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Frequently Asked Questions

How to clean a windshield properly from the inside?

Between the rain and all kinds of splashes (mud, stones, bird droppings, sometimes aggravated by the regular use of dirty and poorly maintained wipers) the windshield is put to the test and exposed to countless dirt particles which, without rigorous maintenance, can leave lasting marks. Keeping the windshield clean seems obvious to drivers, whose visibility is directly affected, and is facilitated by the use of wipers. But cleaning the windshield from the inside, which is less accessible because of its inclination and the cumbersome presence of the dashboard, is also a necessity to ensure optimum vision: the glass is affected by cigarette smoke, dust accumulation and the formation of greasy films.

 

What product should I use to clean my windshield? 

The operation, to be carried out on both sides of the windshield (inside and outside), requires the use of special cleaners and utensils designed to improve the driver's visibility and to maintain the equipment in the best possible condition, without damaging the glass with an unsuitable product or uncontrolled manoeuvres and gestures. To complete the maintenance, it is highly recommended to check the level of the windshield washer and to check the good condition of the wiper blades. 

Individuals who undertake to wash their windshield themselves have a choice between two solutions: special products marketed in cleaning kits available for purchase in one of the Glassdrive installation centres, or "home-made" preparations based on soap, washing-up liquid and... lemon, a citrus fruit well known for its degreasing properties. 

Most of the detergents dedicated to glass cleaning sold by professionals contain a more or less important content of ammonia, an aqueous substance, with strong cleaning qualities, obtained by dissolving the gas of the same name (ammonia) in water. This product, which is very suitable for combating the toughest stains, is a chemical substance with a strong and slightly aggressive odour that should be used with a certain amount of care and a minimum of protection (on the hands, and even the nose for the most sensitive). 

This is why some drivers sometimes prefer gentler and more natural solutions: homemade washing-up liquid, for example, made with Marseille soap and bicarbonate of soda. This preparation is mixed with hot water, to which a spoonful of white vinegar, a very cheap acetic acid obtained by fermenting beet sugar, can be added. Although natural, these products should be used with a minimum of care: apply them to the glazing with a microfibre cloth, a perfect tool for erasing imperfections without producing an abrasive action on the windshield. The citric acid in the lemon will help you avoid deposits and grease streaks left on the glass by the cloth.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I defrost a windshield?

Ice formation on the windscreen is very common in winter. To defrost a windshield effectively, you should act calmly and methodically. You can go back to the classic method and use a good scraper to remove the thin layer of ice! There is also the option of using a defrosting spray to melt the ice layer in a few seconds. 

The latter is not very advisable to do regularly because of the presence of hydrocarbons and other unnatural substances that would have an undesirable effect. In any case, it is very effective and also very practical if you are in a hurry.
 

How to avoid frost on the windschield?

Frost forms very quickly, especially at night. The first thing to do is to park the car away from rain, snow and wind. To protect the car from frost, it is best to put a complete cover over the whole car if it is to remain stationary for a few days. Otherwise, use a windshield cover or tarpaulin if the car is often on the move. You can find many kinds in shops or online.
 

Why does the windshield freeze?

Generally, in the middle of winter, objects that are in contact with the ground are cooled by the night from the ground. Frost is formed when the temperature of the windshield falls below 0°C. As a result, the water vapour in the air that touches it condenses and then freezes. This makes the vehicle colder than the ambient air, especially in the early morning. It is mainly the moisture in the morning air that turns into frost on the windscreen surface.
 

Can a windshield be de-iced with an impact?

Even in an emergency, do not pour hot water on your windscreen to remove the ice! First of all, it would be useless, because the water poured on would quickly cool down and could also turn into ice, and, above all, this method would cause a thermal shock. If there is even a small impact on the glazing, it could turn into a crack.
 

Why does my windshield freeze inside?

To drive comfortably in the freezing winter, it is often necessary to use the heater to warm the air in the car. This makes the air inside the car warmer than the air outside and takes in moisture, especially from your breath. It is this moisture that turns into ice and spreads as a thin layer of frost on all the car's interior glass parts when the air cools down. Find some tips on how to avoid this here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you polish a tarnished car headlight?

