How to Fix a Cracked Windshield With Household Items

We’re no strangers to having to deal with a cracked windshield. Back in 2014, a stone chipped our RV’s windshield, and the chip spread into a crack before we had time to spot it. We had our windshield replaced, and not long thereafter our brand new windshield caught another flying stone from a passing vehicle. We were lucky that time because we noticed it right away and were able to act quickly to save our windshield. Since then, we’ve seen lots of “home remedies” online suggesting how to deal with a cracked windshield, and some of them are bogus at best. So, in today’s post, with experience in hand, we’re going to tell you how to fix a cracked windshield with household items – the right way!

What Is the Best Way to Stop a Chip or Crack In a Windshield from Spreading?

1. Pull over as soon as it’s safe to do so.
2. Cover the chip with clear packing tape to keep dirt and moisture out.
3. Search for a reputable windshield repair shop nearby as soon as possible.
4. Call to confirm that the shop uses resin injection to repair chips.
5. Have the chip professionally repaired with pressurized resin injection.

WATCH THE VIDEO WE CREATED WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO US! —

Again, this is the process that we recommend for getting the best, most professional results, giving you the best odds of stopping a windshield chip from spreading into a full-blown crack.

If you’re unable to get the chip fixed promptly, or simply want to do it yourself, you might decide to use one of the techniques we’ll list below. Just be aware that using any of the DIY options below will likely prevent a professional windshield repair shop from being able to do anything to further improve the results. So proceed with caution. If at all possible, our first choice is to get our rig to a pro as soon as possible.

Can I Fix a Cracked Windshield With a DIY Kit?

You can fix a cracked windshield with a DIY kit, and there are several on the market from which to choose.

As we’ve noted above, our first choice for fixing a chip or small crack in a windshield using a household item is to apply a piece of clear packing tape over it to keep dirt and moisture out, until we can have the crack properly filled with resin by a professional.

However, there are many DIY kits available, and you can choose to give one a try if you wish. We’ll include a few links for those interested, but we want to be clear that we aren’t specifically recommending any of these kits from personal experience. We simply want you to know that you have some options in a pinch if you can’t, or don’t want to, use a pro.

Here’s the thing: The following DIY windshield repair kits are among the top-rated products out there. If you have a look at the reviews of these products, they really don’t bode well for success. Again, we’re not making a recommendation here, but rather encouraging you to gather all the facts before deciding how to proceed.

We likely have readers who have used a DIY windshield repair kit successfully, and you’re welcome to add your experiences and thoughts in the comments section at the end of this post. Of course, if you have either good or bad experiences with DIY or professional glass repair, please let us know about that, too!

Will Nail Polish Stop a Windshield Crack?

Possibly, temporarily, it may. How’s that for a non-committal answer? Many of you know us well enough by now to know that we don’t like to recommend something unless we’ve had a good (or great) experience with it ourselves. Again, we’ve not repaired a windshield crack with nail polish, and it wouldn’t be our first choice. But, some people have had success with this method. A lot depends on the exact type and size of chip or crack.

If you choose to try this, clean your windshield extremely well prior to applying the nail polish. (We’d recommend 0000 steel wool for this.) Also, be sure to apply the nail polish to your windshield in the shade so that it doesn’t dry before it can sink into the seams of the crack as much as possible.

Apply the nail polish beyond the edges of the crack slightly.

We’d suggest that if you decide to use this method, you use it to temporarily repair the crack until you can get it professionally addressed. But, again, be aware that using nail polish could prevent a professional from being able to do anything more with the repair. The only option left may be a total replacement, especially if the nail polish doesn’t stop the chip from spreading.

Can I Fix a Cracked Windshield With Super Glue or Gorilla Glue?

