Published on Sep 01, 2026
Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from y'all on the internet.
Today's question is:
Jake offers simple interim care for a chip or crack before a repair appointment. His top recommendation is covering the damage with clear tape to keep debris out, while acknowledging most people don't keep tape in the car. Just as important is avoiding temperature extremes, which are what cause a chip to crack out and spread. He specifically warns against running the defroster on high and against large hot-cold differences, such as a freezing exterior with a hot cabin, because those swings stress the glass. The practical guidance is to keep the chip covered and clean and to avoid sudden temperature changes during the day or two until the customer can get the windshield looked at.
Now, generally people aren't going to have a roll of clear tape sitting in their car, but that would be the best thing. If you get a chip in your windshield and you know you've got to get it repaired, but it's going to be a little while before you can get off work, maybe a day or two, just put some clear tape over it to keep all the debris out of it. You want to keep dirt and moisture out of that chip so it's still clean when we go to repair it. The other thing is you definitely don't want extreme cold or extreme heat hitting that chip, because that's what'll make it crack out. Having your defroster on high, or having it really cold outside but hot inside the car, those extremes are what make a chip spread on you. So keep it covered, keep it clean, and avoid those big temperature swings until you can get it in, and you give yourself the best shot at a simple repair instead of a full replacement.
