What is an Auto Glass & Auto Glass Cracks and How to Repair Them?
What is an Auto Glass?
Auto glasses are the parts that make up the windows of a vehicle. These windows can be examined in four essential sections:
- Windshield (Front Window)
- Rear Window (Back Window)
- Side Windows (Left & Right Windows)
- Special Windows (Sunroof etc.)
What is a Windshield?
Windshields are glass panels that protects the driver and the passengers from external factors like wind, rain, dust, dirt etc. during the journey. They also help reducing the level of the external noise providing a smoother experience. Depending on the vehicle, the windshields are generally made of laminated of tempered glass.
Laminated glasses provide more security comparing to the tempered glasses because the laminated glasses consist of two glass panes with a flexible adhesive between them. This thin layer helps preventing the shattering and reduces the injury rates in case of an accident or an impact.
What is a Laminated Glass?
Laminated car glass is a type of double-layered glass. It consists of a layer of glass on the inner surface and a layer of PVB on the outer surface. Thanks to this structure, the interior of the vehicle receives less sunlight hence prevents overheating. This way the interior of the vehicle stays safer and fresher. Moreover, the laminated car glass is more durable and less fragile comparing to other glass types.
What is a Tempered Glass?
Tempered car glass is a type of glass specially designed and manufactured for vehicle windows. These glasses are the type of glass which is resistant against heat and impact. They are designed to make the car more secure against car theft or burglary and also to protect against heat. Tempered glasses, are generally used as a protection measure for protecting the equipment and/or the passengers in the vehicle. When broken, tempered glasses break into multiple and non-sharp pieces which makes them a highly safe glasses.
Where are the Tempered Glass Used?
Tempered glasses are being used in various areas due to the special protection they provide against heat and force.
Tampered Glasses are Used in:
- Glass stairs
- Glass steps
- Side windows of buses
- Oven glasses
- Shower cabins
- Exteriors of buildings
- Table glasses (Due to their weight)
- Fireproof trays
Tampered and laminated glasses are the most preferred and the strongest glasses for vehicles but there is always the possibility of cracking or even breaking. While there aren’t many solution for a broken glass, there are some solutions for a cracked car glass.
Why do Car Windows Crack?
Cracks occurring on the vehicles’ windows can be related to various reasons. The most common ones are found in the list below:
- Temperature Changes: The car windows can crack when exposed to extreme temperature changes. In particular, during the hot days, the sun beams hitting the windows can rapidly increase the temperature of the inner glass and this situation may cause tiny cracks on the window.
- Impact: Car windows can crack upon impact with high-energy.
- External Factors: It is very common for a windshield to crack due to the tiny pebbles found on the round hitting the car window at an extreme speed.
- Chemicals: Car windows can crack when exposed to aggressive chemicals. Acids or other chemicals found in cleaning agents can weaken the glass which eventually causes it to crack.
- Aging: Car windows can crack over time. The windows of older vehicles are more susceptible to cracking without any other reason.
Among all the causes mentioned above, pebble impacts and car accidents are the most common ones, however, temperature changes, chemicals and aging are also possible causes.
What is an Auto Cracked Glass Repair?
Car windshields can be repair through many different ways. In the list below, the most common ways to repair a windshield is listed:
- Patching the glass: Glass patching is a method used to treat small cracks. In this method, a special gel is applied to the cracked area of the glass, then a glass patch tape is placed between the gel and the cracked glass. It is said that at the end of this process the cracked glass will be as good as new and will be safe to use again.
- Replacing the glass: Glass replacement is the method where the cracked glass is replaced with a new glass. In this method, the cracked glass is removed and a new uncracked glass is placed. The sealant applied during this process must be continuously applied otherwise, dirt and water will pass inside.
- Using Windshield Repair: In this process, the cracks in the glass is treated with the correct application of Windshield Repair followed by the curing of the product with a UV light source.
- The cracked area is cleaned perfectly without a trace of dust and glass particles.
- Windshield Repair is applied on the cracked glass. This product fills the cracks occurring on the external surface of the glass.
- The product is cured under UV light source. At the end of this process, a bond between the product and the cracked glass occurs.
- The cured Windshield Repair treats the cracks occurring on the external surface of glass. As a result of this process, the cracked glass ends up in a state closer to its original state.
REMEMBER! ALL THE METHODS MENTIONED ABOVE MUST BE DONE BY A PROFESSIONAL. BE SURE TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO USE THESE SOLUTIONS!
Some Types of Glass Cracks
Star Glass Crack
The name of the Star Glass Crack comes from the similarity of the lines formed on the surface of the glass in this type to the shape of a star. This crack generally occurs when a pieces of pebbles, stones or rocks hit the glass.
Bull’s Eye Crack
Bull’s Eye Crack is a type of crack that occurs on the surface of a glass. The name of this crack comes from the similarity of the lines formed on the cracked glass surface to a bull’s eye. This crack occurs when a small object hits the glass and covers a small area.
REMEMBER, CRACKED GLASS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE WHICH MUST BE TREATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT FORGET TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS IN THIS REGARDS.