Has your Honda gotten a chip or crack? Are you contemplating a windscreen repair or replacement? The windscreen of your car plays a highly important role in keeping you and other drivers safe on the road. Your windscreen is exposed to innumerable airborne objects each day. While some might only leave a dirty smudge, others cause far worse damage.
If you have trouble seeing out of your windscreen, or the chip or crack exceeds Australian Safety standards, you need to have it repaired. And if the damage is extensive, or you’ve left the repair too long, you may need to have your entire Honda windscreen replaced. Our expert team here at Quality Fit Windscreens has put together a list of the top 5 things you need to do before getting your Honda windscreen replaced!
1: What Windshield Features Does Your Honda Have?
It is important to consider what kind of windscreen your Honda has before looking for a repair service. As modern technology improves, the more technology is interwoven with your windscreen. Modern windscreens can include:
- A heated wiper park
- Rain sensing wipers
- Lane departure warnings
- Automatic braking
- Special solar coating
- Auto dimming headlights
- Logos
- Electrochromic rear view mirrors
- Acoustic interlayer
The technologies all rely on the windscreen and how it is calibrated with the rest of the car. You need to ensure you find highly skilled technicians, like those at Quality Fit Windscreens, who can work with specialist glass and modern technology. Glass is no longer “just glass”. It is an integral part of your car’s technological and structural integrity and needs expert replacement.
2: What Technology Does Your Honda Windscreen Have?
Building on the above, many modern cars and car windscreens – including Honda vehicles. This technology is call ADAS or Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems. Sensors that assist the ADAS, are often integrated into the windscreen glass. Windscreen sensors aid with technology, including:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane-keeping assistance
- Blind-spot warning
- Surround-view camera
These systems are often dependant on an image processing module (a camera) mounted in the windscreen. This means that your windscreen replacement needs to be done by an expert. If not, you risk your safety systems not working properly. Your adaptive cruise control may miscalculate distances. Automatic braking systems may engage too soon or too late. Lane-keeping assistance may cause your car to drift.
Finally, the quality of the glass and the tolerance of the brackets can also affect the function of these technologies. You need to ensure you only visit a technician, like the team at Emergency Windows, who use high quality glass.
3: The Size and Location of the Damage to Your Honda Windscreen
The size and location of the cracks or cracks is important when considering whether you need a windscreen repair or replacement. Cracks or chips that are close to the edges of the windscreen, or that are in a line-of-sight/critical vision area, need to be replaced, not repaired.
Your windscreen is a vital part of your car’s structure and safety. As a result, there are strict Australian standards regarding damaged windscreens. In Victoria, if the damage:
- Interferes with the driver’s view
- Any bullseye or star fracture that exceeds 16mm in diameter
- A hairline crack exceeding 30mm long
- Cracks that run from the edge of the windscreen exceeding 75mm
Then your car is no longer road worthy and it is illegal to drive. You will need to have your windscreen repaired or replaced in order to drive safely again. Further, if you leave a chip or crack for too long, the damage can grow worse. As a result, it is important to have damage repaired as soon as you see it.
4: The Depth of the Damage
It can be difficult to assess the depth of your windscreen damage on your own. It is important to have an autoglass expert, like the team at Quality Fit Windscreens, to check your level and depth of damage.
Windscreens are made up of several layers of glass and protective film – as well as sensor technology – and any damage that penetrates deeper than the outer layer will affect the durability of the windscreen. As a result, the deeper the chip or crack, the more likely you will need to replace your Honda windscreen.
5: The Amount of Damage
The amount of damage your windscreen has incurred, is also an important consideration. If your windscreen only has 1-3 small chips or cracks that are not in the driver’s critical vision area, then it is likely your windscreen only needs repairs. This, of course, depends on the size and depth of the damage.
Larger amounts of damage, or bigger cracks and chips cause the windscreen to weaken. This means it is more like to crack further – or break entirely – in accidents or even during extreme temperature changes. As a result, if your windscreen is highly damaged or weakened by damage, then it will need to be replaced.
It is Never Safe to Drive with a Damaged Honda Windscreen
You should always have your windscreen repaired or replaced, not only because your car might be unroadworthy, but it is also dangerous for you and your passengers. Large cracks and smashed glass prohibit a clear view of the road. If you are in an accident, glass fragments can enter your car and injure you or your passengers, leading to a far more serious accident. Even parking in direct sunlight can cause the glass to weaken and make the damage even worse. Further, using the defroster or air conditioning can also cause more damage by placing extra pressure on the glass.
Finally, driving over rocky roads, pot holes, and speed bumps – as well as slamming car doors and pressure washing – can also increase the damage. As soon as you see a chip or a crack, contact the team at Quality Fit Windscreens for assistance. Get your windscreen repaired or replaced, today, before the damage gets worse!