Facts About Windshields, Auto Glass, & Smart Glass, & How We Fix Them
Diamond Auto Glass specializes in auto glass repairs throughout the state of Arizona, and we’re experts at restoring this advanced automotive feature. The auto glass on your vehicle improves your everyday activities, preventing intense UV rays from entering the vehicle while keeping you safe.
The Evolution of Automotive Glass
There was a time when an automotive windshield was considered a luxury. Prior to 1915, windshields were not included as standard equipment in automobiles and drivers wore aviation goggle to protect their eyes while driving. It wasn’t uncommon for a driver to be injured by a flying stone while driving along the highway.
To make matters worse, if drivers could afford to add a windshield to their vehicle, it was commonly made of household glass, creating dangerous situations if a rock struck it. This caused many accidents and prevented windshields from becoming popular at the time.
Luckily, a French chemist named Edouard Benedictus accidentally invented shatterproof glass in 1904 by dropping a beaker into a vat of cellulose nitrate. While the glass still broke when struck, the shards stayed safely together rather than flying out, and safety glass was born. It wasn’t used in automobiles until the 1920’s when the shatterproof windshield became a popular new safety feature.
Not to be left out of the equation, side and rear windows are also made of a specially-designed glass product. Since they don’t endure the same stresses as a windshield, these are formed from tempered glass, which breaks more easily than safety glass but forms tiny glass granules rather than large, dangerous shards.
Today, windshield technology is still improving. Smart glass has joined the scene: a new film that can automatically tint the windows with electronic controls. These remarkable new improvements can be used to reduce the hot, interior-damaging sun rays while the car is parked but return the glass to clear when it’s time to drive. They can also tint portions of the windows to block out early morning or evening sun that makes driving more difficult. While these features are new, it’s likely that we’ll see the day when these options become as standard as safety glass became 100 years ago.
The Windshield is an Important Safety Feature
While rarely mentioned, the windshield plays an essential role in ensuring your safety while riding in your vehicle. You already know that it protects you from flying debris while driving, but it also serves several other important functions that may very well save your life.
- Prevents Passenger Ejection From The Vehicle
Without the windshield, your chances of being thrown from the car during an accident increase exponentially.
- The Windshield Resists Being Crushed
Your windshield and side windows work together to keep the vehicle roof from collapsing during a rollover crash. If you’ve ever seen a car sitting neatly on its roof with the windshield still in place, you’ve seen this important safety feature at work.
- The Windshield Ensures Airbags Are Deployed Effectively
Passenger-side airbags have become a standard safety feature in many vehicles and depend on the windshield for proper deployment. A broken or incorrectly installed windshield could keep the airbag from deploying to protect your passenger.
For these reasons and more, maintaining your windshield in good condition with a qualified service provider like Diamond Auto Glass is an essential part of ensuring that your vehicle is safe for operation. It’s so important that nearly every state has a law requiring that an automobile have a windshield if it is used on the public roadways. Many states also have laws requiring that chipped or broken windshields be repaired immediately, especially if the damage obscures the driver’s field of vision.
Four Things You Might Not Know About Windshield Damage
Nearly everybody knows that a flying stone will chip your windshield. Here are four more facts about windshield damage that it might be handy for you to you know.
- Broken windshields are a major source of insurance claims. Over one-third of all automotive insurance claims are related to a damaged windshield. Because a windshield repair is safer and more cost-effective than a windshield replacement, many insurance companies will waive the deductible and pay for a repair in full if you use a licensed provider such as Diamond Auto Glass.
- Chips don’t always turn into cracks. Thanks to windshield glass’s unique composition, many chips from a thrown rock won’t spread into a crack. Unless the chip is in the driver’s field of view, you don’t absolutely have to rush to have it repaired.
- Windshield chips do decrease your vehicle’s value. Every chip in your windshield is a point against you when the appraiser is determining your vehicle value at trade-in. If you’re considering a new vehicle, take your vehicle to Diamond Auto Glass to have those pesky rock marks repaired before you head to the dealership.
- Windshields don’t handle sudden temperature changes well. Even with the support of the polyvinyl layer in its center, a windshield is still primarily glass and reacts the same way as other glass vessels when the temperature suddenly changes by more than five degrees. Hundreds of people send a crack across their windshield on an unusually cold winter day when they pour hot water on a frigid windshield in an attempt to defrost it quickly. Save yourself the hassle and use your vehicle’s defroster instead.
How Diamond Auto Glass Repairs Windshields Quickly
When your windshield needs repair, you can count on Diamond Auto Glass for premium service. We understand that your windshield is an essential part of your vehicle safety, so we choose the best materials for superior results.
For chips smaller than a quarter and cracks shorter than a credit card, we can easily repair the damage and restore your windshield. The technician begins by carefully cleaning the damage, including the spaces between the glass and polyvinyl layers. Next, we inject a crystal-clear resin into the crack or chip, which flows into all the spaces.
Once the damage is filled, we cure the resin with an ultraviolet light, which bonds the resin to the glass and restores the integrity of the windshield. A typical auto glass repair takes just half an hour and guarantees that your little glass problem doesn’t expand to a major one.
Diamond Auto Glass is Your Arizona Windshield Expert
Diamond Auto Glass has been restoring automotive glass for Arizona residents for over 30 years. We are truly your local windshield experts. Call us for more information on how we can repair your windshield and make it last!
Free Online Quote
Address:
1929 N Fourth St
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Phone:
(928) 779-4140
Cracked Windshield?
Diamond Auto Glass in Flagstaff is Northern Arizona's #1 windshield and auto glass repair and replacement company. We'll fix you up in hours when you're in a pinch.
Rock hit windshield just outside of town. Called closest place with highest rating and am happy I did. Got us right in, fixed the two runs that were created, cleaned up the work area for a very reasonable price. Great job, thank you Diamond Auto!
MARLETTA TUCKER
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