Even though they seem minor, but if they grow any bigger, a costly replacement would certainly be needed. Chips occur when pressure is applied to the windscreen. And, if they grow into a crack, they can no longer be fixed. This would lead to a need of replacement of the windscreen. To avoid that, it is important to repair the chips.

Keep a safe distance from the car ahead

It is advisable to keep a safe distance from the car ahead of yours. If you are driving too close, your windshield is more likely to get affected by the rocks and pebbles stuck in the tires of the cars ahead of you. A direct hit from these objects would result in a chip, which if left untreated may cause severe damage to your windshield. For an instance, the windshield of your Volkswagen Polo developed a few stone chips some time ago and you left them untreated. As a result, severe cracks have developed. Now the only option left is to get your windshield replaced. You will also have to look for the best Polo windshield price and quality assistance from certified professionals. To avoid such situations, it is always better to take precautionary measures beforehand and safeguard your windshield.

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How to Determine if the Windshield needs Repair or a Replacement

A lot of factors can lead to windshield damage such as hail, storms, damaged glass, rocks, debris etc. No matter what led to the damage, it is necessary to repair the damage as soon as possible. While a small crack or a chip in your windshield doesn’t necessarily mean that your windshield must be replaced, certain cracks or chips can be dangerous enough to cause complete a breakdown of your front windshield glass. Hence, it is difficult to evaluate whether the damage on your windshield can be repaired or requires a replacement. Here are a few tips to check the same:

1. The size of the damage - generally, chips smaller than a quarter in size and cracks up to three inches long can be repaired easily. Any damage which is greater than this is usually difficult to repair and requires replacement.

2. The location of the damage - The location of the damage is also equally important to determine whether it can be fixed with a repair or not. If the damage is around the edges, it is a clear indication that the structural integrity of the windscreen is at risk. There is no option but to replace such damage as a windshield is responsible for 60 % of structural strength in case of a roll-over accident. Similarly, if the damage is in the driver’s line of sight, a replacement is necessary as a repair can distort the vision and lead to accidents.

3. The depth of the damage - A windshield is basically made up of three layers of glass - a special plastic layer sandwiched between sheets of glass. Damage that has affected only the outer layer is easy to repair; a replacement becomes inevitable for damage which is deep enough to reach both the layers.

4. The amount of damage - If there are less than 3 chips, the auto glass can be repaired. But if the number of chips exceeds 3, a replacement becomes essential. You must sustain a Ford, Toyota, Maruti or Nissan windshield replacement price in such a case.

5. The type of damage -

• Bull’s eye: - An impact point with a dark circle on the outer layer represents a bull’s eye. It can be fixed only if the damage is equal to or less than an inch without any dirt and doesn’t lie in driver’s field of vision.
• Combination break: - A combination of several different types of damages such as a star break within the bull’s eye is known as combination break. It can only be fixed if the diameter is less than two inches.
• Half-moon -  A partial bulls eye with only half circle is known as half-moon damage. It can only be repaired if the diameter is less than or equal to one inch.
• Star break: - Damage with a central impact and numerous stems forming a star is known as star break damage. It can be repaired if the diameter of the break doesn’t exceed three inches and it’s not in driver’s line of vision.
• Surface pit - A nick in the outer glass layer which doesn’t touch the inner plastic layer caused by normal wear and tear is known as surface pit. It can only be repaired if the damage is less than 1/8 inch.  A replacement becomes necessary, if the damage is extensive.

Lastly, an expert would be able to guide you better if the damage requires repair or a replacement. You ought to avail Toyota, Mahindra or Nissan car glass repair services instead of delaying it, otherwise the damage will increase and a replacement will be necessary.

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Windshield Maintenance - Second-hand Sonalika Rhino

Sonalika cars are some of the most popular vehicles in India, making them a top-choice in the second-hand market. They’re built to perform on the worst of roads, making them durable and flexible irrespective of weather conditions. Sonalika Rhinos require regular windshield maintenance, owing to the fact that they manage commercial load and are driven long distances.

As a fleet owner, if you own multiple Rhino cars, you must get ensure regular front windshield glass maintenance as it’s the most important part of the vehicle in many aspects. Not only do they provide structural protection, they also aid drivers against environmental factors. 

Accident protection

The general propensity of accidents rises as the car ages. This is especially true if the car isn’t serviced often and has a rough steering mechanism. For some of the classic models like Rhino, this means that driver protection is key. Injuries arising from accidents can be curtailed if there is regular maintenance done for all vehicles.

Second-hand vehicles have the advantage of being cost-effective, however, repairs can take a lot of time and money. That’s where some car owners might leave a few cracks as they are. This could lead to significant damage to the Sonalika windshield as cracks can get progressively larger. 

Progressive damage

As cracks and chips are left unattended, they can increase in size, dimension and depth. They can impair vision and create problems on the road for the driver. Cracks that undergo temperature fluctuations, striking debris on under-constructed roads, and sunlight UV-ray damage, can get progressively worse.

Sonalika Windshield repair is the only solution to the problem of chips. Even if windshields are manufactured to withstand high pressure, after a point their quality reduces.

Aesthetic appeal and lifespan

Second hand cars that aren’t kept in good condition tend to resell at much lower prices for obvious reasons. Rhinos that have chips or cracks on their windshield can be distasteful and not look appealing.

It’s important to get the auto glass repaired as soon as you spot burgeoning cracks from long driving sessions. You want your fleet to look the best it can, and one of the best ways to ensure that is to fix the windshield.

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