Winston-Salem, NC
Auto glass repair in Winston-Salem, done at your car.
Impex Auto Glass fixes rock chips and short cracks, replaces broken door and back glass, and fits new windshields at your home, your office lot or wherever the car is parked in Winston-Salem. Send the quote form and Impex comes back to you.
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- Chips and cracks filled before they spread
- Door, quarter and back glass
- Glass matched to your VIN
- Impex works with all major insurers
Request a quote
Get your auto glass quote
Tell Impex where the damage is, which vehicle it is and how to reach you.
- 2 in.Largest stone break the windshield repair standard treats as repairableROLAGS
- VINImpex checks the glass against your vehicle before it is orderedImpex Auto Glass
- 30 to 60 minImpex’s figure for a door or side window, and you can drive straight awayImpex Auto Glass
- G.S. 58-3-180North Carolina law: you choose who repairs your vehicleNC General Statutes
What Impex fixes
Auto glass work for Winston-Salem drivers
Repair comes first: a chip or a short crack filled early saves the windshield. When the glass is past saving, Impex replaces it. Each job has its own page with what happens at the car and how long it takes.
How it works
From the quote form to driving away
Four steps. Most chip repairs and side windows are done in a single visit to your vehicle.
- 01Tell Impex about the damageSend the quote form or call with the year, make and model, which glass is damaged and where the car is. A photo of the chip or crack helps. Have the VIN handy: it is on the dash at the base of the windshield and on the driver’s door frame.
- 02Repair or replace, and a timeFrom your description Impex says whether the damage looks repairable, quotes the job and agrees a time and place with you: your driveway, your office lot or your apartment parking space.
- 03The work at your carA chip is cleaned, filled with resin and cured. A broken window is cleared of glass and the new one is set. A new windshield is bonded in and the forward camera is calibrated when your vehicle needs it.
- 04Drive awayThe technician tells you when the car is ready. Impex says a side window can be driven straight away and that most cars are back on the road within two hours of a new windshield.
Where Impex goes
Winston-Salem and the towns toward Greensboro
Impex Auto Glass’s nearest shop is at 8748 W Market St in Greensboro, about 25 miles east of Winston-Salem, and in Forsyth County the work is done where your vehicle is.
- Winston-SalemDowntown, Old Salem, Ardmore, West End, Buena Vista and North Winston
- KernersvilleI-40, I-74, Salem Parkway (US 421), NC 66 and NC 150
- WalkertownNC 66, US 311 and US 158 in north-east Forsyth
- Rural Hall, King and TobaccovilleUS 52, I-74 and NC 66 north of the city
- High PointI-74, I-85, US 29, US 70 and NC 68
- Every town on one pageRoads, places and what to know for each
Repair first
Why a chip is worth fixing this week
Most auto glass repair in Winston-Salem starts with a stone. A truck on I-40, a gravel shoulder on US 52, a pickup ahead of you on Salem Parkway: one small rock hits the windshield and leaves a chip the size of a pea. At that size it is a quick repair. The trouble is that a chip rarely stays that size.
A windshield is laminated glass: two layers of glass with a plastic layer between them. A chip is a break in the outer layer, and its edges are where stress gathers. Every swing in temperature makes the glass expand and contract: a car parked in the afternoon sun at Hanes Mall, then the air conditioning on full, or a frosty morning followed by the defroster on high. Every pothole and railroad crossing flexes it too. Any one of those can turn a chip that sat quietly for weeks into a crack across the glass.
Filling the chip with resin stops that. The resin bonds the break and keeps air, water and dirt out of it, so the outer layer is whole again and the factory seal around the windshield is never disturbed. Dirt and water that get into an open chip make the repair harder, so until the appointment a piece of clear tape over the chip keeps it clean. Read more on windshield repair in Winston-Salem, including what can and cannot be filled.
Chip, crack or new glass
How Impex decides between repair and replacement
Three things decide whether glass can be repaired: how big the damage is, how deep it goes and where it sits. Impex’s own rule is that a repair may be possible when the chip or crack is small, shallow and away from the edges of the glass.
For size there is a published industry standard. ROLAGS, the Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard administered by the National Windshield Repair Division, says stone breaks up to two inches in diameter and single line cracks up to 14 inches are repairable. Those are the outer limits. Shops also use simpler rules of thumb: a widely used one says damage smaller than a dollar bill, about six inches, is likely repairable, and Impex describes small chips as those smaller than a quarter. Rules of thumb are not laws, and the technician still looks at the glass.
| What you see | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chip smaller than a quarter | Repair | Small and shallow: resin fills it and stops it spreading |
| Bullseye or star break up to about two inches | Often repair | Inside the ROLAGS limit for stone breaks |
| Single crack of six inches or less | Often repair | A ‘short crack’ in ROLAGS terms |
| Crack that runs to the edge of the glass | Replace | An edge crack sits where the glass is bonded to the car |
| Damage in front of the driver or the camera | Usually replace | A filled break can leave a mark in the line of sight |
Cracks get their own page, because they behave differently from chips: see windshield crack repair in Winston-Salem. When the windshield has to come out, the pages on windshield replacement in Kernersville, NC and windshield replacement in High Point, NC walk through the full job.
