What Should You Know About Repairing Chips or Cracks in Tinted Auto Glass?

Window and windshield tinting in passenger vehicles can do much more than provide privacy for occupants; this extra layer of sun filtration can minimize the amount of radiation that enters the vehicle, making it more efficient to run the air conditioner and even providing your skin with extra UV protection.

However, if you find yourself dealing with a chip or small crack in your window's glass, you may wonder whether you'll be able to keep your current tint job through the repair process or whether you'll be required to replace the entire window or windshield to maintain a uniform appearance.

Fortunately, repairing tinted glass shouldn't present any additional complications as compared to repairing non-tinted glass, although you'll still want to leave this repair in the hands of professionals to ensure the best result. Read on to learn more about the process of repairing a chip or crack in tinted automotive glass.

Repairing a small or even medium chip or crack in a window is almost always preferable to replacing the entire window; not only is this process much cheaper, it's also far easier to ensure a solid seal. Once the seal holding your windshield in place is breached, it can be quite challenging to fit another piece of glass into this space, even when precise measurements are made prior to installation.

To repair a window chip, the technician will first thoroughly clean the area and ensure no debris remains in the crevice. The technician will then apply a glass filler to the crack or chip; this filler is a type of resin that will dry clear (and hard) to ensure the chip remains invisible to the naked eye once dried.

Because this resin is applied in liquid form, it is able to penetrate through any hairline or even microscopic cracks in the glass that may not be easily seen. This ensures the final product has just as much structural and tensile strength as the original window, even if this resin may not be as strong as glass on its own.

Once this resin has been applied, your vehicle will need to be stored in a temperate, dry area until it has had a few hours to fully cure; driving your vehicle immediately or parking it under a tree or other source of debris could wash your resin away or leave it cloudy once it has finally dried.

The process of repairing a tinted window need not be any more complex than repairing a non-tinted one; because tinting film is applied over the surface of the window, it is relatively easy to remove with a sharp knife or razor blade. The technician will remove this tint and clean the area before applying the filling resin, then reapply new tint to the area once the resin has set.

Reapplying tint over the filled chip or crack can require a steady hand and some prior tinting experience, so this isn't usually a job best left to the DIY repairperson. Fortunately, applying only the small amount of window tint needed to cover a filled chip or crack should only slightly increase the underlying cost of repair. In many cases, the repair technician may even throw in the tinting as an "extra," charging you just the going rate for the window repair.

Whether you're repairing a hairline crack that spans the width of your windshield or a series of small chips caused by gravel or other debris, enlisting the help of an auto glass repair company can ensure that these repairs are performed in a timely and skilled fashion without requiring you to learn the art of window tinting on your own.