How to Repair a Clamshell Chip in Windshield

A clamshell chip in a car windshield looks just as it sounds. A small shell like indentation in a windshield causes both limited vision and a distracting obstruction. Below are instructions on how to repair a clamshell chip using professional glazing equipment.

Instructions

1

Use a small drill tool such as the kind used in hobby work to shade in the interior of the clamshell chip. This is a soft circular motion to even out the indentation. The surface of the glass will feel rough to the touch when you are finished.

2

Apply a sufficient amount of resin into the indentation to an even level. Use a dabbing motion to avoid spilling out too much. This glass resin is available at department stores or online.

3

Apply a sufficient amount of pit resin over the top of the resin in Step 2.

4

Place the resin patch that comes with the resin over the top of the clamshell chip. Push it down gently to balance out all the resin and mixing the two types of resin together in the process.

5

Allow resin to cure (in accordance with the instructions on the back of the packet) before scraping off with a small clean razor blade. Be sure to push along and not into the glass as you remove the resin from the surface.

6

Wipe across the surface of the now smooth and level glass surface with a little window cleaner and a soft cloth. This should remove any remaining resin residue.

7

Polish the glass either by hand or with a polishing tool to finish off the repair.

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How to Fix a Windscreen Chip

A chipped windscreen, or windshield, can be more than an annoyance. If not promptly repaired, the chip can widen into a crack that threatens the structural integrity of your windshield. If the damage impairs your view of the road, it can even be illegal to drive that car until the windshield is fixed. Some chips can be repaired at home, but others are best addressed by a professional.

Instructions

1

Check to see if windshield repair is covered by your auto insurance policy. Its cheaper to have a damaged windshield repaired than to replace it entirely, so insurers are therefore more likely to cover repairs.

2

Buy a do-it-yourself injection kit from an auto supply shop. An injection kit has a tube of clear resin and a syringe; you clean all glass fragments from the chip, inject the resin into the chip with the syringe, and let the sun dry and harden the resin, which is formulated to be undetectable when dry. This kind of repair works best on small chips, not cracks.

3

Buy a bridge-style repair kit if you have many chips to repair, or anticipate future repairs. These kits differ from the syringe kits in that syringe kits are single-use, and the sturdier bridge kits can be refilled and reused. These are the kits preferred by professionals, though they can be somewhat more expensive than single-use kits.

4

Admit the truth if your windshield is too far gone for home repair. If the chip has widened into a large crack, has branched out into "spider legs" or is otherwise growing, take it to the shop.

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