Your windshield faces a lot of challenges in your day-to-day driving. Acting as your frontline warrior, the windshield protects you from dust, rocks, insects, and other particles on the roadways. With this, they become more susceptible to being damaged.
While some damages can be repaired, some windshield cracks are deep and huge enough to necessitate a windshield replacement. Here are the common types of windshield cracks that you must be aware of:
5 Common Types of Windshield Cracks
Bullseye
Bullseye cracks are circular in shape and affect the outer layer of the auto glass. At times, a chunk of glass also falls off due to the impact — leaving a pit (or a deeper impact point) at the center. Depending on the severity of the crack, a bullseye crack may be easily repaired especially if repaired immediately.
Star Crack
Star-shaped cavities are caused by rocks or other sharp objects that hit the windshield. Star cracks are composed of a series of short radial breaks coming out from the impact point — which makes the damage resemble a star, thus its name. This type of windshield crack can be repaired only if it does not obstruct the driver’s view. Otherwise, windshield replacement will be suggested.
Half-moon
Half-moon breaks are also caused by rocks and other debris hitting the windshield. They are very similar to bullseye cracks, but the damage does not make a complete circular form. Because of this, half-moon cracks are sometimes called half-bullseye cracks. A good thing about this type of windshield crack is that they are less likely to spread out and are much easier to repair.
Stress break
This type of crack is common to windshields that are exposed to extreme temperature changes. Stress cracks often appear within 2 inches of the edge of the windshield. Their lengths can typically be up to ten inches, which can seriously compromise the integrity of the entire windshield. Because of this, an immediate windshield replacement is a common solution for this type of crack.
Combination
As the name suggests, combination cracks happen when different types of crack (e.g. bullseye, star crack, etc.) can be seen at a single impact point. It often results in extensive windshield damage-causing chunks of glass to fall off.
With the severity of combination cracks, windshield replacement is the only viable option most of the time. If the damage penetrated the second layer of the glass, a standard windshield repair is impossible to be carried out.
Here are other common windshield crack types:
-
Floater crack
-
Edge crack
-
Bee’s wing
-
Clover’s leaf
-
Angel’s wings
Know When to Get a Windshield Replacement
Whatever the type of damage your windshield has sustained, it is important that you seek out the services of an auto glass shop immediately. They can give you the best solution for your situation and will make sure that your windshield is either repaired or replaced, allowing you to drive safely again on the road.
