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Differences Between Repairing A Bull's Eye And A Star In Windshields

Posted on: 22 March 2017

As any experienced windshield repair technician knows, there are several types of windshield chips, such as the bull's eye, the star, or a combination of the two. If you're thinking about repairing the chip at home with a chip repair kit, you're probably unaware of what could go wrong and how many complexities are involved in a correct repair process. Here are a few of the technical differences between a bull's eye repair and a star break repair as completed by a reputable technician.

1. Drilling

A bull's eye chip has a small pit where a tiny chip of the windshield was removed when it was damaged. Because of this, the technician does not have to drill to get to the damage. However, with a star break, there may not be access to the area that needs repairing. So the repair person will have to use a precision drill to provide a passageway for the resin. To do this, he or she will drill carefully down into the break, working at the same angle as the chip itself and being very careful not to damage the laminating layer in the middle of the windshield. Don't try this at home; drilling too deep could worsen the damage so that the windshield will need replacing rather than a simple repair.

2. Laminated layer exposure

Some technicians will drill all the way down to the laminated layer, while others prefer to drill down until just before the laminated layer to reduce the vulnerability of the lamination to the repair resin. However, in a bull's eye situation, the damage may already extend all the way down to the lamination. In this case, the technician will have to take extra care by performing the repair very gently and delicately and slowing down if the lamination starts to soften from the heat. 

3. Probing

For star breaks, the technician will have to gently probe every small radiating crack (called "legs") to allow the resin to flow down inside the cracks. Once again, this takes a steady hand and a gentle touch. If not done precisely and gently, this probing and filling process can actually force cracks to widen and lengthen. However, it must be done, because if not filled, the cracks can widen and lengthen on their own later, making the repair ineffective.

These differences show how much adaptation is needed in a repair based on the type of chip your windshield has. If it's a combination break or some other variant, it may require different techniques even from these listed ones. As you can see, an at-home novice doesn't have the tools an experienced technician needs to succeed. To find out more, speak with a business like FB Glass.

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