If you get a tiny chip in your windshield, what do you typically do? Get momentarily mad that somebody's tire chucked a rock at your windshield and then let it go? Or do you get OCD and take your vehicle in to request a windshield replacement? If you are like most people, you might brush it off for now and address it later. However, there are some very good reasons why you should repair tiny chips in your windshield as soon as you can.

Chips Alter the Structural Integrity of Your Windshield

Engineers design windshields to withstand the g-force of winds and help the wind sail over the top of the car to reduce drag on the vehicle. When your windshield has a chip in it, the structural integrity of it is compromised. While it can still help reduce drag on the vehicle, the chip creates a weak point at which the wind can push. As the wind pushes against the chip, it eventually begins to crack, ever so slightly, and then finally fractures across. The greater the acceleration of your vehicle and the stronger the wind at the same moment the more likely the chip will turn into a large crack.

Chips are Voids in Which Ice Can Expand

If you have ever left a glass of water or a glass pop bottle in the freezer for too long, you know that liquids expand when they freeze. The chip in your windshield is a tiny receptacle that can collect precipitation. If left to its own devices, that droplet of water freezes and expands, pushing against the edges of the chipped surface. When you try to defrost your windshield, that little ball of ice pushes outward, and begins to crack your windshield. If it is cold enough outside, and/or the chip is a good size, your windshield could crack all the way across in a matter of minutes.

Chips Can Damage Your Wipers

A chipped windshield has small, sharp edges that can cut. Imagine your rubber wipers passing back and forth over those tiny, sharp edges. Each swipe is a slight cut in the rubber where the wiper meets the chipped area. If you leave the chip alone for more than six months (some people do!), that chip can damage your wiper. Then you would not only have to replace your windshield when it finally cracks, but also the wiper so that the wiper glides smoothly over the new glass.

For more information, you will want to contact a company such as Express Glass Inc.