$60 to $130 and about half an hour is what a chip fill costs, and with comprehensive cover it is very often $0 out of pocket. The window for getting one is shorter in Pennsport than in most neighbourhoods, because the block-paved streets nearer the river shake a repairable break into an unrepairable crack faster than smooth asphalt ever will.
4.1★ on Google — 137+ reviews
A chip is trapped air where the outer layer of glass has been knocked off the plastic interlayer beneath it. Whether it stays a chip is a question of how much the screen flexes. Every bump feeds a little energy into the tip of the break, and once it starts moving it does not stop - it travels in short runs, usually on a cold morning with the heater pointed at the glass. Belgian block does this better than anything else on a city street, which is why a break that would sit quietly for a year in the suburbs gets a fortnight down here.
The repair is half an hour of work: clean the break, draw the air out under vacuum, inject resin under pressure, then cure it hard and polish it level. It stops the spread, restores most of the strength in that spot and keeps your original windshield, the factory seal and, on a car with a camera behind the mirror, a calibration you would otherwise have to think about. A faint mark stays where the damage was. Set against $250 to $450 for a new screen and a day without the car, almost everybody takes that trade - provided they come in while the break is still small, clean and out of the driver's sightline.
“Clearly a community place. Really nice and responsive. Fixed my windshield by far for the cheapest price. The initial install was bad and I had leaking... so I went back again and they installed another new windshield! Very glad they remedied the mistake and saved me some money.”
More on this service: Chip & Crack Repair at Russell's Auto Repair →
Pennsport gives cars a hard winter. Vehicles park exposed on the streets running down to Columbus Boulevard and in the open lots along the river, wind comes off the water with nothing to slow it, and a screen that has sat at freezing all night gets a blast of hot air from the defroster the moment somebody is running late. That thermal shock, on top of the vibration off the block-paved blocks, is why January is the month this shop replaces the most windshields. If you picked up a chip in the autumn, the cheap move is to have it filled before the first cold snap rather than after: thirty minutes now, or a new windshield in February.
Same service, same price, other South Philadelphia neighborhoods:
Often, yes. Age matters less than contamination and movement. A break that has held rain, road film and salt will still fill, though the finished mark can look less clean than a fresh one. If legs have started running out of it more than an inch or so, you will be told straight that a fill is not the right answer rather than charged for one.
A small piece of clear tape over the break keeps water and dirt out of it, which does make the eventual repair look better. It does nothing to stop the break spreading, so treat it as a holding measure for a few days rather than a fix. Do not use anything that leaves adhesive across your line of sight.
Tell us the vehicle and the glass that's damaged — you'll see your price instantly, and we'll hold it for you.
Odd job the widget can't price? Send us the details and a human will quote it fast.
The instant quote is the fastest way to a price. For unusual jobs, fleet work, or anything that needs a human, use the form — we answer fast during shop hours.
| Monday – Friday | 08:30 – 17:30 |
| Saturday | 08:30 – 16:00 |