Customer Reviews

Fix-A-Flat - Fix-A-Windshield, Do-It-Yourself Windshield Repair Kit (161890)

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I concur with the other reviewers that one should read the instructions well before attempting the repair.

I used the repair kit to repair one 1.5 inch diameter star-burst and two small nick/chips - one of which was in driving view.

I ensured the car was in the shade and cleaned out the crushed glass out of the rock impact area with the included blade. I cleaned the repair area with soap water and a glass cleaner till it was squeaky clean.

I secured the repair assembly, with the 4 (good quality!) suction cups, to the windshield centering the housing over the rock impact area. I screwed in the resin delivery tube into the housing till it's rubber tip was flush with the windshield and centered to the damage area. I then added a few drops of resin (is same consistency as 3-in-1 oil) into the delivery tube and finally inserted the pressure tube which forces the resin into the crack by opening the rubber tip. I let it cure for about 10 minutes after which I placed a drop of resin on the center of the crack and placed the clear plastic sheet on it and put the windshield in direct sunlight - waited another 10 minutes and removed the plastic sheet. I scraped the excess resin with the blade.

I was very happy with the results - the damaged area, filled in with the resin, was see-through, not smoky like I have seen other windshield repairs. The cracks filled to the extent that the crack was accessible. The resin could not repair a "fracture" as there is no way for the resin to reach in between the fracture. The resin did obliterate the crack lines where it did reach.

The end result is that the star-burst is still there but less visible, both the nicks/chips are reduced significantly (90%+) and I can make them out only because I know where they are. The one in my driving view looks like a small pit instead of a chip. The only thing I am waiting for, this winter, is to see if the resin holds up to the heating/cooling.

It took me about 1 hour to repair all three areas.

The product is designed thoughtfully and is effective. The quality of materials is good. The really great thing about this product is the fact that the resin cleaned off with soap/water and did not harden on the skin. I could clean out the delivery and pressure tubes which means that they can be re-used......there is enough resin/plastic sheets left to repair a few more cracks.

DON'T use more that a few drops of resin...a little goes a long way!

I gave one-less star for false advertising. The company surely knows that fractures in glass cannot be repaired and should not advertise an "after" photo which shows a windshield with no hint of having been damaged.

My windshield got hit by a flying rock while driving on the freeway, causing a spider-web type crack structure. The crack did not extend through to the inside, but the web-like flaws extended over about a 1-inch circle. After using Fix-A-Windshield, the web-like structure no longer shows, and the fix-it material blends in nicely with the windshield. You need to look closely to notice any difference between the repair material and the original windshield. Be sure to read the instructions carefully, but you don't need to be a fix-it type person to effectively use this product.

Provided that you read (and follow) the directions, this product did a very good job at fixing a medium-sized star crack. You do need to be patient while waiting for the compound to flow into the cracks. The whole process took about an hour to complete.

Plus, there is enough in the kit for several repairs.

The xB is a perfect car except its box windshield that loves rocks. I don't want to buy comprehensive insurance to cover the windshield and I don't want to pay $50 for each and every hit. This "fix a windshield" comes to rescue.

I compared this kit with those professional kits that cost $$$$. The only difference I can see is plastic vs. metal. So, this kit is indeed professional, no kidding. As most of us here don't repair rock chips for a living, only once or twice a year, the plastic is all fine.

As others have pointed out, the key to success is the contact between the resin chamber and the windshield. How to manage it correctly? "Screw down the resin chamber so the rubber mouth is flat against the windshield, in complete, but gentle, contact with the glass"..."If the resin leaks out of the bottom of the resin chamber, gently turn the resin chamber clockwise". So the perfect tweak is: set it loose enough to leak a little bit and then tighten it a little bit.

In order to help the resin flow into the breaks, I use a small hot water bag to warm up the other side. A camera triangle is ideal to support the bag. I use a food thermo to check its temperature (don't be too hot).

How to ensure a good fill before we cure the resin? "Unrepaired areas will appear as dark (green or black) areas." This is another key part. After a good fill, the green or dark breaks are all gone, they now look thinner than hair.

The last key step is to use a good blacklight to cure the resin. Don't waste time to look for an UV tube. They are hard to find, expensive and difficult to use. Even if you find one, it might not be the right band. The easy-to-find blacklights emit exactly the UV-A rays (around 360nm) that this resin is designed for. A new energy-save compact fluorescent blacklight bulb is only $6 or so, can be found in many local stores and can be easily used in standard incandescent fixtures. For long crack repair, I might get a under-cabinate blacklight (12" or 18" tube) for about $20. Sunlight is as hard to see as gold in my area, especially in winter.

The repaired area is still recognizable, but not so easy to. It looks much better than I expected, even better than those on my wife's car, which were done by professional glass shops. I must admit that I'm a top-class DIYer, but still you've got the point. I got the rock chip on the way to pick up my son from his music class. As soon as he got into the car, he pointed his finger to that spot and shouted "look here!". My wife never saw it; I asked her to find it after I repaired it and it took her quite a while. She may never notice it if I had not told her about it. Yes, this kit is that good.

To make it as invisible as possible, I followed the instruction to add one more drop of resin right on the chip and scrape the resin "from" (?) the chip. After curing, this final touch removed all the rough white stuff, smoothed out the spot and blended it into the same color as the surrounding area. Now nobody can notice it unless I show him/her where to look at.

