When a crack or a chip appears on the windshield, most car owners would usually run out to get windshield repair kits to fix the glass breaks. However, shopping for one can sometimes become too overwhelming as most brands have similar offers, but only a few can truly live up to their marketing hype.
In some instances, a bad repair may result from not using the right product for specific windshield damage. It helps to know which product to buy if you want to achieve a suitable reparation. The brand name is another crucial factor, and VersaChem is among the preferred names in the industry, and you will understand why through this VersaChem repair kit review. So, let’s dive in!
Contents
Two Main Types of Windshield Repair Kits
When shopping for products to mend glass breaks like cracks, rock chips, glass pits, and bullseye breaks, there are two major types of repair kits you can add to your shopping cart. But the major challenge is choosing which type of product is best suited for particular damage. Each product has several advantages and a couple of drawbacks. Knowing your options will put you on the best edge of your choices. Thus, making your shopping a lot easier and more fun. Your prior knowledge will also help you choose the correct windshield glass repair kit for the job.
The good thing about VersaChem is it has both types of products — silicone-based and liquid resin, giving consumers the flexibility of choice. Most brands are focused only on one type of product, leaving you with no option. But with VersaChem, you have flexibility.
The brand has a windshield and glass sealer product. It also offers windshield repair kits. Each product has its unique advantages but a couple of setbacks as well. Learning their strengths and weaknesses can help you better understand which product works best for the kind of fracture in your windshield.
Windshield and Glass Sealer
A windshield and glass sealant is usually made of flowable silicone because of its flexible and self-leveling sealing properties that are also durable. Silicone is widely used as a sealant because it can withstand extreme temperatures and resist air and moisture. Thus, effectively repairing minor rock chips and small glass cracks.
Silicone belongs to a broad class of synthetic materials, beneficent in adhesives, sealants, and coatings. It is used in various aspects of building construction because of its strength, flexibility, and durability. It can resist weather, sunlight, and moisture, allowing innovative engineering and architectural feats, such as suspended and curved structures and dramatic glass facades.
Silicone is also used in paint and coatings because of its durability under extreme temperatures, resisting age, corrosion, and pollution. The adhesive properties of silicone allow it to bind to multiple surfaces. It can also disperse color pigment while resisting damages from staining and extreme weather conditions.
As a sealant, it is used in construction to ensure critical structures are in place while reinforcing the resistance to bad weather and the natural strength of structures and old joints. Because silicone is flexible, it can absorb movements and stress and make buildings more energy efficient by preventing moisture and humidity from seeping through the cracks and joints.
In architecture, silicone has a critical role in glass structures, particularly in the glazing of a broad range of glasses used in modern building facades. It can withstand prolonged exposure to various outside elements like rain and sunlight. It is also used in multiple settings, various industries, commercial conditions, and in-home use. Its adhesive properties will bind gaps in cracks, and its weather-resistant properties can help the repaired zone withstand rough weather conditions while driving.
Versachem Windshield and Glass Sealer Review
The VersaChem Windshield and Glass Sealer has a unique silicone formulation to follow the crack and flow right through it, filling every bit of space before creating an adhesive seal around the damaged area. When the clear flowable silicone toughens after curing, its clear glass properties blend perfectly with the windshield, thereby minimizing the crack appearance. After the process, you won’t even notice there was a crack in the first place unless you take a closer look at the surface area of the damage.
The good thing about the VersaChem Windshield and Glass Sealer is its versatility. You can use it for purposes other than fixing a windshield break. It works on metal, concrete, wood, rubber, and plastic. You can even use it for repairing cracks on the sunroof, a chip on a headlamp glass assembly, water leaks in the car, and more.
Another advantage of VersaChem Glass Sealer is its ease of use. It has one of the most straightforward processes of repair. In fact, it is not even a kit but a single tube filled with flowable silicone. To seal a crack, all you have to do is to clean the damaged area of debris and tiny glass particles before applying the silicone to the fractured glass by pouring a few drops over the crack.
After the application, allow the silicone to cure for about an hour. The curing time provides a chance for the silicone to set in and fill the gaps in the crack. After the hour-long setting, scrape off the excess silicone and clean the area for a glossy finish. These are straightforward steps that require no special skills. Any driver can perform the procedure by following the instructions in the illustrated manual that comes with the kit.
You can finish the job in about 15 minutes, but you have to observe the one-hour setting time. You should also allow for a 24 hour curing period. This long curing time is one of the setbacks. So, it is best to schedule the work on a lazy day where the vehicle can stay parked for an entire day.
