Types of Auto Windshield Glass – Know Your Options

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(Newswire.net — September 26, 2019) — What are some good types of auto windshield glass? Right now, there are only two types of vehicle front glass in the automotive glass industry we can fully recommend: the laminated glass and tempered glass. These two are the best windshield replacement options, especially because they require less auto glass repair maintenance thanks to their design and materials. 

Types of Auto Windshield Glass

This article will describe different windshield glass with greater detail so you can determine which suits your automobile the best.

What Makes a Good Windshield?

The car windshield plays a significant role in every car: it protects its passengers from dirt, dust and other dangerous debris in the air. A good windshield is shatterproof – not indestructible, mind you, as they’re still prone to physical damage – but even if the glass happened to break, the sharp broken pieces would not cause any harm or injuries to the passengers within.

Many glasses are built this way, but as we said, there are two types that stand out in the industry, which are the following.

Laminated Glass

Basically, a laminated glass is made of 2 sheets of glass placed on different sides of a thin sheet of poly-vinyl butyral (PVB). Together, and because of the pressure in-between the rollers, they form an autoclave which heats each component and fuses the three layers, thus strengthening them and making them easy so see through.

Tempered Glass

These windshields are made from tempered glass by using the tempering technique, in which the glass is heated up to a certain temperature and later cooled rapidly in order to expand and contract. Finally, when the outer layer hardens and the inner layer becomes tense, it’s ready.

This kind of glass is mostly used for rear or side windows, but it’s also possible to use as a regular windshield. However, once damaged, you need to replace it quickly. Luckily, it’s shatterproof as the laminated glasses, so whatever the case, you’re safe from harm.

Speaking of which, there is a pair of things you need to know if your windshield ever suffers an accident of sorts.

Will car insurance cover rock hitting windshield?

Only if it includes full glass coverage. Be sure that this is stipulated in the insurance you’re hoping to obtain before purchasing it. If you do not have insurance, make sure you have enough money saved to replace your window. 

How dangerous is a cracked windshield?

Not life-threatening dangerous, but even so, you should replace it as soon as possible because it provides less protection. And if something else hits your cracked windshield, it will definitely shatter and become life-threatening for you and the remaining passengers. Don’t take the risk.

As you can see, these two types of auto windshield glass are sturdy and incredibly reliable, and excellent options to become a vehicle front glass. The automotive glass industry provides many other options aside from these two, but thanks to the low auto glass repair maintenance they need, the laminated and tempered windshield glasses tend to be popular windshield replacements for every car. If your automobile’s windshield ever bumped into a problem (literally), you can count on these two as excellent replacements.