Life can be very stressful if you have so much to do in a given day, but something unexpected gets in your way. When this happens, your schedule may fall flat while your blood pressure levels may go in the other direction entirely. However, if you think that you are stressed, spare a thought for your windscreen. This piece of reinforced glass has to put up with extremes of nature, differences in pressure and even poor maintenance, all while retaining its composure. It's little wonder that it's developed an appropriately named stress crack, but what exactly is this, and what can you do about it?

Stressful Causes

If you've just returned to your car after a quick meeting, you may be scratching your head. The windscreen was in perfectly good condition when you left, but now it's sporting a large crack.

This could be a stress crack caused by a temperature differential. As it's a particularly hot day and you have been running the air conditioning system at full blast, the difference in temperature between the front side of the windscreen and the rear may be extreme, and this can result in a stress crack.

Somebody who lives in a particularly cold climate may come across this problem if they try to use hot water to clear a frozen windscreen. Someone else who lives next to an opencast mine may return to find their own stress crack, caused by a pressure blast from a nearby explosion.

Fix or Replace

To be honest, however, you're not too worried about the cause but are definitely concerned about the repair. Much will depend on the severity of the crack and its exact position. If it is within the driver's immediate vision or very close to the edge of the windscreen, then you may have to get the entire screen replaced. Apart from the obvious, the technician will not be able to apply the necessary suction pumps to perform the repair if the crack is too close to the edge.

Getting It Fixed

Otherwise, this type of crack can typically be fixed so long as it is not too extensive, and the cost should be fairly reasonable. You can call a mobile windscreen repair technician for their advice, and they will have a look at the damage before advising you of the best course of action.

Looking Forward

In the future, try not to run your A/C on full blast if the windscreen has been sitting in the hot sun. You may be able to avoid this type of stressful situation altogether.