Glass Blog

A customer said, “I see cars driving all over the Rio Grande Valley with blue tape on their windshields. If the glue used to hold down a windshield isn’t strong enough to keep it in place, what good is blue tape going to do?”

He has a point!

What you need to know about windshield “glue” or Urethane.

Windshield Adhesive Urethane is specially formulated to ensure that in the case of an accident, your windshield adheres to the vehicle in accordance with Department of Transportation standards. 

There are several manufacturers of urethane and there are many different types of urethane. Here is what you need to know about urethane (and blue tape) anytime your windshield is replaced. 

#1 – Avoiding Injury and Death in an Accident

Your Windshield accounts for approximately 60% of the structural integrity of your vehicle in a roll-over accident. That means that your windshield, its proper installation and the proper use of urethane are what is keeping your roof from crushing, the passengers from being paralyzed or even worse. 

#2 – Minimum Drive Away Time

Every single type of urethane has a minimum amount of time it must cure for your vehicle to be considered “air bag safe” to drive after a replacement. Why??? Because when a vehicle is in a head on collision, here is what happens:

• The passenger air bag deploys
• The air bag travels to the windshield and “bounces” back to give the passenger protection

If your vehicle is given to you before the urethane has had the minimum amount of time to cure to be air bag safe AND your vehicle is in a collision that causes the air bag to deploy, the airbag may pop your windshield out of your car exposing you and your passengers to the elements, broken glass, etc. Yikes!!!

Unfortunately, the least expensive urethane available takes 8 hours from the time your windshield is replaced to be air bag safe for you to drive. Just in case you didn’t catch that, it means that your vehicle is not air bag safe to drive until 8 hours after your windshield is replaced. 

I don’t want to wait 8 hours to drive my car, do you?

Fix-A-Crack typically uses a 30-minute air bag safe urethane. That means, 30 minutes after your windshield is replaced, your vehicle is air bag safe to drive. 

What does this have to do with blue tape?

When you see a vehicle on the road with blue tape on the windshield, thank the good Lord it’s not your vehicle. The shop that replaced that windshield probably gave it back to the customer before it was air bag safe to drive.  

If you’ve recently acquired windshield damage, you may be wondering if your windshield crack is too big to be repaired. When it comes to windshield repair, there are two standards for repairing windshield cracks, the insurance company’s standards and the Fix-A-Crack standard. Here is an overview of the two.

Insurance Company Windshield Repair Standard

Most insurance companies state that if your windshield damage is greater than 6” (or the size of a dollar bill), it is not repairable, they will not pay for the repair and they will recommend that your windshield be replaced. We do not follow this standard. In fact, Fix-A-Crack is a long-crack specialty repair shop.

Fix-A-Crack Windshield Repair Standard

Fix-A-Crack is a long-crack specialty repair shop. We are known throughout the Rio Grande Valley as the leader in long-crack repair and shops refer their “unrepairable” long-cracks to us. In fact, our owner and lead technician has been invited by industry vendors to teach our techniques to other glass shop owners.

We fix (and warranty) long crack repairs up to 14” long unless the size and location of the crack:

1 – Compromises the structural integrity of your windshield,

2 – Causes a distraction hazard or

3 – Negatively affects safety features such as a Heads Up Display or your forward facing camera.

The Fix-A-Crack Complete Long Crack Repair Process

Our goal is to help you save your windshield. Therefore, we perform what is called a “Complete Long Crack Repair” which involves three steps.

Step 1 – Filling the Impact Point

This is a step most glass shops skip. However, if the impact point is not filled, you may have lines radiate from the impact in other directions. Filling the impact point also stabilizes the remainder of the repair.

Step 2 – Creating a Termination Point

We create a stopping point at the end the line to keep the crack from spreading further. We have a variety of methods for doing this.

Step 3 – Filling the Line

This is not a cosmetic fix. We add specialized windshield resin to the line to give your long windshield crack more stability so that the repair stays intact and does not spread further.

FAQs

1 – How can you evaluate if my windshield crack is repairable?

The best way for us to evaluate your windshield damage is to stop by our shop (304 E. Pecan, Suite P, McAllen, TX 78501) and let us look at it in person. You may also text us a picture of the damage to 956-360-0178.

2 – Will the crack disappear after the repair?

No. Just like your skin has a scar after it heals, your long crack repair will have a “scar” and still be visible, but the visibility will be reduced by about 50%

3 – Is it better to repair my long windshield crack or replace it?

If it is repairable, the answer comes down to your personal preference. We will help you consider variables such as:

• Tolerance of visibility
• Price of repair vs. price of replacement

4 – Do you provide a warranty on long crack repairs? Our customers tell us that Fix-A-Crack offers the best long-crack repair warranty in McAllen, Texas. Contact us for the details.

If you’ve had the misfortune of having your windshield damaged, you’ll want to know if it is repairable and if insurance will pay the shop of your choice for the repair. Here is a step by step guide on how to get insurance to cover windshield repair.

Step 1 – Assessing the Damage:

Your windshield may be repaired AND covered by your insurance policy if:

1 – You have comprehensive insurance on your vehicle

2 – The damage is less than 6”

3 – If the damage is not in the direct view of your forward-facing camera

4 – If there are NOT 3 or more chips in the driver’s primary viewable area

Step 2 – The Best Way to File an Insurance Claim for Your Windshield Repair

While you can file an insurance claim yourself, many insurance companies will require you to go through an “inspection” or “verification” process to ensure that your claim is not fraudulent. The inspection process can take up to 24-48 hours to complete and while you are waiting, your windshield chip can spread.

Fix-A-Crack is the ONLY Windshield Repair Facility in McAllen, Texas that has a special contractual agreement that allows us to skip the inspection process so we can repair your windshield right away. Come to our shop, we will file the claim together with our insurance approved system and voila, we can repair your windshield with zero out of pocket to you on the approved repair.

We do not require appointments for windshield repairs, so come by Fix-A-Crack at 304 East Pecan, Suite P, McAllen, TX or call/text us at 956-360-0178 if you have any questions.

Insurance Claim FAQs:

1 – Do all insurance companies pay for windshield chip repairs?

Most A and A+ rated insurance companies will pay for your windshield to be repaired if you have comprehensive insurance on your vehicle. Currently AAA and State Farm do not pay for windshield repairs in all cases.

2 – How many windshield chips will my insurance company pay for?

Most insurance companies will only pay for one chip to be repaired. Additional chips are out of pocket to the customer. But at Fix-A-Crack, when your insurance company pays for the first repair, we discount the price of each additional repair.

3 – Is it difficult to file an insurance claim?

No. Fix-A-Crack is the only windshield repair facility in McAllen, Texas to have a special contractual relationship that can skip inspections and verifications. Come to our shop and we will use our insurance approved system to file your claim.

4 – Will my insurance premiums go up if I file a windshield repair claim?

The simple answer is – potentially yes. We are not an insurance company but our insurance contacts have told us there are several variables taken into consideration at the time of your insurance renewal. One of those variables is the number and type of claims you have filed.

5 – How long does it take to complete a repair?

Your repair will be completed in approximately 15 minutes.

6 – Can a crack in my door glass be repaired?

If your door glass is laminated, it technically can be repaired. However, we recommend replacement as your door glass moves up and down and your windshield is stationary. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not pay for door glass repairs.

7 – Can a crack in my sunroof be repaired?

If your sunroof is made of laminated glass, it may be repairable. Call us at 956-360-0178 or visit our shop (304 E. Pecan, Suite P, McAllen, TX 78501) and let us evaluate it in person. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not pay for sunroof repairs.