With old Norse origins, the window has origins further back than your best friend’s neighbor’s granddad’s cutlass supreme. In fact, the first installation of glass windows was with the ancient Romans, however there were plenty of materials used for car windshields prior to the application of glass. Some of these more opaque options included thin slices of marble, paper, and flattened sheets of animal horn. If you ever have the unfortunate task of windshield fixed under the Arizona sun, you can be glad that no slabs of marble need apply.

Truthfully, fixing a car windshield is a relatively simple task. There are no nuts, bolts, or car lifts used during this operation, and often auto glass repair kits can give you all that you need to secure your windshield.

For safety reasons, the original shatter-ready design of plate glass windshields was replaced by laminate glass shortly after glass became popular. Today’s laminated windshield is actually two pieces of glass laid over each other with a piece of polyvinyl butyral, or PVB, in between. This laminated glass is also called safety auto glass, because the addition of PVB and lamination gives windshields increase strength.

This safety glass matters to you, because it actually allows you to fix it. As the glass is held together by the sheets of laminate and PVB, performing crack windshield repair with auto glass repair kits can be made simple. Glass can typically be repaired when the the crack or divot is small. Fixable windshield cracks are no larger than a dollar bill. In the cue of cracks, size does matter. If the crack becomes too large then the structural strength has likely already been compromised, which post you and your windshield at risk.

While auto glass repair kits are sold at most auto parts and repair shops, the best way to fix a windshield is at the hand of a professional. Finding a Phoenix auto glass repair service is not hard. And it does not need to expensive. Professional auto repair shops will have professional auto glass repair kits, which means more specialized tools. While the overall process will be the same, the advanced tools and experience could be the difference between driving home free, and returning for a windshield replacement.

If you decide to get help with your automotive windshield repair, take a look at your car insurance policy. It may be possible to have your insurance pay for the cost of windshield repair. Since insurers really do not want to pay for a full windshield replacement, many will shell out for a repair, which is just another reason to have a windshield crack fixed as soon as you notice it. Acting on a chip or crack shortly after it happens can keep your windshield standing strong to even Norse-sized threats.