A properly installed and perfectly fine windshield keeps the structural integrity of your car or SUV intact. But if the automotive glass sustains damage, your safety on the road is compromised. That is why you should never drive around with a chipped or cracked windshield, as doing so can lead to dangerous consequences. Many car owners and drivers neglect windshield damage, if the damage is too small. However, you should never ignore a broken windshield, whether the damage is trivial or severe. No auto glass damage is too small. There are different types of windshield damages, and each of these should be taken seriously. The sooner you get the crack repaired or the entire glass replaced, the safer you will be.

If you live in the Portland Metro Area, SIR Auto Glass is the ideal destination to fix a broken windshield. Given below are seven types of windshield glass damages that you can’t and shouldn’t ignore at any cost.

No matter how small, any windshield damage located directly in the driver’s line of vision is a serious damage. Chips or cracks located on the driver’s side of the front automotive glass can prove to be dangerous, if not repaired quickly. You may think that it is only a trivial chip or crack, but it can obstruct your view of the road and crashes and collisions may happen as a result.

When you are driving on the road, you will never want to have the slightest obstruction of view. Even if your view gets obstructed for a split second, anything can happen on the road. A lot of car accidents just because of an obstructed view, particularly along the driver’s line of sight. If your windshield has sustained a chip or crack in this crucial part of the windshield, you should never waste a minute. This is a type of damage that you can’t really afford to ignore. Moreover, these kinds of obstructions will be found by the patrol office and you will be issued a ticket for the same. Each state has some laws relating to windshield damage and how it affects the view. You should always abide by the laws in your state to stay safe.

If you do not want to compromise your safety on the road and avoid violating windshield laws, head straight to SIR Auto Glass for a thorough inspection of your automotive glass damage and its repair or replacement.

One of the most common but serious windshield damages is an edge crack. It is known as an edge crack because of their location, that is near the edge of the glass. It is either located within two inches of the edge of the car window glass or it may begin near the edge and extend up to the edge.

It is crucial to keep in mind that edge cracks will easily worsen or extend due to impact or pressure. In some cases, even a small amount of pressure can make these cracks worse. Though many edge cracks can be repaired, severe ones are irreparable. If a repair is not possible, you will need to go for complete auto glass replacement. That is why you should never delay getting in touch with one of the auto glass services in or near your location. You should never let an amateur or an inexperienced person carry out the job. Always seek the help of a highly experienced technician so that he can fix the edge cracks with a high level of accuracy while restoring the clarity of vision and the structural integrity of the vehicle.

A technician will be able to repair a minor edge crack. But if the crack is more than six inches long, he will go for auto glass installation. Whichever is the ideal solution, you should get the problem fixed quickly.

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A star break is exactly like its name suggests. It appears like starburst, a central impact point and several tentacle-like cracks originating from it. These types of windshield damage take a toll on the structural strength of the vehicular frame. As long as you leave it unrepaired, your safety on the road remains compromised. You should never ignore windshield star breaks.

The diameter of a star break can be up to one inch or more. If it is less than one inch, the technician will be able to repair the damage. Star breaks of diameters measuring more than one inch cannot be repaired. It is important to not let the damage worsen or else, an auto window replacement will be unavoidable. The location of a star break is also a crucial concern. If it is located directly along the driver’s line of vision, an auto glass repair will not do the job. In order to restore clarity of vision and restore the structural strength, the technician will go for a car windshield replacement. If your windshield has this type of damage, you should reach out to one of our specialists at SIR Auto Glass, which operates in areas such as Portland, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Gresham, Oregon City, Wilsonville etc.

You must have seen a dartboard bullseye. This type of auto glass damage looks exactly like that. It happens due to the direct impact of an object and has a circular pattern. These cracks should never be ignored, as they can quickly worsen from additional pressure or impact.

Whether or not a bull’s eye crack can be repaired depends on a thorough review of the damage by an experienced technician. If the damage is one inch or less in diameter, you should expect it to be repaired. But if the crack lies in the driver’s line of sight, the entire windshield will need replacement. If the crack is minor, you should not waste a minute in reaching out to a car glass repair company. If a bull’s eye crack is left unrepaired, it can easily expand and worsen. A severe bull’s eye crack will be extremely difficult to repair. Even if the technician manages to somehow repair it, the structural strength will remain compromised.

