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Unlike the glass typically found in our various houses, businesses, skyscrapers and many other places, the glass found on today’s modern automobile is of a different breed. From the windshield to the rear pane, auto glass is one of the more complex and, at the same time, safest components of your auto. But unlike the auto glass found in highly secured vehicles (i.e. military vehicles), the glass in our autos does have a few weaknesses. For those who have had a crack or a chip in their windshield, the complex nature of auto glass can make for expensive and frustrating repairs. Let’s take a look at the components of auto glass and what you can do to potentially make a repair if a runaway rock makes its mark.
Not Your Usual Glass
As mentioned above, the autos on the roads today are some of the safest vehicles ever built by car manufacturers. Whether from self-imposed or government related safety standards, getting in a car today is much safer than it was decades ago. One of the most overlooked aspects of a vehicle’s safety components is the glass that comprises your windshield, side door windows and rear windows. With countless objects flying about on the roadways and with a potential accident on the forefront at any moment, auto glass’s elaborate make up is vital to our safety.
The glass that we find in autos today is much stronger and more resistant to shattering into smaller pieces than a window that you would find in your house or apartment. Safety standards warrant that auto glass be resistant to ejecting objects (and persons) from a vehicle in cases of an accident and, at the same time, ensure that flying pieces of glass do not injure the car’s occupants.
The strength and shatter resistance of auto glass is due to two separate layers of glass that are essentially “glued” on top of each other with polyvinyl butyrate (PVB). In the case of auto glass, PVB is a transparent sheet of plastic that is placed in between the two layers of glass. From there, the PVB is bound to the two layers of glass by utilizing a process that encompasses heat and pressure. In effect, the PVB helps to further strengthen the glass and prevent catastrophic shattering by gluing the two pieces together.
With two pieces of strong glass separating you from the outside world, you are safer and insulated from the outside world. Besides safety, auto glass with a slight tint is quite effective at blocking ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, which can help a driver to see better in sunny situations. The relative thickness of the glass also offers a degree of soundproofing, which can surely make driving your auto a bit more pleasurable.
What Happens If My Windshield Cracks?
Even though the two layers of glass are secured together with PVB, both the inside and outside layers can crack or chip. There is surely nothing more irritating than travelling behind a dump truck or semi-truck that is spewing gravel and various rock chunks at your vehicle and sometimes cracking your windshield amongst other things. In the case where your windshield or any other glass on your vehicle is cracked or chipped in a severe manner, the question always arises of whether to replace it or repair it. The best rule of thumb that I could find is that if a crack is more than six inches long, the affected piece should be replaced. If the damage can be repaired, it is best to take your vehicle to a local body shop to ensure that the job is done correctly. However, depending on the width of the crack or chip, the piece should probably be replaced for safety’s sake.
How Much?
Depending on the body shop you choose, the price of replacing or repairing a windshield or another piece of glass can vary. Usually this is because of labour costs, but the cost of the auto glass itself or the repairs are pretty standard. The cost of repairs depends on the size of the crack of chip. If a new piece is required, the cost can range from $300 to $1000 (USD). Some companies strictly produce auto glass replacement sheets (or if you will, generic windshields), which makes a repair cheaper. If a company does not produce auto glass for your vehicle, you may very well be forced to purchase an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) piece, which can run up a bill quickly.
One way to avoid a high bill is to report the damage to your auto insurance company. Depending on your specific policy, you may be covered for a windshield repair or replacement. So in cases where you find yourself with a damaged windshield that is weak or leaky, get a hold of your auto insurance provider first to inquire about their policy in this regard.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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