ok, so leaving my hero Steve alone for a little bit.
I noticed the hood of my car is full of chips, and I had one chip on the windshield.
I dont know how often I will get these chips, so I am little upset and dissapointed. I also cant afford the clear bra and it seems its not a fool-proof solution.
This post is for the windshield.
I dont know how much the insurance will charge to fix my windshield (heard free from some people). I dont want to bother them, deal with them, have them increase my premium, or schedule time off from work.
So, I set out to try a Windshield Repair kit from Amazon.com. I got the one that I thought as the best value for the money (a pack of 6 repair kits for $42).
Amazon.com: Permatex 9103-6PK Windshield Repair Kit - Pack of 6: Automotive
If I was rich, I would be a perfectionist. With limited income, I will settle for good enough. In this case, good enough was avoiding that the windshield would crack further.
I watched a few videos on youtube on the entire process, which I was able to add something new to the process not mentioned in the instructions.
Here are the steps I followed, following the instructions
0. used included pin to clean up the hole
00. learned from the experts to TAP the hole with a punch lightly to force whats called a spider web (basically it closes the loop so that the crack wont continue to grow)
1. cleaned windshield with windex
2. attached the kit
3. dumped all the resin in the tube
4. sucked the air from the resin for 20+ minutes
5. Pushed air into resin to force down the cracks for 30+ minutes
6. removed the kit
7. used razor blade to remove leftover resin
8. cleaned with provided alcohol
9. found more resin, to put on the curing strip, placed curing strip, and parked the car outside in the sun for 30 minutes
9. used razor blade to remove any remnants.
Outcome, 95% gone. I can barely tell there was a ever a chip there.
I wonder if it could have been 100% gone if I followed the instructions to the letter. If I was to do it again, I would:
1. Followed the specified waiting times. I wondered off. But it was supposed to be only 30 minutes total before curing in UV light.
2. saved some resin for curing. I used it all and forgot. There wasnt much left.
Some pictures attached. I forgot to take before pictures. And for the after pictures, work is so good that its hard to capture on camera.