Windshield Chip and Crack Repair in Flagstaff, AZ
You heard the pop on I-40, and now there is a small star or bullseye in your glass. In Flagstaff, that little chip is on a clock. The freeze and thaw cycle at 7,000 feet works on it every single night. Repaired early, a chip is a quick, lower cost fix. Ignored, it usually becomes a crack that needs a whole new windshield.
Call (928) 615-6391Describe the chip and get an honest answer
Why Chips Spread So Fast in Flagstaff
A rock chip is a small break in the outer layer of your windshield. What turns it into a crack is stress, and Flagstaff supplies stress daily. Winter nights freeze the glass and the moisture inside the chip. Sunny afternoons and a hot defroster warm it back up. Each cycle flexes the break a little farther. Add the vibration of cinder covered roads and railroad crossings, and a chip that looked stable on Monday can be a six inch crack by Friday.
The volcanic cinders the city spreads for winter traction are the main chip maker here, along with gravel thrown by trucks on I-40 and I-17. During ski season and summer Grand Canyon traffic, more cars and more grit mean more chips.
What Can Be Repaired, and What Cannot
Usually repairable
- Chips about the size of a quarter or smaller.
- Short cracks, generally under a few inches, that have not reached the edge of the glass.
- Damage that is not directly in the driver's main line of sight.
- Chips that are fairly fresh, before dirt and moisture work deep into the break.
Usually replacement
- Cracks that reach the edge of the windshield.
- Long cracks, or several cracks spreading from one impact.
- Damage right in front of the driver, where a repair leaves a visible mark in the view of the road.
- Damage over a camera or sensor area where clarity matters for the system to work.
If your damage lands in the second list, our windshield replacement page explains what that job involves. We would rather tell you the truth on the phone than sell you a repair that will not hold.
How a Chip Repair Works
The damaged spot is cleaned and dried, then a clear resin is drawn into the break under vacuum and pressure so it fills the cracks radiating from the impact. The resin is cured with ultraviolet light and the surface is leveled and polished. The goal is structural: restore the strength of the glass and stop the damage from spreading. A repaired chip usually stays faintly visible as a small mark, and we will tell you that up front. What it should not do anymore is grow.
Most repairs take about half an hour, and our mobile service can often do them where the car is parked, at home, at work, or in a hotel lot while you visit the Grand Canyon.
What To Do Right After a Chip Happens
- Put a small piece of clear tape over the chip if you can. It keeps out water and dirt, and clean chips repair better.
- Go easy on the defroster. Blasting hot air on cold, chipped glass can run the crack while you watch.
- Avoid slamming doors with the windows up. The pressure pulse stresses the glass.
- Do not pour hot water on a frozen windshield, ever. It is a common Flagstaff way to turn a chip into a full crack.
- Call soon. In a Flagstaff winter, sooner really does mean cheaper.
Insurance note: Many comprehensive policies cover chip repair, and Arizona drivers who chose zero deductible glass coverage often pay nothing out of pocket for it. Coverage depends on your policy, so check our insurance page or call and we will help you verify it before any work starts.
Got a Chip? Get It Looked at Before the Next Cold Night
Tell us the size of the damage and where it sits on the glass. We will tell you whether it can be repaired.