How Big Can a Rock Chip Be Before It Needs Replacing?

Hey folks! This is John from Freedom Auto Glass LLC.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"How Big Can a Rock Chip Be Before It Needs Replacing?"

Summary:

John gives a practical rule of thumb for repairability: damage roughly the size of a fifty-cent piece is his cutoff. Anything around two inches is far too large to repair, and he places the upper limit at about an inch to an inch and a half, up to two inches. Beyond that, repair is no longer advisable. He reiterates that size isn't the only factor — if the chip or crack extends through the edge of the glass, it usually cannot be repaired properly regardless of its size, because the repair won't hold at the edge. Below the fifty-cent threshold, there's typically a good chance he can repair the damage and prevent it from spreading, while larger damage or edge cracks call for a full replacement.

Answer:

About a fifty-cent piece — that's my recommendation for the cutoff. If you're talking two inches, that's huge, that's way too much to repair. Somewhere around an inch, an inch and a half, up to two inches is probably the point where I'd say it's gotten too big to fix properly. And like I mentioned, it's not just about size — if the chip or crack runs through the edge of the glass, it's not going to repair properly most of the time, no matter how big it is, because the repair just won't hold there. So when people ask me how big is too big, I tell them roughly a fifty-cent piece is the line I use. Under that, there's usually a good chance I can repair it and stop it from spreading. Once you get past that, especially up toward a couple inches or anything reaching the edge, you're looking at a replacement to do it right.