Windshield / Auto Glass
Specific safety guidelines help determine the type of glass manufacturers use in different locations of your vehicle.
Laminated Windshield Glass
Windshield glass is made up of two layers of float glass with a plastic laminate sheet sandwiched between the two layers of glass. This design is for safety reasons. If a stone is thrown up from a passing vehicle and strikes your windshield, it may crack or cause a bulls-eye fracture in the outer layer of glass. However, it won’t penetrate the plastic and the inner layer of glass should remain undamaged. The windshield should either be replaced, or in many instances the damage can be repaired.
Single-Layered Tempered Glass
The glass in the doors and back of the vehicle is made from single-layered tempered glass. If tempered glass is broken, it will fragment into hundreds of tiny glass beads. If you are every in a situation where you are trapped in your vehicle, the tempered glass in the rear of the vehicle is easier for emergency personnel to cut through than the laminated windshield glass.
The reason we don’t use tempered glass for the windshield in the United States is that tempered glass can be very unstable. If the skin is broken, a windshield made of tempered glass could explode in your face.
Glass Pitting
If you happen to drive in areas where you often experience blowing sand and grit, then your windshield may be subject to the pitting effects of sand blasting. In time, the clarity of the windshield will suffer and you may need to consider replacing the windshield.
Windshield Crack Repair Available at EZ Lube
If your windshield has a small crack or bulls-eye chip from a stone or pebble hitting your car, you may not need to replace the whole windshield. EZ Lube now offers Windshield Crack Repair. We start by drilling tiny holes in the glass along the line of the crack. We then use a UV hardening liquid resin to fill the crack that prevents the crack from dispersing. The crack and the repair area dry clear with only the slightest evidence that a repair was made to the area.