- It is specially formulated to flow into cracks, forming a clear, flexible, tough, and airtight seal
- Resistant to shock, weather, vibration, and most shop chemicals
- Perfect for sealing and repairing windshields, sunroofs, headlamp assemblies, glass, metal, wood, plastic, concrete, rubber, and more
- Very easy to use with no complex procedures
- Anyone in a few minutes can perform a quick cracked glass repair job.
- Long curing time of 24 hours, longer on hazy days
- Not ideal for bullseye cracks and star breaks that require a more complex process.
- Formulated to flow into cracks to form a clear, tough, flexible and airtight seal
- Resistant to weather, vibration, shock, and most shop chemicals
- Set time: 1 hour; Cure time: 24 hours
Last update on 2023-11-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Windshield Repair Kit
The best way to fix windshield fractures is to use a repair kit, considering these products were carefully researched and expertly designed for fixing star breaks, bullseye fractures, and chips. These kits mostly use a highly viscous liquid resin that toughens after curing. It is the same resin material used in brake linings, plane and ship components, electrical gadgets, paints, cooling towers, rubber laminates, adhesives, coatings, and more.
The ultimate chemical resistance and excellent adhesive properties of liquid resin make it perfect for windshield breaks and various glass fractures. It is also highly resistant to moisture, stress, extreme fatigue, and temperature fluctuations.
Another essential feature of most repair kits is the injector tool that effectively forces the liquid resin into the cracks to achieve optimum quality that is also durable and strong. Such a tool is not usually included in silicon-based windshield kits. This is why kits with applicator tools are ideal for repairing more complex glass breaks, like spiderweb cracks and bullseye breaks. These fractures have several microscopic cracks spreading around the impact point, making them more challenging to seal.
Applying liquid resin to the crack is not enough for a good result. You need to further push the resin into those tiny microscopic cracks by applying pressure. This is where the tools come onto the scene, forcing the resin into the spiderweb crack.
Furthermore, some kits have a plunger or a syringe that suctions unwanted air in those tiny cracks so that the liquid resin can fill the space instead of air. The presence of minute air bubbles in the glass fracture will compromise the integrity of the glass, and they will serve as a weak point during constant exposure to wind load. Thus, further spreading the crack or causing a reappearance after the work is done.
Versachem Windshield Repair Kit Review
The VersaChem Repair Kit is a resin-based kit that prevents spiderweb cracks from spreading. It works effectively for bullseyes, chips, and star breaks up to an inch and a quarter in diameter. The kit comes with a syringe with a unique spring lock feature on the plunger that lets you accurately deliver the advanced crack-filling resin formula and surface damage procedure right where it needs to be to seal the crack completely in a water-tight seal.
Another great feature is the repair resin that comes with the kit. It is already a complete formula without any mixing required, unlike the kits of other brands that need a proper mixing of ingredients to create a liquid for the crack. The liquid resin has a high viscosity that allows it to flow through small cracks and deep gaps like a charm.
However, it cannot flow on its own through the tiniest cracks using only gravity. Pressure is needed on the plunger to push the liquid into deep cracks. This is why a syringe is added to the kit to help push the resin further into the gap. Some brands use a tool with a resin chamber and a screw to push the resin instead of a syringe.
Another feature that makes the VersaChem 90110 windshield repair kit unique is the quick cure time, only 15 minutes under direct sunlight. This is way quicker than the hour-setting time of its silicone counterpart. When it dries, the liquid resin toughens into a clear crystal finish that blends with the windshield’s glass.
However, to achieve a solid repair, you need to observe a proper temperature range of 40°F to 80°F during the application. Going beyond this range could potentially lead to a bad repair job, and poor quality finish.
Compared to other windshield glass repair kits with repair tools, the application process of VersaChem is more straightforward and a lot faster. It doesn’t require any assembly as some other kits do. In this case, the kit has simple tools consisting of a syringe and a curing film, aside from the tube of liquid resin.
It will only take about 15 minutes to complete the job using the VersaChem kit. The first step starts with cleaning the area to ensure it is free from glass particles and dirt that could compromise the quality of the work done. The next step is to use the syringe included in the kit, fill it with liquid resin, and apply it to the crack.
Afterward, patch the repair zone with a curing film provided in the kit and let it cure for 15 minutes. Once it’s cured, you are good to go after scraping off the excess resin and cleaning the area with a dry cloth. So in total, it will take around 30 minutes for the entire process, including the time for curing.
