Rock Guard Repair?

[teagues]

We discovered a quarter-sized, star-shaped crack in one of the grey plexiglass rockguards on the front of our trailer.

Is it possible to repair this? Or should I even worry about it?

It's not really noticeable from outside the trailer so I'd hate replace the whole rockguard ($$$) just because of this one ding. And I'd really do not want to end up replacing it later because I ignored the crack and it spread.

[kevin242]

I wonder is something as simple as "Krazy glue" liquid would get drawn into the cracks and make it less obvious and strengthen it.

[ROBERT CROSS]

It's worth a phone call....Auto Glass & Windshield Replacement, Windshield Repair see if they can help.

[Jim Foster]

I just tried a repair on the same type of thing on the curved window guards on our Excella.

Most plastics can be "glued" together using acetone. I have used acetone to repair many plastic items over the years. Most of the time I put the item together, then apply the acetone using a needle on a syringe. I have a diabetic friend who gives me his used syringes which work perfectly as they have a very tiny needle. The acetone does not harm that type of syringe.

I removed the guard from the trailer and placed it inside up on a table with a sheet of wood underneath. I applied the acetone using the syringe to the cracks from the inside, being careful not to get acetone in other areas as it will eat into the plastic guard.

Then I used Devcon epoxy which dries clear to fill the void where the broken plastic was missing in the center of the damaged area on the inside of the guard.

When the epoxy was hard, I used tooth past on a soft rag to polish where the acetone had marked the window along the cracks and around other small cracks where I had applied acetone. It will polish out just fine.

The clear epoxy will be visible from the inside, but does not show from the outside.

How well will this work? Will it keep the cracks from spreading? Will the epoxy stay in the window?

These questions will only be answered in time, however, doing nothing will surely shorten the life of the window guard.

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by teagues

We discovered a quarter-sized, star-shaped crack in one of the grey plexiglass rockguards on the front of our trailer.

Is it possible to repair this? Or should I even worry about it?

It's not really noticeable from outside the trailer so I'd hate replace the whole rockguard ($$$) just because of this one ding. And I'd really do not want to end up replacing it later because I ignored the crack and it spread.

Just imagine if it had been your window

If you decide to try a repair be sure to post your results - I have the same issue...

[noreen&sal]

What Jim said, but I would also drill small holes at the ends of the cracks to keep them from spreading. Sal.

[teagues]

Thanks for the suggestions everybody.

I called a couple of local auto glass repair outfits this morning. They will not mess with plexiglass.

I also did some additional looking around the internet. It seems pretty clear that I need to deal with this soon, as vibration, expansion and contraction due to heat, cold, etc, are likely to make the cracks worse. Drilling through the ends of the cracks using a 1/16" or 1/8" bit was a common suggestion. Filling the crack is appealing, though I can see myself making a mess of that (literally).

[dwightdi]

I do believe the Rock Guards are indeed made from "Plexiglass" poly-acrylic plastic. There are solvent based "glues" that are available from Plastic fabricator's stores that supply people making displays and other items from Plexiglas or Lucite (Dupont tradename). Some solvents craze acrylic others dissolve it nicely and make good bases for cements or glues.

[TexasAgate]

Jim Foster...Thank you so much for your suggestion!

We needed to repair our center rock guard and your instructions worked like a dream!

The "glued" together using acetone worked! Even for us. We used scotch tape on the front of the guard to keep things together and "glued" from the back side. Took quite awhile, a little acetone at a time, but it was so amazing...like a science experiment!

Ladybug is ready to rock n roll again. Off to Temple Texas for a rock show this weekend!

Thanks again, sue & les