Headlights are essential for driving comfort and safety: they provide visibility at night, especially when the street lighting isn’t good enough. Over time, some headlight lenses can become dulled by the effect of the sun’s UV rays on the polycarbonate. The light then loses its sharpness and power. Your vision and visibility, and therefore your safety, are reduced. That’s why you need to polish the headlight from time to time, to make sure that it’s in the best possible condition for driving. How do you polish car headlights? Can you do it yourself? Glassdrive helps you see clearly!

 

What is a headlight lens?

The headlight lens is the transparent polycarbonate surface placed over the headlight, to protect the bulb and the lighting network. This lens allows the light to be spread out efficiently and gives it a specific colour. It also plays an aesthetic role. By extension, the term headlight lens is also used to designate the whole headlight unit.

As with any part of your vehicle, it needs to be cleaned from time to time: Polishing a headlight is essential.

 

Why is it essential to polish the headlights?

The polycarbonate used to manufacture headlight lenses is tougher than glass, but it tends to lose its transparency over time. When the surface is frosted, tarnished or scratched, the light beam is diffracted, reducing the headlight’s range and therefore your visibility.

A headlight with reduced efficiency can be a safety issue, especially when you’re driving on a poorly lit (or unlit) country road. What’s more, a car with faded, yellowed or scratched headlights might not pass its MOT.

The solution? Polishing the headlights. But how do you polish a headlight?

 

How do you polish a car headlight?

To polish a car headlight effectively, you need to take the condition of the headlight into account:

  • If the surface is only tarnished or faded, a simple polishing is sufficient. Use a soft cloth soaked in soapy water or washing-up liquid (but absolutely not alcohol) to clean, and then a whitening toothpaste to rub, the headlights. A coat of polish on the headlight can also do the trick.
  • If the headlight is very opaque, or even scratched, the car headlight should be polished with fine sandpaper (grain size: 600-800 mm) or an abrasive cloth (using a drill with a rotary pad), then polish.

Before polishing your car’s headlights, remember to protect the painted parts of the bodywork with masking tape.

However, to give your headlights back their full power, it’s best to contact a professional.

 

Can you trust Glassdrive to polish your headlights?

As a specialist in your vision and visibility on the road, Glassdrive has added headlight polishing into its range of services. In our centres that offer this service, our fitters have been trained to restore the original transparency and efficiency of these parts. To do this, we polish the surface of the headlight using special products and increasingly fine or soft sandpaper, and then we varnish it, to protect the plastic from the harmful effects of UV rays. This procedure requires a certain amount of technical skill, and the result is outstanding.

However, if your lens is too damaged to be polished, or if it’s broken, we can replace it: your safety on the road is at stake!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why and how do you replace the side window of your car?

Is the side window of your car broken? This can be the result of a collision, an act of vandalism or an attempted break-in. In the event of a problem with a car’s side windows, repair is not usually possible: they must be replaced so that the passenger compartment isn’t left unprotected. Why is it essential to replace a car’s side window, and how do you go about it?

 

Why does a car’s side window need to be replaced?

In the event of a collision, there's less risk of a projectile breaking through the side windows than through the windscreen. Lightness is prioritised over impact resistance to help reduce the car’s fuel consumption. Therefore, car side windows are usually made of tempered glass rather than laminated glass. Tempered glass shatters into thousands of small glass cubes that are less sharp than large, blade-like pieces. Some high-end vehicles use laminated glass throughout to resist break-ins. This means that if a side window is hit, it will shatter completely and a simple repair isn’t an option, unlike with a windscreen.

A car window can only be repaired under two conditions:

  • The glass must be laminated glass,
  • The damage must be small (less than 40 mm) and not obstruct your visibility.

On the other hand, replacing your car’s window is unavoidable if it’s a tempered glass side window.

 

How do you replace car side windows?

Because a side window breaks easily in the event of a collision (voluntary or not), replacement is essential and must be done urgently, so the vehicle isn’t left open.

