Quick answer:
Repair is a controlled option for selected outer-lite damage in a laminated windshield after the break type, dimensions, location, contamination, and glass condition pass inspection. Apply the named ROLAGS edition as one decision framework, then check applicable law, vehicle and OEM technology information, technician judgment, and the exact repair-system, resin, and lamp instructions. Stop and replace when a listed limitation applies or when the finished repair could impair vision, wiper operation, or vehicle technology.
What decides repair versus replacement?
A windshield chip is not approved for repair merely because resin can enter it. The decision starts with a two-sided inspection that answers five questions:
- Is this laminated glass, and is the damage confined to the outside lite?
- Is the break a bullseye, star, combination break, crack, half moon, or surface pit?
- Do its dimensions and location meet the edition-specific screening criteria being used?
- Can moisture and visible contamination be removed without hiding an unsafe condition?
- Do applicable law, vehicle-maker information, value-added features, technician judgment, and the exact repair system all permit the job?
The ANSI/AGSC/NWRD/ROLAGS 002-2022 standard provides terminology, dimensions, repair limitations, a general process, and final-inspection criteria for laminated automotive glass. Those criteria belong to that named edition. They are not universal legal limits, a promise that every break within a dimension can be repaired, or operating instructions for a particular resin, injector, or lamp.
For a shorter question-by-question diagnostic layer, use the Windshield Repair FAQ.
Classify the break before measuring it
The public word "chip" can describe several different forms of damage. The ROLAGS definitions page distinguishes them by visible structure:
- Bullseye: a separated cone in the outer glass that appears as a dark circle around an impact point.
- Star break: legs extend outward from the impact area.
- Combination break: more than one characteristic appears, such as a star within a bullseye or cracks extending from the body.
- Crack: a single line of separation that may start at an impact point. An edge crack reaches an edge; a floater crack does not.
- Stress crack: a crack extending from an edge without an impact point.
- Surface pit: wear-related surface damage that does not reach the plastic interlayer.
Clean enough to see the structure, but do not force debris farther into the break or begin access work before the repair decision and exact system instructions are established. View the damage from inside and outside. If the inside lite is damaged, both lites are penetrated, or the interlayer is damaged or discolored, the 002-2022 limitations direct replacement rather than repair.
ROLAGS 002-2022 decision matrix
The dimensions below are screening criteria stated in ANSI/AGSC/NWRD/ROLAGS 002-2022, not universal permission to repair. Every row remains subject to the edition's repair limitations, applicable law, vehicle technology and OEM information, technician judgment, and the exact repair-system, resin, and curing-lamp instructions. A shop should also confirm whether a later edition or a different binding rule applies in its market before relying on these values.
| Observed damage | 002-2022 screening criterion | Condition and location checks | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullseye | Diameter no larger than 1 inch (25 mm) | Confirm outside-lite damage, removable contamination, and no conflicting location or vehicle-feature condition | Continue assessment only if every limitation and applicable instruction also passes |
| Combination break | Body diameter, excluding legs, no more than 2 inches (50 mm) | Count and trace all legs; three or more long cracks from one impact point is a replacement condition | Repair only after the full pattern, not just the central body, is accepted |
| Star break | Break diameter no more than 3 inches (75 mm) | Inspect every leg tip and check whether the pattern enters a restricted area | Continue only when the system is intended for that break and all limitations pass |
| Single crack | Length no more than 14 inches (350 mm) | Identify an impact point, edge intersections, location, contamination, and stability; a stress crack is a replacement condition | Do not treat length alone as approval |
| Half moon | Diameter no larger than 1 inch (25 mm) | Apply the same depth, location, contamination, and feature checks used for other impact damage | Continue assessment only when all controls agree |
| Surface pit | Damage diameter not less than 1/8 inch (3 mm) | Distinguish normal surface wear from a subsurface break; a pit larger than 3/8 inch (9 mm) is a replacement condition in this edition | Do not inject resin merely because a surface mark is visible |
The ROLAGS repairable-damage summary is useful for recognizing the dimensional categories, while clause 7 of the complete 002-2022 standard controls the associated limitations. A dimension is therefore an opening question, not the final answer.
Driver-view, edge, and vehicle-technology checks
In the 002-2022 edition, the Driver's Primary Viewing Area, or DPVA, is a 12-inch (300 mm) band centered on the driver's position and extending through the wiper sweep. Within that edition-specific area, replacement is recommended when the damage diameter exceeds 1 inch (25 mm), the finished pit would exceed 3/16 inch (5 mm), a repair would be within 4 inches (100 mm) of another repair, or the technician judges that vehicle operation could be affected. These criteria are not universal legal limits and remain paired with the edition's other repair limitations, applicable law, vehicle technology and OEM information, technician judgment, and the exact repair-system, resin, and curing-lamp instructions.
Location can override an otherwise acceptable dimension. The same edition lists stress cracks and edge cracks intersecting more than one edge as replacement conditions. It also directs the technician to consider rain sensors, coatings, head-up displays, antennas, night-vision equipment, and other value-added features, and to follow vehicle-maker recommendations before working where a feature could be affected.
Do not infer that a camera or sensor is unaffected because the impact looks small. Identify the windshield and feature area, obtain the applicable vehicle information, and stop when the repair process or remaining optical blemish could interfere with operation.
Ordered windshield repair workflow
This sequence follows the general order in clauses 8 and 9 of the 002-2022 standard. It is a control framework, not a substitute for training or the exact repair-system procedure.
