It happened again… On my way home a truck kicked up a pebble and it smacked into my windshield, leaving a chip and the beginnings of a crack. This is the fourth time its happened on this car. Fortunately, I’ve been able to fix them before the crack spread. I keep a couple of these Permatex Windshield Repair Kits on hand because time is important. If you wait to do this repair, a chip can quickly become an irreparable crack.

These kits really do work! When done properly, you’ll hardly be able to tell there was any damage. In addition to the kit, you’ll need some glass cleaner and paper towels. I also use a holder for the razor blade, but you can use the blade just as it comes in the kit as well.

First step is moving the car to a shady area. You cannot carry out the repair in direct sunlight as the epoxy will set prematurely. Clean the glass next; you want to make sure you have a very clean surface to work with. Then, pick out any loose bits of glass from the chip.

Once the glass is clean, take the double sided sticky seal and peel off one side. Center the hole over the point of impact with the tab pointing up. Don’t worry if the sticky covers part of the damage. The main thing is to make sure the hole is centered correctly.

Next, peel off the other side of the seal and place the pedestal in the center, with the tabs lined up.

Cut the tip off the epoxy tube and fill the pedestal. Don’t use all of it as you’ll need some later on. Try not to make a mess as this stuff can be a pain to clean up. Set the tube somewhere away from sunlight until you need it again.

Next place the syringe on the pedestal and pull the plunger up. Set the plunger on its bottom notch. This creates a vacuum that sucks all the air out of the damaged area. It allows the epoxy to flow without trapping bubbles in the repair. Set a timer to hold the vacuum for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes are up, carefully remove the syringe to allow the pressure to equalize. Then replace the syringe and push the plunger down until it latches on the top notch. This forces the epoxy into all the crevices. Allow it to sit in this position for 20 minutes.

When the 20 minutes have past, remove the syringe, pedestal, and seal. You’ll probably need to use the razor blade to get under the tab of the seal and pedestal. They’ll come off the windshield together. Please be mindful the epoxy is still wet! Don’t touch the repair area at this point.

Next, squeeze a few drops of the epoxy onto the clear sheet from the kit. Place the clear sheet over the repair, squeezing out any air that is trapped. If a bubble forms, use the razor blade to make a small hole to release the air.

Now move the car into full sun. The epoxy cures with UV light. The epoxy will need to sit a minimum of 15 minutes in full sun. It could take up to an hour on a cloudy day.

After the epoxy has had time to cure, bring the car back over into the shade. Use the razor blade to remove the plastic sheet.

Use the razor blade to clean the cured epoxy from the windshield. Take care not to gouge the center of the repair. You should be able to scrape the razor flat to the windshield to remove all the surface epoxy without damaging the repair.

Once the excess epoxy is scraped up, the damage should almost disappear. You can see from the picture below that the two little spider cracks are completely invisible now, and only the center has a slight blemish. If left unrepaired these can ruin a windshield. Buy one of these kits now so you’ll have it when you need it! –>Permatex Windshield Repair Kit

Full instructions from the kit: