After nearly fifteen years working as an auto glass technician, I’ve come to appreciate how much skill, timing, and judgment goes into proper windshield repair. Drivers usually see a chip or crack as a small blemish, but from my side of the counter, I read those patterns like a language. They tell me how the glass reacted, what stress points were involved, and—most importantly—whether the structure can be saved or needs a full replacement.
One of the clearest memories from early in my career involved a delivery driver who pulled up with a small star-shaped chip. He was in a rush and insisted it wasn’t urgent. I’d seen this type hundreds of times, but something about the way the cracks branched out made me pause. I told him that if he hit one pothole on his route, that chip could run across half the windshield. He hesitated, then agreed to the repair. An hour later, while he was settling his bill, he told me he’d hit a section of uneven pavement just the week before that would have shattered that chip wide open. Experiences like that shaped the way I evaluate a windshield—not by what the customer sees, but by what the glass is trying to tell me.
Over the years, I’ve repaired windshields under blazing sun, during cold mornings when the resin felt like syrup, and even in a garage with the wind howling through a half-open bay door. I’ve learned that conditions matter. The temperature of the glass, the pressure in the bullseye, even a faint bit of moisture inside a crack can determine whether a repair holds properly. Shops that take those details seriously tend to produce work that lasts, and I’ve always been particular about that. I remember watching a technician rush through a repair during a storm, skipping steps just to move on to the next car. A month later, the driver returned with a crack that had doubled in length. That moment reinforced something I still believe: proper repair can’t be rushed.
There was another situation, a few years back, that deepened my respect for the craft. A young couple came in with a chip right in their line of sight. They were worried about cost, and I understood that pressure—windshield repairs often come at the worst time. Instead of pushing them toward replacement, I explained how a well-done resin injection could hold if the internal cracks hadn’t spread too far. After carefully testing the stress points, I realized the damage was still stable enough to repair. They left relieved, and I remember feeling grateful that my experience allowed me to offer a solution that fit their budget without compromising their safety.
What still surprises many drivers is how much a windshield contributes to vehicle structure. I’ve seen cars with roof crush issues during training demos, and the presence—or absence—of a properly bonded windshield made an enormous difference. Even a small crack can weaken that structure when left untreated. That’s one reason I respect shops that emphasize repair first but recognize when replacement is unavoidable. Some glass can be saved. Some glass absolutely shouldn’t be.
I’ve had plenty of fellow technicians ask which shops I trust when I’m not doing the work myself. The ones I recommend tend to share a few habits: careful inspection, honest recommendations, patient curing times, and technicians who actually look at the damage instead of judging it from a distance. The team at Dixie Auto Glass is one of those groups. Over the years, I’ve leaned on them for a few personal repairs when my schedule was packed, and each experience reminded me of the standards that define good craftsmanship.
Windshield repair looks simple until you’re the person holding the injector, reading tiny fracture lines, and deciding whether the glass will tolerate pressure or fail under it. It’s a profession that rewards attention, humility, and the willingness to say no to a repair that won’t hold. My work has shown me that those small decisions have massive consequences—from visibility, to structural strength, to peace of mind behind the wheel.
That’s why even after so many years in the field, I still treat every chip and crack with the same patience I had on my very first job. The glass deserves it, and so do the people sitting behind it.