- Record the vehicle and damage. Identify the windshield, location, wiper sweep, nearby technology, impact point, visible legs, and any prior repairs before touching the break.
- Inspect from both sides. Confirm laminated construction and determine whether damage is limited to the outside lite. Replace rather than repair when the inside lite, both lites, or the plastic interlayer is affected.
- Classify and measure. Name the break, trace every leg, measure the applicable body or crack, and apply the 002-2022 matrix together with local law and vehicle information.
- Check contamination and moisture. Inspect for water, dirt, road film, washer fluid, loose glass, and other visible material. Remove only what the approved process allows. Stop if visible contamination cannot be removed.
- Condition the glass as directed. If glass temperature falls outside the repair-system manufacturer's range, warm or cool it according to that system. This guide supplies no transferable temperature.
- Prepare the exact system. Verify the bridge, injector or other air-removal method, compatible resin, pit-fill material, curing lamp, protective materials, and current instructions. Do not borrow settings from another resin or lamp.
- Access only when authorized. The standard's general process recognizes probing or drilling as possible access methods, but the exact system and break condition decide whether either is appropriate. Do not drill from a generic article or another product's workflow.
- Remove air and fill the void. Use the exact system's vacuum or displacement method, place the specified resin, and observe fill progress from both sides. Do not improvise pressure, cycle count, or penetration settings.
- Cure and finish. Protect resin from premature curing, then follow the exact resin and lamp instructions for curing. Complete pit filling, remove excess as directed, and finish the surface flush with the surrounding glass.
- Perform final inspection. Inspect from the driver's seated position, check optical and physical completion, verify normal wiper operation, document the result, and replace or escalate if the finished repair fails acceptance.
What the two SuperPDR product records support
The visible SuperPDR intelligent automobile glass repair system record lists a host, polishing component, vibrator head, lens or camera, signal line, suction pen, manual, curing lamp, hair dryer, bracket, and two power cables. Its visible high-level order covers inspection, drying, resin placement, penetration checks, UV curing, and finishing. That record does not supply a transferable curing time, operating setting, resin specification, drilling instruction, or permission to repair a particular break. Obtain the exact resin, lamp, and system instructions before use.
The visible MPT-KB005 car glass repair instrument record supports only a metal-and-plastic construction, an auto-glass-repair function, a one-year listed warranty, a 50 x 40 x 31 cm package, and a 9.5 kg gross package weight. These are product and package facts, not evidence of repairability, curing performance, compatibility, or a successful outcome. Before approval, buyers should separate each verified public fact from their own incoming-inspection checks and from documents still required from the supplier. The PDR Tool Buying FAQ explains how to keep role and evidence gaps explicit.
Final inspection method
Inspection is not complete when the resin looks clear from outside. Clause 9 of the 002-2022 standard requires the technician to inspect visually from the driver's position. The ROLAGS repair-inspection page also illustrates why profile and changed-angle views matter: remaining voids, unfilled leg tips, contamination, and refraction can be easier to see when the viewing position changes.
Use a repeatable final check:
- Sit at the normal driver position and view the repair through the glass against more than one background.
- Inspect for significant light scatter, dirt, road contamination, air pockets, open leg tips, or another optical defect that could affect vehicle operation.
- View the break from outside and at an oblique angle to identify a remaining void or incomplete fill rather than judging only the surface.
- Confirm the finished pit is flush and does not interfere with normal windshield-wiper travel.
- Recheck the feature area and the technician's repair-versus-replace decision; do not accept a result solely because spreading has not occurred during the appointment.
- Record the damage type, dimensions, location, system and consumables used, instructions followed, observations, and final disposition.
A cosmetic blemish may remain after a technically accepted repair. The standard does not promise invisibility or guarantee that damage will never spread. Explain the expected appearance before work and compare the final result with the documented acceptance method, not with an unsupported percentage or photograph.
Stop and replacement conditions
Stop the repair decision and replace or refer the windshield when any applicable 002-2022 limitation, law, OEM requirement, exact-system restriction, or technician safety judgment calls for replacement. Explicit conditions include:
- damage through both the inside and outside lites;
- damage to the inside lite;
- visible contamination that approved cleaning cannot remove;
- damage or discoloration in the plastic interlayer;
- three or more long cracks from one impact point;
- a stress crack or an edge crack intersecting more than one edge;
- a pit, DPVA condition, or damage dimension outside the named edition's criteria;
- damage or a proposed process that may negatively affect a coating, sensor, display, antenna, camera-related area, or another value-added feature;
- no impact point where the classification requires one, an unstable or spreading condition, or uncertainty about the glass layer involved;
- missing exact repair-system, resin, or lamp instructions;
- a final repair with significant optical defects, incomplete fill, a non-flush pit, wiper interference, or a possible effect on vehicle operation.
Stopping is a valid inspection result. Do not continue with more access work, resin, pressure, heat, or UV exposure to make an unacceptable break fit the process.
Editorial review
- Super PDR: SuperPDR Editorial Team
- Review date: 2026-07-14
- Review basis: Editorially checked against ANSI/AGSC/NWRD/ROLAGS 002-2022, its official interpretation aids, and the listed first-party product records; no individual technical reviewer is claimed.
- Revision note: Rebuilt around edition-specific ROLAGS criteria; limited catalog records 287 and 260 to visible facts; excluded mismatched catalog record 307 and unsupported timing, settings, and performance claims.