Yesterday I did a windshield chip repair for Angela, she had told me she didn't know when she had gotten it, but there it was a 7/8" star, that from the driver's seat was hidden. It seems she had given a friend a ride who noticed it and told her about it.


This story highlights something I've said for sometime; when you fuel your vehicle, check your windshield. On 3 occasions I have found chips on my windshield and repaired them. Yeah, even the windshield repair guy gets windshield chips. In regards to that, my wife's last car had 2 windshield repairs on it, we sold it with 141,000 miles on it and it still had the factory windshield.


I did a little price checking and found Angela's windshield was a cheap replacement. The average price I found was $170. When you take the $40 windshield repair and subtract it from the replacement cost, you have a SAVINGS of $130.


Other benefits include:
  • Since the factory seal isn't broken, if the vehicle is involved in an accident, the windshield will perform its safety functions.
  • The risk of a leaky replacement is eliminated.

Checking your windshield when you fuel up your vehicle seems cost affective. What else can you do for that for a few minutes that could save you $130. Anyone that has a Chevy HHR might want to pay attention. While I know that no one pays the list price for a windshield, the list price is $3000, on an HHR.

Today's tip, when fueling your vehicle remember the 3 C's.
  • Check your windshield for chips.
  • Check your windshield wipers; no rips, no tears, no scratches.
  • Clean your windshield. A clean windshield provides a safer vision and I find it reduces driving stress. Clean your windshield last, as any liquid used to clean the windshield can fill the chips, and thus hide any damage.