In fact, a vehicle with a broken side window is an unprotected vehicle. It isn’t possible to drive for long under these conditions. In addition, because tempered glass is prone to breaking into lots of pieces, these must be removed from the passenger compartment and the window frame. That’s why you need to replace your car window as soon as possible.

Replacing a car window requires a professional with the right equipment - in particular a hood to protect against shards of glass - and the ability to work on the window’s raising mechanism. The procedure could also damage the electrical system that opens and closes the windows, which requires careful attention.

 

It’s also sometimes necessary to carry out an electrical diagnosis of the vehicle to ensure that the new windows work properly.

At Glassdrive, we follow a strict protocol for any car window change:

  • Removing the handles and all connections along with the door panel;
  • Thoroughly cleaning the debris from the car’s side window;
  • Installing a new window on the vehicle and adjusting it;
  • Reconnecting the electrical connections and reassembling.

The average car window replacement takes less than 2 hours.

 

Why trust Glassdrive to change your car window?

Glassdrive offers you unique expertise and high quality materials, in particular the glass designed and produced by Saint-Gobain, Europe’s leading automotive glass manufacturer.

For your car window, if repair is impossible, we’ll replace it with glass that matches the original: it can be tinted, athermic, tempered or laminated glass, etc., but above all we guarantee the same quality as the original part: the same impeccable curvature, the same perfect transparency, guaranteeing you the same quality and driving comfort as you had before the glass broke.

The cost of replacing your car window is covered by the glass breakage warranty included in your car insurance (excluding any excess). All you have to do is make an appointment at a Glassdrive centre!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it dangerous to drive with a cracked windscreen?

You’ve noticed a crack in your windscreen. What are the risks? Can you drive with a cracked windscreen? A crack in the windscreen can alter your field of view and hamper driving, but it also makes the glass more fragile. Glassdrive explains why it’s important not to drive with a cracked windscreen.

 

Can you drive with a cracked windscreen?

In the eyes of the law, it all depends on the extent of the crack in the windscreen. In short, your cracked windscreen is a problem if…

  • The crack is larger than 30 cm,
  • The crack occupies the entire width or height of the windscreen,
  • The crack is in your field of view.

Indeed, the Highway Code stipulates that “every motor vehicle (...) must be constructed or equipped in such a way that the driver’s field of view, to the front, to the right and to the left, is sufficient for him to drive safely” (Article 316-1). Driving a vehicle that does not comply with the provisions relating to the transparency of windows is punishable by a fourth class fine of up to EUR 135 (Article 316-3-1).

That means that your car won’t pass its MOT with a damaged windscreen. You’ll have to undergo a retest once the glass has been replaced.

Also, the vehicle glass, especially the rear window and windscreen, contributes to the strength of your vehicle. Without the glass, the vehicle is much more easily deformed in the event of a collision.

In short, driving with a crack in your windscreen is a really bad idea! It’s better to do something about it as soon as possible…

 

Can a cracked windscreen break?

No, a car’s windscreen is made of laminated glass: two layers of glass separated by a plastic film that holds them together. This is why, in the event of a collision, a windscreen cracks rather than exploding into many sharp pieces.

Nevertheless, a cracked windscreen is dangerous: the cracked glass is weakened and becomes more vulnerable each time it’s subjected to a shock or an impact. A simple extreme change in temperature (such as turning on the air conditioning when it is very hot, or heating or defrosting in winter when it is cold) will degrade the structure of the crack in the windscreen, with the risk of it growing.

 

Cracked windscreen: what’s the right thing to do?

With a cracked windscreen, the risks are numerous: it impairs driving, reduces visibility, makes the vehicle more fragile in the event of a collision, fails to meet the requirements of the Highway Code, and the risk of having to drive with a broken windscreen to the nearest garage!

The right thing to do is to take the initiative and go to the nearest Glassdrive centre.

Unfortunately, for a cracked windscreen, repair is impossible: while it is possible to fill damage with resin (provided it’s not too big), a windscreen crack is unrepairable damage. It’s essential to replace the entire pane of glass.

