Ding. Crack. Cha-ching. It’s the mantra for Colorado Springs motorists. Windshields take a beating from flying debris.

Many drivers look at the roads through pitted and sandblasted glass.

It’s job security for those in the repair biz and a pain for everyone else. Mobile repair stands in parking lots and by busy intersections boast “free” quick fixes.

“Free” with the right insurance plan, that is.

Repairs typically start at $40 for a chip or crack.

It’s cheaper than replacing a windshield, which can be necessary if dings are not repaired or caught in time.

Army Col. Thomas Mayfield blamed all the “stuff that’s on the road” for the crack that suddenly appeared on the windshield of his two-month-old Jeep Wrangler.

He headed straight to a repair stand for a fix.

“I don’t want to get a whole new windshield,” he said. “I just replaced my wife’s windshield last month. It was $300.”

Many windshield repairers make house calls.

“It’s a highly profitable, successful small business,” said Bob Adelmann, a Cornell University graduate and financial analyst.

He should know; he has repaired about 5,000 windshields in the three years since opening Bob’s Windshield Repair.

“When I sold my investment company to my son, I was looking around for something else to do,” Adelmann said.

He heard about windshield repair at a meeting and learned the trade from a veteran repairman.

“He said I was the slowest one to learn; I wanted to learn how to do it right. I’m a finicky old guy,” Adelmann said.

He promotes his business on a Web site and with magnets, pens and coupons.

“The hours are great. It is an almost all-cash business,” he said. “I started with a box of tools and a pickup truck. Now I have a business some think might be worth $50,000. It blows me away.”

Fixing chips, dents and cracks is a roughly 30-minute process using a drill, steel probe, suction cup, resin and curing tape. The flaw is made smaller, but it’s still visible.

Insurance coverage varies.

Ding and crack repairs often are covered under comprehensive plans. Some companies offer premium options with a zero glass deductible that covers windshield replacement at no cost.

Dan Spriet, branch manager of Elite Auto Glass, said during the winter season, many people wait to replace the windshield but should get each ding checked out.

“The sooner the better,” he said. “Altitude, dryness and sand make it a lot worse.”

A tiny pit can turn into a winding crack in a matter of minutes, or it might take months.

“So many different things can cause a chip to take off,” said Chris Flynn, district manager for 5-Minute Rock Chip Express, which has five repair stands in Colorado Springs.

“It basically does whatever it wants.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0253 or andrea.brown@gazette.com

CRACKED WINDSHIELD Q&A

Question: How do long cracks start?

Answer: Over 90 percent of the time, long cracks start with a single chip close to the edge of your windshield . . . in the black edge — the “frit” — of the glass, so you can't see it until it has started to crack.

Q: Why the edge of the glass?

A: That’s the weakest part of the windshield. The frit is placed on the glass to keep the sun’s ultraviolet light from cooking the polyurethane seal that holds the glass to the frame of the vehicle.

But because it’s black, the frit gets very hot in the sun. There is often a 20-30 degree difference in temperature between the center of your windshield and the edge. This tends to make the edge of the glass brittle, and make it more susceptible to stone chips that turn into cracks.

Q: Why should a crack be fixed promptly?

A: If a crack is more than about a month old, it tends to get dirty. The windshield wipers tend to push dirt into the crack over time. And when it rains, dirt is carried into the crack.

If a crack is caught early enough, however, a good repair can be done that will accomplish three things: c Stop the crack from spreading. c Restore much of the strength of the glass. c Make the crack much less visible.

Q: Can two or more separate cracks in a windshield be repaired?

A: A windshield with two or more cracks should be replaced, both from a visual and from a safety point of view.

Q: What does a long crack repair look like if done properly?

A: The best of repairs will look like a hair lying on top of the glass. The glass has been damaged so the crack won’t disappear. It will greatly reduce the “glinting” of an open crack when the sun hits it.

Q: What exactly is a windshield?

A: A windshield consists of two layers of glass with lamination in the center. A shattered one won’t fall into your lap, but if a crack is in the line of the driver’s vision, it could result in a ticket from the police.

SOURCES: Bob Adelmann of Bob’s Windshield Repair and Dan priet of Elite Auto Glass