Guides

Windscreen guides

Nine guides, written from twenty years of fitting glass across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Bayside.

No filler and no borrowed advice from somewhere colder. If you have a chip in the glass this morning and want to know what happens next, start with the first one — it takes ten seconds and a 20-cent coin.

Express Auto Glass van and technician working on a windscreen in a suburban street

The guides

Start here Windscreen repair or replacement? Three questions decide it: how big, where on the glass, and does it touch the edge. Answer them with a 20-cent coin in about ten seconds. Read Cost What does a windscreen cost in Brisbane? The same model year can take four different screens at four different prices. Seven things move the number, and none of them are upsells. Read Insurance Windscreen insurance claims in Queensland What comprehensive covers, the three ways policies handle excess, whether a glass claim touches your rating, and when paying cash is cheaper. Read Law Is a cracked windscreen legal in Queensland? The three limits an inspector measures, what else a safety certificate checks, and the two reasons damaged glass matters that have nothing to do with a fine. Read ADAS Calibration after a windscreen replacement If there is a camera behind your mirror it has to be re-aimed after new glass. Static versus dynamic, and what goes wrong when it is skipped. Read Causes 7 things that crack windscreens here What we actually see on South East Queensland roads, in order. Six of the seven are avoidable, including the two nobody expects. Read Time How long does a windscreen replacement take? Sixty to ninety minutes, or two and a half hours with calibration — plus the cure hour people forget to plan for. Read Compare Mobile or workshop replacement? Is a driveway fit as good as a workshop one? Mostly yes — and the three jobs we will not do in your driveway. Read Compare OEM or aftermarket glass? What the three terms actually mean, and the four vehicles where we will only fit the genuine part. Read
If you are in a hurry

The two-minute version

The answers most people ring us for, in the order they ask them.

Can it be repaired?

If the damage is smaller than a 20-cent coin, sits outside your line of sight and does not touch the edge of the glass — yes, about thirty minutes. Any of those untrue and it needs replacing. The full test.

How much?

For a repair, very little, and often nothing under comprehensive insurance. For a replacement it depends on what is bonded to your glass — sensors, heating, acoustic interlayer, camera. What moves the price.

Will insurance pay?

Usually, on comprehensive. Many policies waive the excess on a chip repair entirely. Excess, no-claim bonus and when to pay cash instead.

Is it illegal to drive on?

It becomes a defect if the damage is in your critical viewing area, a crack passes about 150 mm, or a chip is over about 16 mm. Queensland roadworthy rules.

Does my car need calibration?

If there is a camera behind the rear-view mirror, yes, and it happens on the same visit. How ADAS calibration works.

How long will it take?

Thirty minutes for a repair, sixty to ninety for a replacement, two and a half hours with calibration — then about an hour of cure time. The two clocks explained.

How do I stop it happening again?

Four-second gap behind trucks, slow through works, and never aim a cold demister at hot glass. All seven causes.

Every guide here was written by the person who does the work.

Not a copywriter, not an agency, and not a rewrite of an American article about ice. If something on these pages does not match what you were told elsewhere, ring and ask why — 0451 180 046.

By vehicle

Looking for your vehicle instead?

The guides cover the decisions. These cover the job on your particular vehicle.

Cars, 4WDs and utes

Chip repairs, replacements, side and rear glass, and ADAS calibration on the same visit.

Trucks

Prime movers, rigids and light commercials, fitted at your depot or on the road.

Buses and coaches

School, charter and route fleets. Large laminated screens, including two-piece splits, done on your yard.

Motorhomes and campervans

Bonded and rubber-mounted RV fronts, caravan side and rear windows, and hard-to-source glass located and fitted where you are parked.

All 69 suburbs we cover

Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Bayside — with a page for each suburb and no call-out fee to any of them.

Rather just ask?

Describe the damage or send a photo and you will get a straight answer and a firm price. Free quote, no call-out fee, mobile across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Bayside.

Written and checked by Warren, owner and fitter at Express Auto Glass, twenty years in automotive glass in South East Queensland. Last reviewed .