We don't have glass insurance, and the cost to replace the windshields is minimum $650 USD per side.
But for $90 USD on Amazon.com, or $114 here in Canada on Amazon.ca, I'm thinking this crack and chip repair kit might be worth a try.
Also, besides the motorhome, the windshield in the little blue car has a crack in it.
When I was in the auto body business, there was a guy who did chip and crack repair on rental vehicles that were being returned to auction. They had to pass inspection standards, which weren't really very high. I used to watch him do the jobs and I thought that while the repairs weren't perfect, they were better than what was there before.
At the time, the equipment to do these repairs was fairly expensive.
Now, the same type of kit is available at the prices I quoted above.
In the USA... Crack Eraser
And in Canada... Crack Eraser
So I'm thinking that for $114 CAD, I might just give this a try. It says that the kit includes enough product to repair 60 chips and 10 long cracks.
Product reviews are all over the place with some people very happy, and others not happy at all. But you have to have some patience, and you have to know how to follow instructions. You can tell by some of the poorer reviews that some people even admit to not following the instructions, and then they wonder why the product didn't work!
Also, you have to be realistic with your expectations. This will not do a perfect repair. But, it might do a repair that is way better than what you had before.
Also, with Amazon's return policy if I'm really not happy with the kit, or it doesn't do what I expect it to do, I can simply return it.
So I'm thinking I'm going to spend the money.
I think it would be worth a try. I did a small chip on our coach windshield with a product I bought in an auto parts store in Yuma AZ about 3 years ago and has held up quite well, barely noticeable and has not grown.
ReplyDeleteThanks George, I think Kevin will be giving it a try as well. Good to know that your fix has held and not gotten any worse.
DeleteI think it would be worth it. You are bound to get more chips at some point, even if you only use it for that.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that Kevin will go this route. It is worth the try, even if it just holds up for a year or two.
DeleteYou've got nothing to lose, so I'm with you, I'd go for it. I've used the chip repair kits over the years (I keep a couple in stock with my spare parts) and I've been pretty successful with them. Once, on a new car with a chip, I decided to get it repaired professionally. $75 later, it looked worse, I could have done a better job myself with a $10 kit.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, I'm sure you'll come out ahead with your handy skills. :c)
Well, we would have more than a $100 to lose but we think it is worth the effort to try. If it works, it is better than the almost $2000 cost for new windshields on each side, including installation and if it doesn't work than what is an extra $100 or so on top of that almost $2000.
DeleteAfter watching the videos on this product and seeing the guy doing it when he had his auto body shop, Kevin is pretty convinced that he can do it and that it will work. Fingers crossed! ;-)
I'd go for it. And you'll get another post out of it as well! Ha!
ReplyDeleteLol! Yep, something else to talk about. :-)
DeleteWe had a fellow come out to the RV this past April to repair 5 chips in the RV windshield. From the photo I took it looks similar to the 'Crack Eraser' product. Anyway it worked well for us.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.contessajewall.com/2016/04/08/a-variety-of-events/
Thanks Contessa! It sounds hopeful that this kit Kevin is looking at will do the job.
DeleteI have had both good and bad results from windshield "repairs". I have never done any myself and have to admit the last one I had done was some time ago and they probably did not use the newest technology. I suspect some of the current bad reviews are the result of not following the directions properly. Check the temperature recommendations as well, they may prefer warm weather.
ReplyDeleteThat's want Kevin thinks to!. Either people didn't follow the instructions or tried to do things to quickly. Kevin is a pretty handy guy so if he does it, I am sure he will take his time and follow the directions to a "T". Thanks for that little hint, it is possible that the temperature could have a big role in the process.
DeleteI did windshield repair here in Mexico. It's relatively easy with some practice. You may want to find some windshields with that type of damage. I can tell you from experience, cracks are the worst as they can run. I don't know what kind of kit you're buying but the chip you have looks easy to fill. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYou drill the crack first so that it can't run...
DeleteWith all your dilemma why don't you look in the salvage yard your RV is fairly common So somewhere between where you are now and where you're going to Mexico will be a salvage yard in between there and most of them will install it for. A fee
ReplyDeleteThey can't sell it if it has a crack however it may be sandpit it but it's still better than what you have
We are not headed to Mexico this year! In fact we won't be going through the States until October 2017. Not sure how many salvage yards there might be in Canada that would have a similar unit.
DeleteWe were told cracks larger than the size of a dollar bill were not repairable but chips were. Good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Randy!
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