Rock chip repair in Vancouver
Caught early, a stone chip is a 30-minute repair rather than a new windshield, and with ICBC Comprehensive coverage a chip that meets ICBC's guidelines is repaired with no deductible. If the damage hides behind a loonie, book it this week, because chips spread on cold mornings.
- Mobile across Metro Vancouver
- ICBC billed directly, you pay the deductible
- Certified technician, 8+ years on glass
- Lifetime workmanship and leak warranty
What’s included
- Plain assessment first. If a repair won't hold, or would sit badly in your sightline, we say so before any resin comes out
- Moisture and debris removal from inside the break
- Vacuum-and-pressure resin injection matched to the break type
- UV cure, pit fill, and a flush polish
- A straight explanation of what the finished repair will look like
How the appointment goes
- 1
Assess the break≈5 min
Under angled light we identify the break type, bullseye, star, combination, or half-moon. Each one takes resin differently, and a few shouldn't take it at all.
- 2
Dry and clean the chip≈5–10 min
Moisture inside the break blocks resin. On a wet day we gently warm the glass and dry the break before anything else happens.
- 3
Vacuum cycles≈5–10 min
A bridge tool seals over the chip and pulls a vacuum, drawing air and moisture out of every fracture leg. You can't fill a space that's still full of air.
- 4
Pressure cycles≈5–10 min
Resin with a refractive index close to glass is driven into the break under pressure, alternating with vacuum until the legs go dark. The visual sign they're filled.
- 5
Cure and finish≈5 min
A UV lamp hardens the resin in place, the surface crater gets a thicker pit resin, then a razor-flush scrape and polish.
A standard chip repair takes about 30 minutes, and you can drive away immediately. The resin is fully cured under UV before you leave. Additional chips add roughly 10–15 minutes each.
The loonie rule
Our working guideline is simple: if the entire damaged area disappears behind a coin, the odds of a successful repair are strong. Bigger than that, or damage with a crack already running off it, and you're into the territory covered by our Crack Repair or Replacement guide. Location matters too, damage near the glass edge or directly in the driver's sightline gets a stricter look, and we'll tell you exactly why in person rather than talking you into anything.
What the resin does
A stone chip is a small cone-shaped fracture with legs radiating into the glass. The reason you can see it is air: the fracture faces reflect light where glass should pass it. The repair replaces that air with resin. Vacuum cycles pull the air and moisture out of the legs; pressure cycles drive in a resin whose refractive index sits close to the glass itself; UV light then hardens it into a solid that bonds the fracture faces back together. Done properly, the repair restores much of the glass's local strength and. This is the real goal, removes the stress concentration that lets a chip become a crack. It's the highest-value 30 minutes in autoglass.
Why chips spread
Windshield glass lives under tension, and a chip is a stress riser waiting for an excuse. Cold is the classic one: park outside on a near-freezing night, start the car, and hit the defroster. The inner layer warms and expands against a frigid outer layer, and the chip runs while you watch. Potholes and curb strikes flex the whole windshield aperture. Car washes stack two triggers at once: hot water on cold glass and a high-pressure lance passing over the break. Chip the gravel gremlin does his recruiting on highway grit, but it's usually a February morning that finishes the job.
This is exactly why waiting converts a 30-minute repair into a full replacement. Once a leg runs past the coin zone or reaches the edge of the glass, no resin can bring it back. The windshield is done, along with the extra time and cost that comes with it. A chip repaired this week stays a chip; a chip left for the season becomes an appointment on the Windshield Replacement page.
What a finished repair looks like
A repair is structural first, cosmetic second. Expect the visual mark to improve substantially. Most people stop noticing it within days, but a faint blemish, a small dark fleck, or a slight ghost of the original break often remains, especially in low direct sun if you know where to look. What you will not see is the chip growing. If perfect optics matter more to you than keeping the original glass, tell us; that's a replacement decision, and we'll lay out both paths.
If you are claiming through ICBC
You do not call ICBC first. ICBC’s glass claims page says drivers can go directly to an approved Glass Repair Program facility, and we are one. We open the claim when you book, you pay your deductible at the appointment, and we invoice ICBC for the rest. Chip repairs that meet ICBC’s guidelines carry no deductible at an approved facility.
How an ICBC windshield claim works, in ICBC’s own words · What BC law says about driving with a cracked windshield
Questions about rock chip repair
Will the chip disappear completely?
Usually not completely. The repair typically improves the appearance a great deal, but a faint blemish can remain. The goal is structural: bonding the break and stopping it from spreading. We show you the result before you leave.
Can you repair a chip in the rain?
Yes, but the break must be completely dry inside before resin goes in, so we dry it with gentle heat first, and mobile repairs happen under cover. Wet-glass shortcuts are how repairs fail.
How soon should I get a chip repaired?
Within days, not weeks. Every cold night, pothole, and defrost blast is a chance for it to run. Until your appointment, a piece of clear tape over the chip keeps water and dirt out of the break. Both make the repair harder.
Do DIY repair kits work?
Sometimes, on a simple bullseye. But single-cycle kits can't pull a proper vacuum, and a failed DIY fill leaves cured resin blocking the break, which can make a professional repair impossible afterwards. If you've already used a kit, tell us and we'll assess.
What if the chip is right in my line of sight?
Repairs there are held to a stricter standard because even a good repair leaves a slight optical mark exactly where your eyes focus. We assess it in person and tell you whether repair or replacement is the right call.
Rock chip repair across Metro Vancouver
The same job, at your address, in every city we cover. Each page has the local details: parkade rules, response windows and where the chips come from.
We come to you, anywhere in Metro Vancouver.
Exact price first · ICBC billed directly · Camera recalibrated