Rock chip repair in Palm Bay stops a small break before it becomes a crack that needs a whole new windshield. Our technician comes to you, fills the chip with clear resin, cures it with UV light and seals the surface, usually in about 30 minutes, so your factory windshield stays on the car.
Chip repair starts with cleaning loose glass and dirt out of the impact point and drying any moisture trapped inside. A bridge tool attaches over the chip, pulls a vacuum to draw out the air and then pushes resin into every leg of the break. UV light cures the resin, and the surface is scraped flat and polished. A short single crack gets a tiny hole drilled at its end so it cannot keep running, then it is filled the same way.
The sooner resin goes in, the cleaner the repair looks and the better it holds.
Most chips up to about this size are good candidates for repair.
Single cracks under about six inches can often be stopped and filled.
Several small chips can usually be repaired in the same visit.
Loose rock on unpaved and construction roads causes a lot of fresh chips.
Hours at highway speed and big temperature swings are when chips spread.
Rock chips come from small stones flicked up by the tires of the vehicle in front of you. Palm Bay has plenty of sources: three I-95 interchanges, steady truck traffic on Malabar Road and Babcock Street, and new neighborhoods going up in the southwest part of the city. Parts of town still have unpaved limerock streets, and construction sites track gravel onto paved roads. A stone hitting glass at speed is enough to break the outer layer.
Rock chip repair is the smallest auto glass job. The main factors are how many chips need filling and whether a short crack is part of the damage. Many insurers cover chip repair in full because it saves them the cost of a windshield, and in Florida the comprehensive deductible does not apply to windshield damage. Call with the number and size of the chips for a free estimate.
| Repair the chip | Wait on it | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens next | The break is sealed and stops spreading | Heat, bumps and AC can run it into a crack |
| How it looks | Clearer glass, a faint mark may remain | Collects dirt and gets more visible |
| Down the road | Factory windshield stays on the car | Often ends in a full replacement |
| Time | About 30 minutes | None today, more later |
If the chip has already become a long crack, windshield replacement is the safer fix. We also handle windshield replacement and side & rear window glass, or you can see all auto glass services in Palm Bay.
A resin repair makes a chip much harder to see, but a faint mark often stays where the stone hit. The main goal is strength: the resin bonds the broken glass so it cannot spread. Chips repaired soon after they happen look the best.
Yes. The resin is cured with UV light before the technician leaves, so the car can be driven and washed right away. There is no adhesive cure time like there is after a full windshield replacement.
Put a piece of clear tape over it to keep out dirt and water, park in the shade and avoid pointing the defroster or AC straight at the glass. Slammed doors and hard bumps can also spread it, so book the repair soon.
A single crack shorter than about six inches that does not reach the edge of the glass can often be repaired. Longer cracks, cracks that branch in several directions and cracks at the edge usually need a new windshield.
Call for a free estimate. We confirm the right glass and the right fix before anyone heads your way.
Call (321) 294-0790 Now