Windscreen chip repair across Sydney

The quickest test is a coin. On the passenger side of the windscreen we can repair damage smaller than a ten cent coin. Directly in front of the driver the limit is tighter and the damage needs to be smaller than a five cent coin. Anything larger is a replacement. Damage near the edge of the glass is also less likely to be repairable, because that is where the windscreen carries load. Send a photo through the quote form on this page and we can usually give you a straight answer before anyone comes out.

There is no blanket ban, but there are limits. The Transport for NSW light vehicle inspection standards set out what damage is acceptable in the windscreen area in front of the driver, and only two of three defined damage types are permitted there. Damage beyond that will fail a safety inspection and can attract a defect notice. The figures circulating online for each damage type mostly come from secondary sources rather than the rule itself, so rather than repeat a number we cannot stand behind, send us a photo and we will tell you where your damage sits.

Yes, and almost nobody is told this. The same rule covers windscreens repaired with clear resin, and after a repair there must be no visible damage remaining beyond the limits it sets. A repair that leaves too much visible damage in the area in front of the driver can still fail an inspection. It is another reason to deal with a chip while it is small, since a clean repair on fresh damage leaves far less behind than the same repair months later.

No. Recalibration is required after a windscreen is replaced, because the camera behind the glass has to be re aimed against a new screen. A repair leaves the original windscreen in place and the camera undisturbed, so there is nothing to recalibrate. This is one of the practical reasons to repair a chip early rather than waiting until it becomes a replacement.

About half an hour, and yes, you can drive straight afterwards. The resin is cured hard with ultraviolet light before we finish, so unlike a windscreen replacement there is no adhesive curing and no waiting period before the vehicle is safe to drive.

A single chip repair is between $90 and $150, and further chips repaired in the same visit are around $50 each. Before you pay anything, check your insurance: comprehensive policies commonly include glass cover, and many insurers offer optional windscreen cover that reduces or removes the excess on a glass claim, so for a lot of customers a chip repair costs nothing. Your product disclosure statement is where that is spelled out.

No, and anyone promising invisible is overselling it. A repair restores the strength of the glass and stops the damage spreading, and it improves the appearance considerably, but a faint mark usually remains where the break was. The purpose of the repair is structural and to prevent a crack, with the cosmetic improvement as a benefit rather than the goal.

Often, but it depends entirely on your policy. We work with all major Australian insurers. Comprehensive policies commonly include glass cover, and many offer optional windscreen cover that reduces or removes the excess on a glass claim. Whether a glass claim affects your no claim discount also varies. Check your product disclosure statement to confirm windscreen work is covered before you book. The claim itself is lodged by you as the vehicle owner rather than by us.

Usually yes, and additional chips in the same visit are cheaper than the first. There is a practical limit though, and it is lower in the area directly in front of the driver, where Australian repair practice restricts how many repairs a windscreen should carry. Where there is too much damage to repair safely, replacement is the right answer and we will tell you so.