Hard impact!

[Dean]

I have a windscreen to repair this week that has a really bad rock chip, about the size of a quarter with a small chunk of glass missing! the whole break is completely whited out.
I have not done one this bad yet with a big dip in the glass the glass is missing! when I went to training at Delta I was told to fill this type with pit resign first then cure then drill then fill! I'm just nervous this being my 1st really bad break! sure whatever I do should increase the strength and clarity of but I just want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything.
Please respond with any extra advise I may be forgetting? outside of drying out and cleaning out impact area first.

[maxryde]

Hello Dean,

The damage you described is more than likely repairable. The whitening of the PVB is from exposure to the elements. While I have done repairs like that, I recommend avoiding that kind of work due to the poor results you will have aesthetically. the degradation of the pvb may also be a safety issue. i don't know for sure but I have had folks who convinced me to do this type of repair that were unhappy in the long run. There are a million chips out there that I can make look stellar. My advice is to be more discriminate as to what you will and will not repair. In the biz reputation is everything.

Scott

[Jonathan]

Dean,
You are correct in remembering that when the pit is larger than the end seal, you must "cap" it with pit resin first and then drill into it in order to fill with magnibond. The break sounds to me like it is just a nasty break with a lot of damaged, loose glass. Make sure you clean the impact point really well with a scribe before you cap it to remove the loose (white) glass particles. If you follow those steps, I don't think the repair will give you too much trouble. Remember, in windshield repair, we are shooting for at least 80% visual enhancement.

[Dean]

Yes of course thank you! I want to take a pic of before & after so what color of paper shows the break the best?

[screenman]

Hi Dean, you did say a small piece of glass missing. Take a spare injector seal and hold it up to the break and see if it will cover the impact hole, if it does you will not need to cap it. Guys when looking at impact holes try this little trick, instead of looking straight on at the glass look along it with your head right up close, this often give you a better idea of the real size of the pit and also shows.

It is difficult to know from your description if you are talking about impacted glass or delamination.

[Dean]

Thanks for tip I never thought of this! delamination caused by the impact but is contained only in impact area! doesn't seem to be wider than effected area.

[screenman]

Delamination is seen as a greying of the PVB, not to be confused with crushed pieces of glass. Sounds like a bad combination break to me.

[Brent Deines]

I have a windscreen to repair this week that has a really bad rock chip, about the size of a quarter with a small chunk of glass missing! the whole break is completely whited out.
I have not done one this bad yet with a big dip in the glass the glass is missing! when I went to training at Delta I was told to fill this type with pit resign first then cure then drill then fill! I'm just nervous this being my 1st really bad break! sure whatever I do should increase the strength and clarity of but I just want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything.
Please respond with any extra advise I may be forgetting? outside of drying out and cleaning out impact area first.

Dean, I'm a little confused. Could you give a bit more detailed info? What kind of a vehicle is it you are working on? How old is the break? Where on the glass is the break located? How small is the small chunk of glass? Be as specific as you can. As mentioned previously, white can mean crushed glass, contaminate in the break, or moisture and air that has turned affected the PVB. It can also be and indication of a solar coated windshield. On some models the solar coating is a film attached to the #2 surface of the glass. That is the inside surface of the outer lite. When damage occurs on this type of windshield just the exposure to air and can react to the chemicals in the film and make it turn white. If it is one of these windshields you will not get the white color out.

Solar control windshields of this type typically have a purplish tint to them when viewed from the outside, especially when the sun is reflecting off of them. FrankEU is very familiar with these as they are apparently a bit more common in his part of the world then they are here. Most of the vehicles with this type of windshield in the USA were sold in the mid 90s and the majority were in GM vehicles. I will e-mail you some additional information about solar control information for future reference.

If it is crushed glass you should be able to identify that pretty easily. Repairable but may not look all that great when you get done.

If it is a delamination or PVB contamination issue it is likely an older vehicle and you can probably also see signs of delamination around the outside edge of the glass. Watch your heat and pressure very carefully if there are any signs of delamination. Flowering is very likely. Finished repair may look considerably better and should hold fine, but white will still be there.

If it is a fluid contamination issue you should be able to resolve the problem by properly drying out the break. Some will disagree with me, but I would not use any chemicals to clean out the break. Further contamination and possible PVB damage may occur. JMHO Break should repair like any other and you probably will not see any white when you get done.

If you can provide the year and make of the vehicle we might be able to eliminate one or more possibilities, and if you can send a photo of the break and tell me what the bug on the glass says that would also be useful info.

Maxryde also has a good point. There are some breaks you should just walk away from, but without knowing all the information I can't tell you what I would do. Once you know what is causing the discoloration you can make that determination for yourself. If you do choose to repair this break be sure to set the customer's expectations accordingly. Tell them this will be a structural repair that you will guarantee not to crack out, but that because of the type of break, type of windshield, severity, etc., you cannot guarantee the cosmetic results. If it were me I would still guarantee cosmetic satisfaction, just not cosmetic perfection but that is something you will have to decide for yourself. Undersell and overachieve always!

[Frank EU]

Solar control windshields of this type typically have a purplish tint to them when viewed from the outside, especially when the sun is reflecting off of them. FrankEU is very familiar with these as they are apparently a bit more common in his part of the world then they are here. Most of the vehicles with this type of windshield in the USA were sold in the mid 90s and the majority were in GM vehicles. I will e-mail you some additional information about solar control information for future reference.

Yep, I will be replying shortly in more detail and in a new topic.

[Dean]

Thanks Brent! The truck is a mid 2000's F350 extended cab dually, the break is about a week 1/2 old I could not see any laminate around the outside of break coming apart. It looks somebody took a small finishing hammer and just popped a hole in the screen the same size of the hammer head, then there's another combo break about an 1-1/2" above on drivers side about 8" up from wipers in line with steering wheel! the glass is dished out about the size of an pencil eraser but only about .5mm, I have not dug around in it yet with a scribe but when i do I'm sure more glass will come out.