Windshield Repair Forum

Yesterday I was working on several new chips on a couple of semi-trucks. This is a new fleet account I just picked up because the other guy that was doing them quit showing up. (They called on me).

Anyway...

As I was inspecting the glass, I noticed that several "old" repairs had the pits completely missing. I mean it was ugly as heck. There was no pit filler left in these "old" repairs at all - just a lot of dirt. They had been drilled because there was a perfect round drill hole that was completely contaminated with massive amounts of road dirt.

This is not something new. I have seen this lots of times on other vehicles (not necessarily semi-trucks).

A couple things to note here... To me, it appears that the drill holes were way too deep - (much deeper than I would have ever drilled). And the type of damage that was repaired probably did not require drilling in the first place.

I used my drill to clean out the old pit and etch the walls of the old drill hole so that when I applied new pit filler it will remain intact and bonded. Then I polished the new pit filler to smooth and clear the surface.
These several "touch-ups" looked much better because now it looked clear again, and there were not ugly holes full of dirt.

This was a new account - so even though there were several of these "touch-ups", I wrote them up on my invoice as a no-charge item, and billed them for all the new damage that I repaired that day.

Customer was thrilled that the repairs I did looked better than the old techs good ones.

I ran across one of these open pit repairs on a buddys car and he didn't even noticed it to boot!

Ive Also Noticed This , Could It Be Possible That One
Day Our, Or My Repairs Look Like This One Year Down To Road ??
Is It Something Unavoidable, Over Years Time.
Maybe Its A Resin Quality Issue?
Any Input From The Vets. Out There?

Sneck,

Seen this many times over the years in the field, especially with truck fleets! Believe it or not, some guys simply do not fill pits or think they can use resin without a pit filler to accomplish a repair. When I see these, I basically do the same as you, re-drill (to clean out) and re-fill with pit filler at no addtional charge to customer. By providing this service, you'll instantly become their new hero in repair.

I recall some discussion on the forum as to wiping the resin from the pit after removing the injector and then applying pit resin. There was then a reply that the resin should not be wiped off and pit resin dropped above the pit and the tab applied when the drop has covered the pit.
This in my opinion would leave most of the thin resin in the pit and the pit resin on top.
I use my probe to push pit resin into the drill hole before curing to give a stronger repair.

ChipRite wrote:I recall some discussion on the forum as to wiping the resin from the pit after removing the injector and then applying pit resin. There was then a reply that the resin should not be wiped off and pit resin dropped above the pit and the tab applied when the drop has covered the pit.
This in my opinion would leave most of the thin resin in the pit and the pit resin on top.
I use my probe to push pit resin into the drill hole before curing to give a stronger repair.

Jeff: If you're listening...could you comment on the above? I've also wondered whether or not the pit resin is actually getting into the pit. When I remove the injector a few dops of thin resin always flows down the glass and I apply the pit resin over the thin resin. I use a needle cap on my pit resin bottle and try to "mix" the pit resin in with the thin resin before applying the curing tab. Any comments would be appreciated.

Dale...

Now I am certainly not a spokesperson for DK but I believe Delta Kits position on this that wipeing the pit area after it has been filled presents a two fold problem.

1. Most materials used would act like a sponge and pull resin from the break therby introducing air back in.

2. You might also introduce fibers from the material into the pit area affecting the quality of the repair.

SGT, I agree with you that the resin should not be wiped off for the reasons you mention (and probably others) and I wouldn't do it. However, when pit resin is applied upon thin resin, does the combining (thinning) process reduce the effectiveness of the pit resin to do its job?:icon_ques

Dale...

Bois,

Good point, here are some facts for DK Premium Bond, Magna Bond and Pit Fill Resins and my thoughts on your question.

144-1 Premium BondWindshield Repair Resin Specifications

144-1 is a very low viscosity general purpose windshield repair adhesive.

SGT, very good info. Thanks. So I shouldn't be worried about the chemistry as much as the techniques for good repairs.

Dale...