Perth’s Hot, Dry Spring Is Coming for Your Windscreen Chip
Key takeaways
- The Bureau of Meteorology expects unusually warm days across western WA this spring, with below-average rain in the South West.
- Heat on the outside of the glass and cold aircon on the inside is the classic recipe for a chip turning into a crack.
- A chip repair takes about 30 minutes. A crack usually means a full replacement.
D & C Auto Glass knows if you’ve been driving around Perth with a little stone chip in your windscreen since winter, now is the time to deal with it. Spring is warming up fast, and heat is the number one reason a chip you can barely see becomes a crack you can’t ignore.
What the 2026 weather outlook means for Perth drivers
The Bureau of Meteorology‘s latest seasonal outlook gives western parts of WA an over 80% chance of unusually high maximum temperatures through to the end of October. Rainfall across the South West Land Division is also likely to be below average.
More hot days, more dust, and more gravel flicked up on freeways like the Mitchell and Kwinana. That’s a bad combination for windscreens that are already carrying a chip.
Why heat turns a chip into a crack
Your windscreen is laminated glass: two layers of glass with a plastic layer in between. When a stone hits it, the outer layer is damaged and weakened at that point.
Glass expands when it heats up and contracts when it cools. On a 40-degree Perth afternoon, the outside of your windscreen can get very hot while you’re blasting the aircon on the inside. That temperature difference puts stress right through the weak spot, and the chip can “run” into a crack, sometimes in seconds.
The dashboard of a car parked in full sun can get hotter than 70°C, which heats the glass from the inside too. Add the vibration from potholes and speed humps, and a chip has plenty of chances to spread.
Common ways a chip turns into a crack
- Turning the aircon on full straight after getting into a hot car
- Washing a hot car, or spraying cold water on hot glass
- Using the demister on full blast on a cool morning
- Slamming doors, or driving over speed humps quickly
- Parking in full sun day after day
How to protect your windscreen this spring
You can’t control the weather, but you can take some of the stress off the glass:
- Park in the shade or under cover whenever you can, and use a windscreen sunshade.
- Ease into the aircon. Start on a low setting with the vents pointed away from the glass, then turn it up once the car has cooled a bit.
- Don’t wash a hot car. Wait until the glass has cooled, especially if you have a chip.
- Cover a fresh chip with a piece of clear tape. It keeps dust and moisture out, which makes the repair cleaner.
- Keep your distance from trucks and utes on gravel roads and new subdivisions.
- Book a repair quickly. The sooner a chip is filled with resin, the less chance it has to spread.
Chip repair or windscreen replacement?
Most small chips can be repaired if they’re caught early. A windscreen chip repair fills the damage with clear resin, which restores strength and stops it spreading. It takes about 30 minutes and Dave comes to you. Read more about our speedy windscreen repair.
A windscreen replacement is usually needed when:
- The chip has already turned into a crack longer than a few centimetres
- The damage is close to the edge of the glass, where it spreads fastest
- The damage sits directly in the driver’s line of sight
- The chip is in front of a windscreen-mounted camera
That last point is becoming more common. Many newer cars, like the Toyota RAV4, Ford Ranger and Mazda CX-5, have a camera behind the windscreen for lane assist and emergency braking. A chip in the camera’s view usually can’t be repaired, and the camera needs ADAS calibration after a new windscreen goes in.
What does it cost?
A chip repair costs far less than a new windscreen. Chip repairs start from around $150 and replacements from around $250, depending on your car. See our pricing page for details. If you’re claiming on insurance, our price is often less than your excess.
Heading away over summer? Check out our guide: Is your windscreen ready for summer road trips?
Fix that chip before the heat does
Don’t wait for the first 38-degree day to turn your chip into a crack. D&C Auto Glass is fully mobile and covers suburbs right across Perth. Call Dave on 0405 388 595
