When One day you are cruising Ocean Boulevard in your car–and the next, an unexpected pebble turns your view into a spiderweb. At this point, you trust your umbrella known as a windshield just fine. But a second ago, it also felt more like “Myrtle Beach Windshield Repair.”
Take Lisa, the local realtor. Her windshield became the modern art piece last spring after a stray golf ball from a neighboring course came calling. “I thought, ‘It’s just a chip,’” she said. Two days later with 90-degree humidity, it ran longer than the Grand Strand. “Lesson learned do not put off anything.”
Replacing auto glass in my Myrtle Beach neighborhood consists of more trials and tribulations than just pane and pane. The saltair weathers. The sun rays bake. The humidity swells up everything in sight, to say nothing of a grudge-bearing pelican. At shops in Myrtle Beach: they see it all, from weather problems like this one to situations beyond belief. “I replaced a windshield once with a sandcastle shovel stuck in it,” says Tom, who works at a business near the Boardwalk. “Customer said it was a ‘beach memento.'”
The process itself goes a little faster than getting a pancake house table. Mobile units come rolling to your driveway, office, or even the beach parking lot. They whip out the old pane and install a new one, sealing it shut as tight as Bruno on New Year’s. No golf game or beach nap need be called off now for this emergency service.
But there’s one thing: glass isn’t all the same quality. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) glass fits like Tupperware. Aftermarket options? Sometimes they whistle as loud as wind on the ocean. “You get what you pay for,” Tom warns. “Cheap glass fogs up faster than sunglasses in July.”
Insurance? For the most part will cover it, but check the deductible. If yours is lower than having to get a new windshield, then you’re home free. Pro tip: Take a pic of the damage right away. Insurance companies love “before” shots more than tourists selfies with the SkyWheel.
When to deal with it Following the crack in your windshield today, and tomorrow’s cruise through America’s best cup of sea glass could be much harder to navigate. Also–South Carolina law can pull you over if the whole crack blocks your field of vision. Nothing ruins a vacation like a cop’s flashlight at midnight.
And those DIY kits? Good old DIY. They’re like using Band-Aids on a sinking kayak. Ideal for tiny pits, but Myrtle Beach mood swings asks for pros. Humidity screwing up curing. Sand is getting in everything.
Why Windshields do more than keep rain or breezes out. They are an integral part of your car’s structure. A cracked glass will weaken the roof if your vehicle turns over. So yes, it is very important.
So next time your windshield looks ready for a starring role in some stained-glass church window, don’t bother with despair. Myrtle Beach’s gold medal-winning glass experts have seen worse than yours and they’ll fix things up while you’ve got your feet in the sand and sip at sweet tea. Because here, even your car should have a clear view of the coast.