Don’t panic: the cost of the operation is covered by your insurance under your glass breakage warranty (excluding any excess or possible exceeding of the guarantee’s cost limit). That’s why it’s in your best interest to act as soon as possible to avoid ending up with a broken windscreen: The penalty you risk is one thing, but above all the state of the glass represents a danger to your safety and that of other motorists!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to recognise an athermic windscreen?

An athermic windscreen includes technology that improves the thermal insulation of the passenger compartment and limits the build-up of heat when the car is in the sun for a long time. This type of car glass has become more widely available with time. In fact, your car might already have it! How can you tell if you have an athermic windscreen? How do you recognise it? Glassdrive will explain it to you.

 

What are the advantages of an athermic windscreen?

An athermic windscreen, by definition, is not a heat conductor, because it is made of multiple layers of glass lined with multiple titanium or silver foils.

This type of glass has many advantages:

  • It protects the passenger compartment from heat build-up. It protects the interior from heat build-up, so you don’t get burnt when you use the steering wheel or gearstick (or simply sit on the seats) after the vehicle has been in the sun for a long time.
  • It helps to reduce the need for air conditioning (which, in turn, reduces fuel consumption).

On the other hand, there is one particularity you need to be aware of: Due to its composition, this type of glass blocks the passage of infrared rays and GPS signals. Therefore, the manufacturer provides a zone made of standard glass, in the area around the rear-view mirror, outside your field of vision. This means that the athermic zone of the windscreen doesn’t fill the entire windscreen. This is where you should put any electronic toll tag, for example.

 

How can you recognise an athermic windscreen?

How can you tell if you have an athermic windscreen? There are various features by which you can recognise an athermic windscreen with the naked eye:

  • By the violet, blue or petrol blue reflection characteristic of this type of glass;
  • By noting the thermometer icon usually placed above the windscreen wiper, in a corner of the athermic windscreen;
  • By noting the dotted lines which indicate the untreated part of the athermic zone of the windscreen, through which radio waves and infrared can pass.

 

Can an athermic windscreen be repaired?

An athermic windscreen can be repaired. Due to the thin metal foil in the windscreen, the resin injection might increase the disruption caused by the damage and reduce your visibility, and therefore your safety. As with any windscreen, it’s best to go to a professional.

This is where you should trust a specialist like Glassdrive: We’ve been repairing and replacing athermic glass since 1993. We can recognise an athermic windscreen right away and repair it or replace it with the same kind of glass. And the best part is: the work is covered by your insurance’s glass breakage warranty (excluding any excess).

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an athermic windscreen?

A car windscreen isn’t there just for comfort: it mainly provides protection against wind, projectiles (such as stones), dust, or simply against the vicissitudes of the weather. It’s this glass that gives you the greatest visibility while you are driving. But some windows, the athermic ones, give you even greater protection, in this case against the sun’s rays. Let’s find out what an athermic windscreen is and what its advantages are.

 

What is an athermic windscreen?

After several hours in the sun, does your car feel like an oven? Do you and your passengers suffer from the effects of UV rays when you drive to your holiday? If you regularly encounter these problems, you should know that there’s a solution: the athermic windscreen.

Athermic windows improve the insulation of the vehicle interior, limiting the build-up of heat caused by long exposure to the sun. This improves the thermal comfort for passengers by reducing the effect of UV rays and reducing the temperature inside the vehicle.

 

 How does athermic glazing work?

An athermic windscreen is made of laminated glass with small metal particles. Athermic glass has the effect it has because these particles reflect a large part of the sun’s radiation.

The disadvantage of athermic glass is that it makes it harder for infrared rays and GPS signals to pass through due to the silver and titanium particles in the laminated glass. Therefore, an athermic windscreen always has an area of normal glass around the rear-view mirror, which allows signals and rays to pass through.

 

Can an athermic windscreen be repaired?

An athermic windscreen can be repaired. Due to the thin metal foil in the windscreen, the resin injection might increase the disruption caused by the damage and reduce your visibility, and therefore your safety. As with any windscreen, it’s best to go to a professional.

As a specialist in car glass, Glassdrive can repair or replace your athermic windscreen. If the windscreen needs to be replaced, we undertake to provide you with an identical windscreen. What’s more, the procedure is covered by your car insurance’s glass breakage warranty. So you don’t have to pay up front!

