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how to independently maintain your car

One of the most difficult adjustments I had to make after my divorce was learning how to maintain and repair my own vehicle. That was one thing that my husband had always taken care of for me. Since the divorce, I have learned quite a bit about maintaining a car myself. I have picked up a few tidbits of information that has helped me avoid being overcharged for simple things that I can quickly do myself - like jump-starting my dead battery and changing a flat tire. If you need to learn how to independently maintain your vehicle for the first time, take a moment and visit my site.

Auto Glass Pits And Chips: Should You Treat Them Differently?

3 April 2018
 Categories: , Blog

Pits and chips on a windshield occur for different reasons. Additionally, they also have a different level of significance and thus must be handled differently. Whether it's chips or pits, the solution has to be looked at on a case by case basis.

What Causes Chipping?

Chipping and cracking of windshields is a common occurrence and in many cases, is due to unavoidable events. This kind of damage tends to happen instantaneously when the windshield is struck by something hard and/or sharp. These include:

  • Airborne rocks e.g. gravel, pebbles and asphalt thrown up by other cars

  • Flying debris such as something flying off another person's car

Chipping and cracking may occur simultaneously but sometimes, a chip is first created and this later develops into a crack. A chip will weaken the glass and make it easier for cracks to develop when the car vibrates e.g. when hitting a pothole or playing loud music.

What Causes Pitting?

Pitting is a more gradual process that is the result of particles of sand and dust hitting your windshield and embedding themselves. Over a long period of time, they form little craters. The initial level of damage is low but the cumulative effect of many pits will leave no option but to change the windshield.

Pitting is not as easy to notice unlike chipping. However, pits cause irregular reflection of light and this can cause you to be blinded if the sunlight hits the pit at certain angles.

Corrective Measures for Chips

If you head over to a local auto glass repair shop, chips can be fixed using a special resin. The resin prevents the chip and cracks from growing further and also restores the overall strength of the windshield. Although it may make the chip/crack less visible, there is no way of making it completely invisible. This can be a problem if the chip/crack is in your line of sight. In such a case, the windshield must be replaced.

Corrective Measures for Pits

Unfortunately, there are no suitable corrective measures available if your vehicle's windshield has undergone significant pitting. The only solution in such scenarios is replacing the windshield. A windshield with a high number of pits lacks proper structural integrity and this can make it dangerous in the event of a collision.  You should also note that regularly commuting on a highway increase the likelihood of pitting due to the higher speeds.

For more information, contact companies like Capital Collision Center Inc.