Professional Windshield Install

While doing things yourself can provide the satisfying experience of a job well done, sometimes the financial outlay in tools, materials, and time do not add up to any savings over having a professional install performed. In the case of an automotive windshield install, this can be particularly true. When it comes time to replace a modern automobile windshield there's more to consider than just seeing clearly.


Possibly the most obvious consideration is that having a cracked windshield is not only a visual impairment to safe motoring, but may also prompt a conversation with an officer of the law. A line-of-sight windshield crack or bull's-eye that obstructs vision is considered illegal in many states. Having a professional installer travel to your home or business to replace a windshield can save the cost and time involved in clearing up a citation. Moreover, the specialized catalyzed adhesives used to form the chemical bond that safely holds modern automotive glass in place are not only expensive, they play a crucial role in passenger safety in many modern vehicles.


Cracked windshields can also let in moisture, which can cause hidden corrosive rust to form on the underlying steel and compromise the adhesive bond of the glass to the vehicle. What looks fine from the outside may be a disaster forming underneath. Today's automobile windshields do much more than keep the wind, rain, and bugs off your face. There's more to it then meets the eye.

Bonding Experience
The plastic and glass sandwich that comprises modern safety glass serves three functions in a modern automobile. First, the plastic layer prevents the glass from shattering and causing injury in case of impact with an errant golf ball or bouncing lawn boulder. Second the plastic itself is flexible, which allows the glass to give a little in order to cushion the impact of occupants in case of an accident. The third function is perhaps the most important, and takes advantage of the strength of the glass and plastic composite along with the chemical adhesive bond to the vehicle. Along with the task of keeping occupants from being ejected from the vehicle in the event of an accident, the glass can serve as an integral part of the roof structure of the vehicle.


Back in the days of giant finned Cadillacs and monster V-8 musclecars, heavy and strong stamped steel pillars held up the roof. The glass merely went along for the ride. As efficiency became more important, vehicle construction changed. Engineers began to utilize the strength of safety glass to support the roof for weight savings and accompanying improved mileage. In some vehicles, the windshield also helps support a deploying passenger side airbag. For these reasons, using the proper adhesive to chemically bond the replacement glass to the vehicle structure is of the utmost importance, especially in the case of vehicle rollover or airbag deployment. Using the incorrect adhesive may not just result in leaks, and cause cabin noise, but it could also result in serious injury in the event of an accident.