Don’t wait for your windscreen to break to benefit from the advantages of athermic glass!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a windscreen cost?

If you come to Glassdrive with a damaged or chipped windscreen, we’ll always try to repair it: it’s not just cheaper, it’s also more responsible. Unfortunately, in some cases, replacement is unavoidable. This raises two questions: How much does a windscreen cost? And how do you estimate the cost of a windscreen replacement? Here’s what you need to know.

 

How much does a windscreen cost?

You think you need to replace the windscreen of your vehicle, and you’re understandably wondering what a car windscreen costs?

To find out how much a front windscreen costs, you need to take two factors into account:

  • The vehicle model, bearing in mind that the more upmarket it is, the more a new windscreen will cost;
  • The kind of glass that needs to be changed: depending on the technology it includes (tinted windscreen, heated windscreen, athermic windscreen, acoustic windscreen, windscreen fitted with a rain sensor or fitted with driving assistance cameras, etc.), the cost of the windscreen can vary enormously.

Overall, the price of a windscreen ranges from 100 to 2,000 Euros (depending on the vehicle model and the glass). But because you can’t do it yourself, you also have to include the technician’s labour cost.

 

How much does a windscreen replacement cost?

If you have to change your windscreen, it’s not just the price of the glass itself that matters: You also have to include the technician’s labour.

Glassdrive is a specialist in the replacement of car windows and the operation can take between 2 and 3 hours, depending on the vehicle model and whether the car has a driver assistance camera that needs to be recalibrated. The glass may be in stock, or else it can be delivered within 24 hours or sometimes 12 hours.

So the windscreen replacement price includes the technician’s work, which consists of removing the damaged or broken glass, accurately positioning the new pane, recalibrating the driver assistance cameras, cleaning the interior of the vehicle, and travel costs if the work is carried out at your home or if your vehicle is transported. You should expect to pay about 50 Euros per hour for the labour. In total, the price of windscreen replacement starts at 250 euros and can go up to several hundred euros. Don’t hesitate to ask us for a quote for your windscreen replacement.

 

Replacing a windscreen comes at a cost, and a considerable one at that. But don’t panic! Your car insurance covers the cost of replacing your windscreen via the glass breakage warranty (excluding any excess or possible exceeding of the guarantee’s cost limit). As a specialist in car glass, Glassdrive is approved by most insurance companies. So you don’t have to wonder how much a windscreen replacement will cost: you can come to us with complete peace of mind!

 

Repair rather than replace a windscreen when possible

At Glassdrive, our priority is to repair when we can, i.e. when the damage to your vehicle’s glass can be repaired using a special resin, for a total procedure time of 30 minutes.

If your windscreen is damaged, the best thing to do is to seek professional advice. We can take a look at the damage and determine if your car windscreen can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced. A new windscreen is bound to cost more, but if the damage is too extensive, it may be unavoidable. Your safety is at stake!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Repair or replace your windscreen: which is the right solution?

Your windscreen is damaged: It’s chipped, or maybe cracked. When is a windscreen repair enough to restore full driving comfort? And when do you need to replace the windscreen? Glassdrive helps you find the right solution.

 

Repairing a damaged windscreen: When can it be repaired?

Professionals such as Glassdrive will consider windscreen chip repair to be possible in the following cases:

  • If the damage to the windscreen is less than 25 mm in diameter;
  • If it’s more than 5 cm from the edge of the glass;
  • If it’s not in the driver’s field of view;
  • If it’s a single chip in the windscreen and not a crack;
  • If there are no more than 3 damaged areas on the windscreen, they meet with the conditions above and they are not close together in one area.

What should I do if my windscreen is chipped? All you need to do is to make an appointment with a professional car glass company like Glassdrive. A chip in the windscreen is repaired by injecting a special resin which solidifies the glass and restores its original appearance (some trace may remain, depending on the situation). The procedure takes about 30 minutes.

