Stone chip - what to do when the car window cracks?

A stone chip is more than just a small crack on the windscreen, small stones thrown at high speed onto the windscreen can cause punctiform damage to the windscreen. But what should you do in the event of a stone chip? You should know the following things to be prepared for any stone chip.

Stone chip - and now?

Unlike minor damage to the paintwork, a stone chip is not purely optical damage. After all, it does not remain with a small, circular damage, because the damage causes further cracks due to unavoidable vibrations when driving.

In any case, you have to act quickly, otherwise a small crack in the windscreen can even turn into a large crack in the windscreen. In addition, heavy fines can be imposed if you are stopped in traffic with an unrepaired stone chip in your windscreen.

Is self-repair worthwhile?

You can also repair a small stone chip yourself. Special windscreen repair kits are available for this purpose. However, you should not try to save money on a stone chip and should always seek professional help. If the repair is not carried out properly, further damage can still occur and road safety will be impaired.

Repair or replacement

Sometimes the stone chip can be repaired without having to replace the entire windscreen. The repair is done by filling the stone chip with a special resin, which becomes solid and transparent. This is much cheaper than a complete replacement of the windscreen, but it is not possible in all cases. This is because the possibility of repair depends on a handful of criteria. If the stone chip is too large, in the visible area of the windscreen or too close to the edge, the risk of a larger crack is too great. In these cases, or if there is already a large crack, you should definitely visit a workshop in a short time and have the entire windscreen replaced. In addition, a stone chip in the rear or side windows cannot be repaired; replacement is mandatory here.

Stone chip - who pays?

But what about the costs? If your car has comprehensive insurance, then a stone chip is definitely covered. But even with partial cover insurance a repair is included in the scope of benefits. However, the situation is different if the entire windscreen has to be replaced: while fully comprehensive insurance covers the costs in full, if it is partial usually it has an excess of a certain amount. Unfortunately, in the case of a stone chip, the motor vehicle liability insurance does not apply, since a stone chip is not the fault of another party.

Conclusion

A stone chip may come as a bit of a shock at first. In most cases it is harmless at first, but if it is not repaired it can lead to major damage and high costs. Therefore, you should always have a stone chip repaired quickly and clarify the costs with your insurance company.

At Carvolution you don't need to worry about a stone chip. Simply send us a message via the Carvolution app. We will contact our partner SAMS Autoglass for you, who will carry out the stone chip repair throughout Switzerland. You don't have to worry about the costs either: with Carvolution, there are no additional costs for you and your Carvolution car.