Please keep in mind, the key point about rock chips is: they expand and eventually crack the whole windshield if not repaired. This is the main reason for us to fix it ASAP. It is not all about a perfect mended look. When I look at my work, I'm very sure it won't go worse because all the breaks have been sealed very well. All I can see now is some white, no more those green or black I saw that meant moisture and air that would cause future crack under uneven heat. Problem solved, peace of mind.

Although the Permatex kit has not got good reviews here, there is a training video on its web site, well worth of watching. You can get a very good understanding about what you'll be doing with these kits. I sincerely wish "fix a windshield" publish such a video as well.

I have uploaded some photos about the before and after, and more:

picasaweb dot google dot com/fixup77/Faw

This $10 kit can be used for many more times, I wish this company will sell us the resin separately. Such repair is a good way for me to help my friends and neighbors.

From now on, I'm no longer afraid of those big rigs passing by. Peace of driving. Oh yeah, nothing beats the xB, especially now I can easily wipe out the kisses on its face.

Update[02/23/2008]: Today I hit lottery again, actually 2 hits one stone within 3 mm. I used the same kit left from the last time. I injected twice to the two spots, respectively, and then cured both at the same time with one film. After that, I applied two drops again (one on each) to mind the dents for the final touch.

This time I did a better job (more invisible), consumed much less resin (3 drops + 1 small + 1 small for each spot, 10 drops total) and spent less time. Man, I don't know why this xB loves rocks so much. I cannot imagine how could I drive this thing if without this great repair kit.

I read the instructions throughly and referred back as I was going through the process. The equipment is well made, and the key thing I learned after a lot of trial and error is that it would not work if I had the base unit too tight against the windshield. Part of the directions say that when you tighten down the tightening/driving screw that pushes the product into the crack, the rubber tip of the alignment device should "open". If you have the bottom part too tight against the windshield, it won't "open" and thus your crack won't get filled with the liquid. Loosening the bottom allowed this to happen.

I had a 1/2 inch crack starting in a line from a rock impact. The directions said to start with 4 - 6 drops, I did. After about 24 drops, the crack was filled. Keep cycling through drops, drive it in, remove the screw, more drops. The more you remove and replace the screw liquid driver, the more it drives it into the crack.

My crack was very small, I thought, yet it took 24 drops of liquid to get the liquid flowing into the crack.

By the time you master this artistic but very fruitful process, you'll be an expert and can offer tips to anyone!

The one thing that this product doesn't stress enough is that your results may very depending on the type of damage you have. This product is not very good on star cracks or regular cracks (it may work better on bullseyes). I have a star crack about 1.25" in diameter with the longest crack extending about 3/4 inch from the point of impact. I've read and fallowed the instructions 3 times and after few tries the product did fill in the small spider web like cracks that extend no longer then 1/4" from the point of impact but the longer cracks are still there and still visible. The damage does look a little bit better then before the repair but it's definitely nothing like the Before and After picture the manufacturer provides. Honestly I don't really care how it looks as long as it passes the state inspection but I'll find that out in few months.

Overall I can only give this product 2 stars, and if you are going to buy this don't expect miracles.

Wow! After reading the reviews here I was concerned that Fix-a-Windshield might not fix the bullseye chip in my Sequoia's windshield. I followed the instruction, which are very clear and easy to understand, to the letter and it worked like a charm. The chip is still faintly visible, you must look closely or know it is there to find it. It looks pretty much like the before and after photos on the back of the package.

Its a sad commentary that anyone should be so excited that a product works as advertised. But there you have it, these days so many products don't live up to expectations. Fix-a-Windshield does.

Recommended.

After talking to a couple of glass repair shops my expectations were pretty low: they both said that this quarter-sized bull-eye chip with star-burst cracks around it could not be completely fixed and would remain almost as visible as it was before the repair.

So I decided to give Fix-A-Windshield a try and was surprised how well it worked (cannot comment on the long-term durability).

A few suggestions for those who use this product first time:

1. Read the included instructions
2. Study other Amazon reviews - you will find many good tips
3. Take a look at the professional product training videos at [...] (although much more expensive, the tools sold there use the same basic principles)
4. Put a mirror behind the windshield and use a flashlight to better see the work area
5. To have enough time before resin hardens, start repairs inside of your garage or in a complete shade
6. Try moving and re-applying the resin "pump" assembly as many times as you need until you finish sealing all the cracks/chips (or just run out of resin, which is not likely to happen)
7. As soon as you are satisfied with the new look of the damaged area, drop a small amount of resin on it and cover it with included plastic film; then move your car into direct sun. The resin will harden after 10-30 min (depending on how much UV light you can get). In winter you may need to purchase and use a UV lamp.
8. Even though the instructions do not mention that, if you still see small nicks after scraping the resin off with the included blade you can drop a little more resin and reapply plastic film (I had to do it three times before the glass surface became completely leveled)
9. Overall, be prepared to spend at least 1-3 hours for the entire process (start no later then noon to catch enough sun)

The damage to my windshield was more extensive than the suggested use. There impact mark was actually missing glass and was almost all the way through. The extending cracks were on the inside and outside. This product really helped on the outside cracks. I even tried to use it on the inside and it worked a little. I ended up putting the rest on the impact site and it stopped it from being "squishy" because before, it was only the tint holding the glass together. Fix-a-windshield also helped the cracks from spreading. Great Product!

I used this product to fix a bulls-eye on our 2006 Mazda5, because I felt windshield replacement companies don't have any experience with our vehicle yet.

This product works amazingly well-no one but me knows where the damage was.