Not all glass is made equally. For example, the glass that covers the windows is most homes will shatter into sharp pieces if it’s ever broken. These sharp pieces can easily cause bodily harm to anyone within a certain distance of a window.
On the other hand, the glass used in cars is shatter-proof. Therefore, if it breaks, it won’t break into sharp pieces. Want to know how this all works?
Continue reading to learn all about glass for car windows.
Glass Throughout the Car
Different types of glass are used throughout a vehicle because each type of glass serves a different purpose. For instance, the glass on the windshield is primarily used to protect from wind and debris.
Meanwhile, the vent glass on the side of a car is sometimes just there for cosmetic purposes. But vent glass can also make it possible for the glass on the rear door to roll down more than it would if there was no vent glass.
In older cars without central air, the purpose of the vent glass is to help keep the driver and passenger seats comfortable, this way the sun doesn’t make the inside of the vehicle too hot.
Here’s a breakdown of all the other glass throughout a car:
Front Windshield Auto Glass
The most important glass on any vehicle is the windshield glass. The main purpose of the windshield in a car is to shield the driver and passengers from wind, dust, dirt, insects, and other elements while traveling.
Some windshield glass has UV coating to protect from the sun’s rays. This, however, isn’t always necessary because of the materials used to create windshield glass.
The windshield can provide a significant amount of support for a vehicle’s roof. And the airbags on the passenger side of the car tend to bounce off the windshield before they expand.
Even if a car isn’t fully equipped with tinted windows, this is the one area where there might be tints to improve the driver’s visibility on sunny days.
Back Windshield Auto Glass
Rear windshields are made from tempered glass. While the rear windshields in the majority of cars are bonded to the frame and cannot be moved, other models have sliding planes or ones that are able to open upward.
The horizontal lines on the rear windshield of a vehicle are used to send currents of electricity to heat the rear windshield pane. This makes it so that ice can defrost and drivers can see through that window properly in cold weather.
Car Glass
The majority of the glass used in car glass is tempered for the safety of passengers. Included in the description “car glass” are the side windows, vent glass, quarter glass, and the glass roof, if the car has one.
In most cars, there’s a glass run channel that helps keep it in place. This can help to hold glass pieces and fragments if it is ever broken.
Types of Glass for Car Windows
There are two main types of glass that are used when building cars.
The vehicles on the road today feature either laminated glass or tempered glass.
This is how they work:
Tempered Glass
Most vehicles utilize tempered glass in the rear and door windows. When it’s created, tempered auto glass is treated with rapid heating and cooling processes. This makes it so that when tempered glass breaks, it breaks into small pieces that mimic the shape of pebbles.
These pieces are not sharp and won’t cause bodily harm if they fall onto a person’s body. When there’s a small crack or chip in tempered glass from something like a fallen rock, it cannot be repaired. The entire glass will need to be replaced.
Tempered glass is also used in other industries to create products like sunglasses, cell phone screens, and casserole or baking dishes.
Laminated Glass
Windshield glass is made from laminated glass. Although it’s breakable, this glass is made to survive extreme impacts without shattering. This helps stop injuries that can result from flying shards of glass or passengers being thrown through the windshield.
Laminated glass was invented back in the 1920’s. It’s created when two glass sheets are joined using a polyvinyl butyral layer in between the sheets. After the layers are fused together with high amounts of heat, the laminated process is complete.
Outside of the auto industry laminated glass is popular in the windows of storefronts where glass can be broken during a burglary.
Replacement Glass Options
When glass on your car breaks, you will have the option between two types of glass. One is called OEM auto glass, the other is aftermarket auto glass.
This is what this means for you.
OEM Auto Glass
Most car parts are available as OEM. OEM is short for Original Equipment Manufacturer.
When it comes to glass, this means the replacement glass that is used was made by the same manufacturer as the original glass. Because of this, the glass should be identical to what was previously in use all the way down to the automaker’s branding.
Aftermarket Auto Glass
Aftermarket auto glass can come from two places. The first is that a company other than the original manufacturer created the glass to fit certain vehicles.
The second type of aftermarket auto glass comes from the OEM, but it was created on a different production line.
Because of these two differences, some aftermarket auto glass can end up being the same quality as the OEM glass while others are of lesser quality.
Call An Expert Today
Don’t try to replace or repair or own glass for car windows if you’re not a professional. This type of DIY project can prove to be dangerous and the results don’t last very long. Put your safety and car in the hands of our professionals today. We proudly serve the Houston area.
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