Bullseye, half-moon and combination chips
When a small stone hits a windshield head-on, it often knocks out a cone of glass from the outer layer. Seen from the driver’s seat, that cone looks like a dark ring with a pit in the center. That is a bullseye. Its close relatives are just as common on North County roads:
| Type | What it looks like | How it repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Bullseye | A full circle or cone with a pit in the middle. | Usually very cleanly. The round shape lets the resin fill evenly. |
| Half-moon | A semicircle. The stone hit at an angle and broke away only part of the cone. | Very similar to a bullseye. |
| Combination | A bullseye with star-break legs running out from it. | Repairable, with extra care to fill every leg. |
If yours has several thin cracks and no round cone, it is a star break. Our types of windshield damage guide shows more examples.
What a bullseye looks like after repair
This is the question most people ask, and it is a fair one. You want the chip gone, not just stable.
A bullseye stands out because the cone is full of air. Air and glass bend light differently, so the edges of the cone catch the sun and look dark from some angles and bright from others. When the cone is filled with resin, that air is gone. The resin lets light through much more like the surrounding glass does, so the ring fades.
What is usually left is the small impact point at the surface, sometimes with a faint outline of the old ring if you look closely at the right angle. Jennifer N. from Leucadia, Encinitas described her result: “Same day service and at an affordable price… it almost disappeared completely!”
A few things affect how clear the finished repair looks:
- How fresh the chip is. A new chip is clean inside. One that has collected months of road grime and car-wash water can hold some of that dirt after it is filled.
- How well the air is removed. Any air left in the cone shows up as a gray spot. This is where experience shows.
- The size of the impact point. A larger pit at the surface leaves a slightly larger mark, even when the cone underneath fills perfectly.
For a deeper look, read will a windshield chip disappear after repair?
Where bullseyes come from
Bullseyes are usually caused by small, rounded stones hitting the glass fairly straight on, often kicked up by the vehicle directly ahead. That makes them common on the freeways and busy surface roads of North County, from I-5 and SR-78 to the long stretches of I-15 through Escondido and Rancho Bernardo. Following a truck at a greater distance is the simplest way to avoid them.
How we repair a bullseye
- Clear any loose glass from the pit.
- Mount the injector over the chip and draw out the air with a vacuum cycle.
- Fill the cone with an advanced anaerobic polymer resin under pressure, then alternate vacuum and pressure until it is completely clear.
- Cure the resin, seal the surface pit, and polish the glass smooth.
Most repairs take about 30 minutes, done wherever the car is parked through our mobile service. The windshield stays in the car, so the factory seal is never touched.
Is a bullseye safe to leave alone?
A plain bullseye is generally more stable than a star break, but it is still a weak spot in the glass. It can sprout legs or a crack after a hot day, a cold morning or a hard bump, and once it does, repair gets harder and may not be possible. Many bullseyes also sit right in the driver’s view, where the dark ring is distracting in low sun. See is it safe to drive with a chipped windshield?
Repair costs a small fraction of a $600–$1000+ replacement, and every repair is guaranteed for the life of the vehicle, with a 100% money-back guarantee that the chip will not spread.
Get your bullseye repaired
If a quarter covers the chip, it is most likely repairable. Text a photo with a quarter beside it to 760-500-9281 or call (760) 500-9281, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. We serve all of North County, including Encinitas and Vista.