The timeframe of the process makes the VersaChem repair kit one of the quickest from start to finish on the market, with results comparable to professional quality repairs. So, if you are short of time, you will find this product handy and valuable. If you are going for a long drive, it would greatly help to have one inside the vehicle in the event of a glass fracture incident during the long trip.
- Repairs bullseye breaks, chips, and star damages up to 1.25″ in diameter
- Restores crystal clear vision
- Advanced resin formula that quickly cures under direct sunlight
- Effectively penetrates deep cracks and surface damage with auto glass shop quality
- The more complex procedure, but an illustrated manual is provided to guide users
- Requires a specific temperature range during the repair to achieve a good result
- Repairs bullseyes, star damage, and chips up to 1.25" in diameter
- Restores crystal clear vision; advanced resin formula cures in sunlight
- Provides deep penetrating crack filling resin and surface damage procedure that auto glass shop technicians use
Last update on 2023-11-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Versachem Windshield Repair Kit Review Recommendation
VersaChem has been in the industry for more than 35 years, providing consumers with highly advanced automotive glass chip repair solutions, sealing agents, and professional-grade adhesives. Its world-class formulations come in affordable size packages to ensure consumers will have a quick fix to their problems at minimal costs. VersaChem packages have easy-to-use applications for stress-free procedures, such as a self-mixing syringe, spray cans, control nozzles, dispensing tubes, sticks, cartridges, and repair tools.
Aside from rock chip repair kits and glass sealants, other popular products of VersaChem include the MEGA Grey, 5 Minute®, Tiger Patch®, Plastic Welder™, and 60 Second®. There are greater chances you are familiar with one or more of these names, reflecting the quality and credibility of VersaChem in different industries. So, there is no question about the brand – it provides an initial guarantee of trust and quality.
I want to conclude this review with the following recommendations for cracks, bullseye breaks, and windshield chips. There are different recommended products for specific damages to ensure the best quality repair that guarantees durability while minimizing the appearance of the glass fracture on the windshield.
Best For Cracks less than 12 inches in length
The VersaChem Windshield and Glass Sealant is the recommended product for cracks not more than a foot long. The flowable silicone works best on simple line cracks while creating a water-tight seal around the damage.
Repairing the crack requires no tool. For this reason, the kit is a single product, unlike the windshield glass repair kits that come with an injector, curing films, and more. It’s because you don’t need any of that when repairing cracks that are devoid of the complex structure of bullseye breaks.
Moreover, the steps are straightforward. All you have to do is open the tube containing the silicone and apply a few drops to the crack. After cleaning the repair zone, you’re done in about five minutes or less.
So, if you have some cracked glasses to fix, the glass and windshield sealant of VersaChem is the best product to use. The versatility of the sealant makes it the perfect item to be added to the car’s emergency box. You can use it for various other purposes, such as on headlamp glass breaks and cracks on the side mirrors and side windows. If your sunroof is leaking with water, you can also use it to seal the crack and keep the area water-sealed.
Best for Rock Chips and Bullseye Breaks less than an inch in diameter.
Bullseye chips, spiderweb cracks, and star breaks are more complicated to repair because of the web of similar windshield glass fractures around the impact point. There are numerous tiny cracks around the point of impact, so microscopic that you need an advanced formula of liquid resin to fill those gaps.
Moreover, you also need to use a repair tool like a syringe to suck out the air in those tiny gaps before putting pressure to force the liquid resin into the glass fracture. This part of the procedure is critical to ensure that no air bubble is left behind in those minute cracks that could compromise the repair’s integrity. Thus, the best product for these types of repair is the VersaChem windshield repair kit.
Compared to other windshield repair brands, the few easy steps further add appeal to those who have little interest in DIY cracked glass repair projects. Any person within the driving age can perform these simple tasks. There is no mixing, and no assembly of parts is required; everything in the kit is ready to use. The quick curing time of 15 minutes further separates it from the other brands that usually need an average of one hour to cure the liquid resin.
So, if you have windshield cracks around the area of impact, such as bullseye breaks, star cracks, or glass chips, the VersaChem Windshield Repair kit is a highly recommended product. It effectively minimizes the visuals of those glass fractures while adding strength around the damaged area, thereby reinforcing the windshield’s structural integrity.
Best Selling Windshield Repair Kit
Last update on 2023-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