Again, with super glue, yes you can – as a temporary stop-gap, you can use a high-quality, clear super glue. But we’d suggest avoiding Gorilla Glue, as it tends to expand as it sets and could make the situation worse, rather than better (imagine glue that’s penetrated into the chip/crack that then expands between the two panes of glass). We’d suggest sticking with a traditional super glue option like Krazy Glue, instead:

A high-quality super glue like this may be capable of helping to stop the crack from spreading while you make your way to a proper professional repair. As a long-term solution, though, it’s unlikely to be dependable. And again, it may prevent a professional from getting into the chip or crack to properly repair it.

Interestingly, some professional windshield repair businesses suggest temporarily addressing a crack by using clear super glue or nail polish. However (and this is very important), they also suggest that after the glue is allowed to dry, you place clear packing tape over the area, and make your way to finding a thorough, professional repair as soon as possible.

Should I Fix a Cracked Windshield With Rubbing Alcohol, Salt, & Bug Spray?

We’ve read about this online, people suggesting that a concoction of alcohol + salt + bug spray will repair a chip/crack in your windshield. But we’re not buying it. Sure, it may help to hide the chip/crack by filling it in with a substance that has similar optical properties to glass, but it’s not actually repairing it.

So… NO… we don’t recommend doing this at all.

A windshield is a very important (and expensive) piece of an RV. Since you’re responsible for being safe on the road, and being able to see what’s happening in front of you is paramount to that, properly maintaining your windshield is crucial.

Trying to repair a windshield with a nonsense mixture of rubbing alcohol, salt, and bug spray is unwise in our opinion.

What Are the Best Household Items to Have on Hand to Fix a Chipped Windshield?

Again, our #1 suggestion would be to always have clear packing tape on hand, and IF you insist on putting a resin of some sort on the crack prior to taping, have a quality super glue like Krazy Glue on hand.

We also highly recommend carrying 0000 steel wool for the purpose of cleaning your windshield very well prior to applying anything to the crack, and then get yourself to the nearest professional repair shop for proper addressing of the problem.

What Can Happen If I Don’t Have My Cracked Windshield Professionally Repaired?

If you don’t have your windshield repaired professionally, the may eventually spread in such a way that the windshield will need to be replaced. And these things seem to always happen at the most inopportune time.

The thing with a small crack or chip in a windshield is that it’s tiny… until it isn’t. And depending on the type of crack and exactly what causes it to expand, (hot or cold weather, the rig driving over rough terrain, or just time and use of the rig), when it does, it can leave you stranded, or worse, cause an accident.

Trust us – we’ve been on the road in an RV full-time for nearly 20 years, and we’ve had a couple of cracked windshields along the way. The first time, we had to have the windshield REPLACED. The second time, our newly replaced windshield got hit by a stone and we pulled off and did exactly what we’re recommending in this post:

1. Clean & dry the area around the chip or crack (making sure not to get liquid of any kind into it).
2. Apply clear packing tape over the chip or crack.
3. Locate a professional shop that uses resin injection to repair cracks.

Will My RV Insurance Cover a Windshield Repair or Replacement?

It may… and it may not. That’s the thing with insurance. What our RV insurance policy covers may not be the same as what your RV insurance policy covers. That’s why it’s important to know what you’re buying when you purchase your RV insurance coverage and ask your agent questions like this ahead of time.

Meanwhile, you can have a look at our post, “What Does RV Insurance Cover?”

Some policies do have excellent coverage for windshield repair and/or replacement, but you’ll likely need to request that coverage when you’re arranging your policy.

Some insurance policies cover a mobile service coming out to your location and replacing the windshield on the spot.

But again – you need to be familiar with the coverage offered by your own specific insurance policy. You’ll also want to be aware of any deductible that applies to this coverage.

Bonus RV Windshield Tips!

As a bonus within this post, we want to offer you a few windshield-related tips!

First, here’s a link to how a good mobile RV windshield replacement service works. This is our own experience and one we can highly recommend.

Mobile RV Windshield Replacement

And here we’ll show you how to super clean your windshield like a boss!

How to Super Clean Your Windshield

And finally, here’s our video on how to Super Clean Your Windshield…Super Fast!

Products used in our video:

0000 Steel Wool:

Invisible Glass:

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