DIY How to Repair a Windshield Rock Chip or Bullseye

Parts needed: Windshield Repair Kit

Our two favorite kits are:

• Rain-X Windshield Repair Kit
• Blue Star Fix your Windshield Do it Yourself Kit 

The choice is yours.

Repairing a windshield rock chip takes about 40 minutes if you are repairing it for the first time. A couple of notes before we begin.

• We will show you how to use a syringe-type kit to fix the rock chip. The syringe works in two stages. Locked in the vacuum position it draws the trapped air out of the break, and locked in the pressure position it pushes repair resin down into it. Practice locking the plunger in both positions before you squeeze any resin in.
• Be careful to press the doughnut shaped adhesive firmly against the windshield around the chip.. When we didn’t pay enough attention to this step, the resin worked its way through and trickled down the windshield.

1. Get a windshield repair kit, and follow the instructions supplied with it. Either of the two kits listed above will do the job.
2. Clean the area and the chip. Use a sharp object like a razor blade or a pin to remove loose glass fragments and debris. Do not use any type of liquid. The area needs to be dry for this repair to work.
3. Mount the seal on the windshield. Peel the backing off one side of the adhesive seal. Press the seal onto the glass to ensure the rock chip is in the center. Put some pressure on your finger to make sure it is sticking all around.
4. Peel off the paper backing from the top of the seal, exposing the adhesive where the pedestal will sit.
5. Install Pedestal. Mount the pedestal to the adhesive seal. Press the pedestal firmly against the glass. Make sure the pedestal is fully bonded to the adhesive seal.
6. Place the resin into the pedestal. First, cut the tip off the resin container. Save a small amount of resin for the finishing step. Even if you squeeze out the whole resin, don’t worry. Leave the resin container upside down with the cap on it. This will allow any residual resin to collect at the tip of the resin bottle, which you will use later.
7. Connect the syringe to the pedestal, pressing it firmly into the pedestal. If your kit comes with the pin, place it into the syringe.
8. Lock the plunger into the VACUUM position. This step will suck the air from the little cracks in the windshield caused by the rock chip. You should not need to hold the plunger by hand once it is locked in position. Leave it in the vacuum position for 10 minutes, or for the time specified by your kit.
9. Remove the pin. This will allow the syringe to fill with air. Then, place the pin back on.
10. Move the plunger to the pressure position. Push the plunger down to create pressure inside the syringe. Make sure to lock the plunger into this position.
11. Leave it under pressure for at least 20 minutes, or follow the timing specified by the kit.
12. Remove the pedestal. Using a razor, carefully remove the pedestal from the glass.
13. Fill the impact pit. Get the small resin bottle and place a drop of resin in the center of the rock chip. Place the curing film over the center, ensuring some resin is in the center of the rock chip.
14. Let the resin cure for about 15 minutes, or follow the curing time specified by the kit. Then let it cure in the sun, because it is ultraviolet light that sets the resin. That is also why the earlier steps are best done in the shade or indoors: sunlight falling on the glass while you are still drawing out air and injecting resin can start curing it before it has worked its way into the break, and once it has set there is no second attempt.
15. Clean. Remove the film and any cured resin sticking to your windshield using a safety razor.
16. That’s it. You are done.

The primary reason is that you want to prevent the chip from developing into a larger crack because of the rock chip damage. The secondary benefit is that the rock chip will be much less visible. A successful repair should make the damage less noticeable, but a small cosmetic blemish may remain. In case you were wondering, it is illegal to drive with a broken windshield in many states. So don’t let that rock chip turn into a windshield replacement.

The Blue Star kit is designed for a single repair, while the Rain-X kit can be used for more than one repair.

An ultraviolet light curable resin is injected into the damaged area of the glass. Once the resin is cured, it creates a bond between the portions of the windshield separated by the damage.

We are glad you asked, as we know nothing is free. Your insurance pays for the repair. The insurance companies often will waive your deductible for rock chip repairs. Coverage depends on your policy, deductible, state, and whether you carry comprehensive or glass coverage. Otherwise, you will get a bill in the mail. Insurance companies are very familiar with how these places work. The “Free Rock Chip” repair places get your insurance information and bill the insurance anywhere from $80 to $120. Why put something like this in your insurance claims history? If the damage is suitable for DIY repair, you may be able to repair it yourself with an inexpensive kit. and spend less than $10. It may sound like a complicated repair, but it’s not, and we know you can do it.

These videos will show you how to repair a rock chip/bullseye in a broken windshield.