That is why you should always get these cracks checked by specialists and do exactly as he recommends. All reliable auto glass services follow a repair-first policy. This means you don’t have to worry about repairs and replacements. The technician will do what is best for your road safety.

These cracks have a similar appearance to that of edge cracks. The only difference is that these cracks are not located near the perimeter of the windshield glass. Instead, these happen at around two inches from the edge. As soon as your windshield develops this type of crack, you should be careful not to spread it any further. The very first thing you should do to not let the damage worsen is protect your car or SUV against dramatic fluctuations in the temperature.

The lengths of all floater cracks are not the same. Some are shorter in length whereas others are large. Only minor floater cracks can be repaired. If these cracks are more than six inches in length, repairing it will be impossible. In that case, a windshield glass replacement will be necessary.

In particular, floater cracks that extend across most of your windshield glass are very dangerous. You cannot afford to ignore such types of car glass damages, as ignoring them can lead to severe consequences.

You are driving on the road and you see a crack appear on the windshield glass, all of a sudden while you did absolutely nothing to cause this damage. Such a crack is referred to as a stress crack.

No flying object needs to hit your windscreen to cause a stress crack. These types of windshield cracks occur due to the surrounding environmental conditions. If you are driving in certain conditions that your windshield glass finds hard to tolerate, the side effects will appear in the form of cracks. Key factors that can lead to stress cracks in the automotive glass include sudden fluctuation in the surface temperature of the car window glass, vehicular vibrations and misalignment of the auto glass. This means these types of cracks are not under your control, nor is there anything you can do to prevent this kind of auto glass damage.

You will never know when stress cracks may appear on your windscreen. Unlike other types of damages, these cracks are often covered by many insurance plans. To find out whether your auto insurance provides coverage for stress cracks, you should get in touch with your insurance company.

Again, you should act immediately if stress cracks appear on your windshield. Any delay will only worsen the problem more.

You can probably guess it from the name. Combination breaks refer to a combination of two different types of windshield cracks or chips. These chips and cracks are usually connected with each other, hence the name. This type of damage can’t be ignored and you should get it fixed fast.

An example of this type of damage is a combination of a bull’s eye and an edge crack. Since these two cracks are connected with each other, the damage will look severe and impact the structural strength in a significant manner. Most combination breaks can’t be repaired. However, this does not mean you will let the repair or replacement wait. In fact, you should quickly get in touch with a skilled technician and ask for a thorough review of the glass damage. You should never drive around with this type of windshield damage, as it can jeopardize your safety. If you don’t have enough time to go to an auto glass repair service center, you should avail yourself of mobile auto glass repair and mobile windshield replacement.

At SIR Auto Glass, we provide on-site auto glass repair and auto glass replacement for busy professionals and clients. If you are in search of a mobile glass service, reach out to us in the Portland Metro Area.

As a car owner, it is your responsibility to keep your windshield in an excellent condition. If your windshield is perfect, you will stay safe on the road against a wide range of external elements as well as fatal injuries during a crash or collision. Not all kinds of windshield damages can be prevented. But you can prevent many of them by following some useful tips and guidelines.

Many windshield chips and cracks happen when the car or SUV is running at high speeds. Even if a small object hits the auto glass at high speed, it will cause serious damage to the glass. So, the first thing you should do is drive slowly and carefully, particularly during bad weather. Avoid roads that are uneven and poorly lit to reduce the chances of getting car glass damage. When you drive on the road or highway, you should maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. If you always drive too close, there are chances that the tires of the other vehicles will pick up stone or pebbles and these will come flying on to your windscreen.

Do not drive your car or SUV over debris, gravel or small rocks. Also, you should make it a habit to park your vehicle indoors to protect the windshields against temperature fluctuations and flying objects.

If you still have a question or want to schedule the inspection and repair of your broken windshield, head over to SIR Auto Glass in the Portland Metro Area. Our auto glass company specializes in automotive glass repair, windshield scratch repair, glass crack repair, auto glass installation and auto windshield replacement as well as mobile auto glass repair services. Each of our technicians is expertly trained to fix all kinds of auto windshield damages. We can also help you initiate and complete the car glass damage claim process with your insurer.

For your free consultation and quote, you can give our office a phone call or write to us at the email given on our website.