Car windows
Door, quarter and back glass
Door windows, quarter glass and most back glass are tempered, not laminated. Tempered glass does not chip and crack the way a windshield does: when it breaks it falls into small pieces, so a broken side window is a replacement, never a resin repair. That is why searches for car window repair and car window replacement in Winston-Salem lead to the same job.
Impex’s figures: a side window takes 30 to 60 minutes and the car can be driven straight away; back glass takes one to two hours, and the rear defroster should stay off for 24 hours after. Before the visit, take valuables out of the car and, if rain is coming, tape heavy plastic over the opening. The car window repair in Winston-Salem page covers break-ins, the glass clean-up inside the door and what to tell your insurer.
Cameras
Calibration after a new windshield
Many cars now carry a forward facing camera behind the windshield, near the mirror. It feeds lane departure warning, collision braking and adaptive cruise control. I-CAR, the collision industry’s training body, lists removing the windshield among the events that may require the camera to be aimed again, and each automaker sets its own requirement by year, make and model.
Calibration is done one of two ways. Static calibration uses targets set in front of the vehicle while a scan tool runs the aiming procedure. Dynamic calibration has the car driven on the road at set speeds for a set time or distance. Some cameras need both. Impex states that it performs ADAS calibration on site after windshield replacement, with static and dynamic calibration in one visit, and that calibration takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours. A chip repair does not remove the windshield, which is one more reason to fix a chip early.
Insurance
How a glass claim usually works in North Carolina
In North Carolina, glass damage normally falls under comprehensive coverage. The NC Department of Insurance lists ‘breakage of glass’ and ‘missiles or falling objects’ among comprehensive losses, and comprehensive pays the repair less any deductible. North Carolina has no law that waives the deductible for glass, so your own policy decides what you pay. Some policies include full glass coverage; your policy documents or your agent will tell you.
- You choose the shop. Under G.S. 58-3-180 a policy covering damage to a motor vehicle must let you select the repair service, and the insurer pays the same whichever you choose.
- Points. NC’s Safe Driver Incentive Plan charges points for convictions and at-fault accidents. A rock chip is neither, but an insurer may still look at how often you file claims.
- Help with the claim. Impex works with all major insurance providers and can deal with your insurer on the claim. Have the insurer’s name and your policy number ready.
A note on inspections: North Carolina’s annual safety inspection checks your windshield wipers, not the glass itself, and no NC statute sets a crack size. A crack in your line of sight is still a safety problem, so it is worth fixing whatever the inspection checks.
Repair or replace?
- Usually a repairA chip smaller than a quarter, or a short single crack, that is shallow and away from the edges of the glass.
- Usually a new windshieldA crack that reaches the edge, damage right in front of the driver or the camera, or a crack that keeps growing.
A photo with the quote form lets Impex tell you which it looks like before anyone drives out.
Questions
What Winston-Salem drivers ask about auto glass
Short answers from published standards, North Carolina law and Impex’s own figures.
Is Auto Glass Winston-Salem part of Impex Auto Glass?
Yes. Auto Glass Winston-Salem is Impex Auto Glass serving Winston-Salem and the towns around it. Quote requests and calls from this site go to Impex. Impex’s shops are in Greensboro and Charlotte; in Winston-Salem the work is done at your vehicle.
Can my chip be repaired?
If it is small, shallow and away from the edges, usually yes. The ROLAGS repair standard treats stone breaks up to two inches across as repairable; Impex describes small chips as smaller than a quarter. A photo sent with the quote form helps Impex tell you before the visit.
How long can I drive with a cracked windshield?
There is no safe fixed number. A crack can stay still for weeks or run in an afternoon with a change in temperature or a hard bump. A crack in your line of sight is a safety problem now, so have it looked at soon. NC’s safety inspection checks the wipers, not the glass.
Is a cracked windshield replaced at no cost in North Carolina?
Not by law. North Carolina has no zero-deductible glass law. Comprehensive coverage normally pays for glass breakage less your deductible, unless your policy includes full glass coverage. Check your policy or ask your agent.
Will my insurance go up if I claim a cracked windshield?
A comprehensive glass claim is not an at-fault accident, so it does not add Safe Driver Incentive Plan points. NCDOI notes that insurers may still look at how often you file claims, at-fault or not.
Can my insurer make me use a particular glass company?
No. Under G.S. 58-3-180 you choose who repairs your vehicle, and the insurer must pay the same amount whichever repair service you pick.
Do I need camera calibration after a chip repair?
A chip repair leaves the windshield in place, so it is not the windshield removal that I-CAR lists as a calibration event. After a full replacement, many cars need the forward camera calibrated; Impex does it as part of the job when your vehicle requires it.
What areas does Impex cover from Winston-Salem?
Winston-Salem and the towns east and north of it: Kernersville, Walkertown, Rural Hall, King, Tobaccoville and High Point. See the areas page for each one.
A chip in your windshield? Get it filled before it spreads.
Send the quote form at the top of the page or call Impex Auto Glass. Tell Impex the vehicle and the damage, and it will set a time to come to you in Winston-Salem.
Or call a pro