The Car Windshield: Its Other Functions

A car windshield has some obvious functions in keeping out the weather, debris, and providing sufficient visibility to navigate in all conditions. However, few people are aware of the other major benefits of automotive windshields and why it is important to replace or repair them whenever there is damage. The main reason why most people do not understand the full benefits of pristine windshields is because the features do not become critical until an accident occurs.

Automotive windshields are made of laminated safety glass. This means that the glass will break away without forming the jagged shards that a glass window in your home will create when broken. Safety glass is actually two layers of glass chemically bonded with heat and pressure to sandwich a thin polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sheet between them. Not only is your windshield made of laminated safety glass, but your side and rear windows are also likely made of safety glass as well. This is because a law went into effect requiring all vehicles produced after September 2017 to laminate all the safety glass.

Why is Laminated Safety Glass So Important?

The law was passed because people were being severely injured when they were thrown from their vehicles. The laminated safety glass has the ability to absorb the impact without jagged shards of glass and to hold the occupants within the vehicle. It is critical that your windshield, in particular, is maintained in pristine condition because the side airbag bounces off it to protect occupants in a collision. If the windshield does not have an adequate molecular bond, it can separate from the frame of the vehicle and prevent the proper deployment of airbags.

There are other concerns if your car windshield is damaged. For example, if your windshield is already cracked and compromised, you also risk crushing the roof in a rollover accident. This is because the car windshield is the chief support structure to prevent roof collapses. One of the other factors to consider is water leaks. The longer you let a damaged windshield go, the greater the possibility of developing water leaks. Once water leaks into the dash area of your vehicle, you can short out the entire electrical system with electrical gremlins that often take more man-hours to pinpoint than the vehicle may be worth.

What to Do if Your Windshield is Damaged?

If you are located in the Miami area, Premium Auto Glass is the professional service you need to ensure a secure installation. There is a wide gap in quality variation between the materials available to professional auto glass installers and those available on the general market. A professional installer has the most advanced resins, tools, and methods. They also have years of experience to ensure the permanent integrity of the repair.

Why Risk Corrosion and Leaks?

Premium Auto Glass also has the knowledge to prevent the corrosion that can occur in the salty ocean climate at the union point of the windshield and vehicle. They have the wisdom to avoid the cross-contamination of dissimilar metals that are being used in more and more vehicles. Cross-contamination occurs when bits particles of aluminum or steel are embedded into the surface of the other. It occurs at a molecular level when contaminated tools are used and leads to corrosion of any cross-contaminated metal surface.

Installing a windshield yourself is playing with fire because the professional resources are simply not available to you. If you don’t obtain a perfect water-tight seal, you risk electrical gremlins that can permanently disable even a brand-new vehicle overnight. You might not get a second chance to let a professional install it correctly.