Generally automobile windshield chip repair grow into cracks very quickly. Not taking the vehicle in to get it repaired immediately can result in a crack that is too wide to repair.
The windshield was designed to protect you. The dings and cracks may have come from something that could fly toward you and hit you. It protects you from outside intruders and it helps in the event of a car accident. It is actually designed as the number one safety restraint system in your vehicle. It actually provides up to 60 percent roof-crush-protection in the event that there is an accident where your car flips over. Also, it takes care of backstop support for the passenger side airbag in a front-end accident. This means that the airbag stays in place as a passenger hits it using the windshield to hold it there. So you are protected from being crushed or thrown from the vehicle with the windshield.
If you do decide that windshield replacement is your best bet, you have a few choices. First of all, make sure you check to see if your insurance covers it. In a lot of instances it does. The problem is that many policies have a deductible that is higher than the cost of the replacement or repair job. If that is the case, you will have to pay for it yourself.
As a windshield installer for the past thirty five years, let me give you three good reasons not to repair your windshield. As windshield repair is a gimmick in my opinion.
If the crack looks exactly the same when completed, it's very likely the technician didn't inject the resin properly. A properly completed repair with cause each area of the damage to disappear from at least from one angle of vision (ex: looking from one side, looking from below, looking from above, etc.).
But the best way to fix a leak is completely removing the glass and shooting a new seal. This is the only way to truly see what is happening. If the glass is removed a technician can 100% fix the underlying issue. This option may require the purchase of a new molding. Also your auto glass company will most likely require you to purchase a new glass if the old glass breaks upon removal.