Windshield Repair Forum

i had a car at a dealer with a nice size star break (approx 2" diameter)one of the legs had 2 smaller legs extending from it.almost looked like two breaks in one. after attempting several times to repair the break. the legs could not get resin to flow into them at all. i tried heat, loosening up on the injector, drilling, etc. i saw bubbles leaving the break during the vacume cycle. but all the legs remained shiny, with no resin. does anyone have any idea what this could of been? needless to say i had to tell the dealer that this break was not repairable and he said " cant you make it look at least a little better?" and i told him i tried.

sometimes you have to break out the drill and catch the end of the leg and go at it backwards. doesnt always work or treat it as 2 breaks (which it may actualy be) drilling at the impact point and repair then drill the area that didnt fill and pump the resin to it again. I recently had a tour bus with a funky break that I had given up on I moved to the next unit and left my son to play with the unfixable he drilled the bad legs(3) took almost an hr but looked damn good and the customer was exstatic(bus was due on a overnight that evening and they didnt have time to change the glass). Result im a hero my son feels he showed the old man and the customer isnt likely to let anyone else work on thier glass for a long time.

John,

Out of curiosity, did you try using a crack expander?

I agree with dave, also did you use your probe to put pressure 30 seconds to a minute on top of the leg? And just maybe a little thumb pressure on the injector. If all else fails I do what GlassStarz does, drill the end of the leg and back fill. Could also have been some moisture in the break. Sometimes things just are and der ain't nuttin we kin do.....
DON'T let it get you down John. Learn from it and move on buddy.

GRT took my first guess.

Moisture in the break.

Here's a couple more guesses... in addition to the most likely possibilities already mentioned.

1. Could have been some sured resin in the center from a previous failed repair attempt. I have seen this a few times... someone gets just enough resin in the star to plug all the legs.

2. If the star was low on the windshield, it's possible that it was on the inside of the car. I have seen several breaks on the inside, usually down by the dash, from a mechanic's screwdriver slipping and tapping the glass, etc. I actually saw one of these a couple weeks ago about half way up the windshield along one edge. Wierd. B-B gun maybe? Towed backwards with the windows down?

Congrats to Sydfloyd who just made member status. I'm still a Junior. But on the bright side if business continues to be as slow as its been lately, I'll be a senior member in no time! Hey wait a minute, I've got to rethink my thinking, I think.

GlassDoctor poses a good point. Did the break extend into the second layer of glass?

A scratch- probe on the inside would have told you whether that was the case.

Did ANY part of the damage fill?

I will never forget the first one of that type I encountered and how long it took me before I realized the problem.

The bubbles make me suspicious.

On anything other than a simple and obvious repair, I caution techs to use a magnifying glass to analyze their approach before even starting the repair.

I posted concerning the use of a magnifying glass previously. Ask Repair1 what he thinks of the idea.

Assuming it wasn't a blow-in or moisture penetration, that could have told you whether or not to pop a bullseye or drill a leg(s).

I agree with desertstars on the use use of a magnifying glass. I have the $8 kind with 2 different Magnifications and a light. This takes alot of the guesswork of how to attack a repair before you begin. Time is money.

MAGNIFY GLASS!! YES! YES! YES! That was one of the best things I have learned in a long time thanks again desert star.

Also I really like using my bb breaker to bust those tight breaks makes the resin flow like alcohol. I think all the ideas listed above should get anybody through a tuff repair