“I liken rock chips to snowflakes,” said Jeff Reddell, president of the National Windshield Repair Association. <\/a> Our average time for a repair is 15 minutes; however, I have a few that have taken up to an hour.”<\/p>\n The NWRA is a not-for-profit organization that has established The Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard (ROLAGS\u2122), <\/a> which details when glass can be repaired rather than replaced. While it isn’t written in laymen’s terms, this Standard is something to consider reviewing. It outlines the repair process and what damage is repairable and what damage is not.<\/p>\n Temperature can also be a factor in how long a repair takes. In the warmer months, the resin used to fill in the crack may flow faster and it is easier for the technician to fill out all the edges of the chip<\/a>. The opposite occurs in the winter months. It may take longer for the resin to fill in the chip.<\/p>\n If it’s a simple break, small and not a lot of jagged edges, it could take about 10 minutes for a technician to repair.<\/p>\n However a quarter-sized break that looks more like a star with jagged edges may take 20 minutes or longer.<\/p>\n The technician will also clean the glass, both inside and out, so that takes a bit of time as well.<\/p>\n The job of an auto glass repair<\/a> technician is to assess your damage. He will discuss his findings with you and give you an idea of how long the repair will take to complete.<\/p>\n You can expect the technician to use a repair bridge, resin and a drill. The drill allows him to access the chip or crack to ensure he can fill all the damage with the specially designed resin. Once he has drilled the area, he will insert the resin into the chip or crack, ensuring that it fills all of the damage.<\/p>\n The technician will also often apply an ultraviolet light. While the sun may also work, the UV lamp is designed specially to encourage the resin to cure, or harden, as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n No matter how stellar your driving record, at some point you’re more than likely going to find yourself face to face with a cracked or chipped windshield<\/a>. These damages can happen anytime, anywhere to anyone\u2014no matter how well or poorly you drive. If thoughts of spending hours waiting for a new windshield have you putting off taking care of the damage, relax. And don’t wait. Windshield replacement from a qualified technician<\/a> doesn’t have to slow down or affect your already busy day.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/glass-production.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/blog_images\/a6e86a11b03c4c42b4e3e26f357a9643.jpg?v=63654988516\")
<\/div>\nThe Impact of Temperature<\/h2>\n
Complexity<\/h2>\n
The Technician’s Job<\/h2>\n
Replacement<\/h1>\n