Most people wait too long. A chip the size of a dime becomes a crack across the glass the first cold morning you hit the highway.

Here's the rule we use in the shop:

Repair the chip if it's smaller than a dollar bill, outside your line of sight, and not on the edge. Takes 30 minutes. Often $0 with comprehensive.

Replace the glass if any of these are true:

• It's in the driver's view

• It's longer than a credit card

• It's on the edge (those always run)

• The car has a camera behind the mirror (ADAS) and the crack crosses the sensor zone

Comprehensive coverage usually pays for glass. Your only out-of-pocket is the deductible — and a lot of policies have $0 glass deductibles. We check that before we touch the car.

One more thing people miss: after a replacement on anything newer than ~2018, the forward camera needs calibration. Skip it and your lane-keep and auto-brake are guessing. We do it in the same visit.

If you've been staring at a star crack every morning commute, don't wait for it to spider. Same-day slots go first to people who already paid the deposit.

— Apex Auto Glass