But be careful: try to have the damage on your windscreen repaired as soon as possible. Even a small chip in a windscreen can turn into a crack if it undergoes a shock (such as driving over a speed bump too quickly) or a sudden change in temperature. If it’s too late, then it can’t be repaired: then the windscreen must be replaced.

 

Windscreen replacement: When must you replace the windscreen?

Replacing a car windscreen with a new one is essential if a repair isn’t possible. When should I change my windscreen?

  • If the windscreen has a chip that’s too big (more than 25 mm) or too close to the edge of the glass (closer than 5 cm);
  • If the chip has turned into a crack in the windscreen;
  • If it’s a chip that reduces your visibility while you’re driving;
  • If there are 4 or more damaged areas;
  • If any of these conditions apply, there’s no choice: you must have your windscreen replaced. Fortunately, car glass professionals can perform a windscreen replacement in as little as two or three hours, depending on whether your car has driver assistance cameras, which we will need to calibrate. At Glassdrive, we replace the windscreen with glass that matches the original.

 

Windscreen replacement or repair: What’s the best option?

At Glassdrive, we always strive to repair the damage to your windscreen rather than replace the entire windscreen. It’s cheaper, which means you and your insurer pay less, and it’s quicker for everyone. It’s also more environmentally friendly! Changing a windscreen creates about 99 times as much waste as repairing the damage to one. What’s more, the glass has to be recycled. We prefer to repair the windscreen whenever possible.

Rest assured: In both cases, the cost of the operation is covered by your glass breakage warranty if it’s included in your car insurance. Contact your insurer to check if your glass breakage cover includes repair or replacement, according to your situation. All you have to do is get back on the road... in complete safety!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to repair a damaged windscreen?

Has a projectile damaged your car’s windscreen? It’s best to take the vehicle to a professional straight away so they can repair the windscreen, before the damage gets worse and the glass needs to be replaced. How much does a windscreen repair cost? Can you claim it on your insurance?

 

When should you have a damaged windscreen repaired?

Whatever the cause, it’s best to repair a chip in a windscreen as soon as possible. This is because untreated damage can crack, especially after a sudden change in temperature or a shock. Then it’s too late to think about repairing the windscreen and you’ll need to replace the entire pane of glass, and maybe even pay an excess, depending on the terms of your insurance policy.

However, for a windscreen to be repaired, the damage must be less than 40 mm in diameter. The chip must also be more than 5 cm from the edge of the glass and outside the driver’s field of view (a circle of 30 cm in diameter halfway between the top and bottom of the windscreen, lined up with the steering wheel). The shape of the damage is also a factor in deciding whether to repair or replace. If these conditions aren’t met, the windscreen can’t be repaired: you’ll have to replace the windscreen outright.

 

How much does a windscreen repair cost?

How much does it cost to repair a damaged windscreen? If it’s done by a professional, the procedure is quick: at Glassdrive, we use a specific resin that we inject right at the centre of the damaged spot. It takes about half an hour to repair a damaged windscreen.

At Glassdrive, the price of a windscreen repair is between 70 and 90 Euros. Our aim is to offer windscreen repair at an affordable price, so we try to use this procedure, which doesn’t produce any waste, and costs your insurance company less. This includes the price of the resin injected into the windscreen damage as well as the technician’s labour.

However, you should be aware that the cost of repairing windscreen damage is covered by your car insurance’s glass breakage warranty – whether this is included as standard in your policy or is optional, in which case you don’t have to pay anything.

If you don’t have this type of warranty, you’ll be responsible for the cost of repairing your car’s windscreen. But remember that this is always cheaper than replacing the entire pane of glass!

 

Why have Glassdrive repair your windscreen?

Glassdrive is the car glazing specialist. We take care of repairing the damage to your windscreen at the best price, for your comfort and for your safety. With Glassdrive, you benefit from the skills of a seasoned technician, from the quality of the glass designed by Saint-Gobain, and from the fact that your insurer will cover the cost of repairing your windscreen through your glass breakage warranty. Don’t hesitate to make an appointment!

Glassdrive_appointment is booked
Glassdrive is the car glazing specialist

We take care of repairing the damage to your windscreen at the best price!

 

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