3 Things You Need To Know About Your Windshield
Posted on: 27 January 2017
The windshield is one of the most looked over and forgotten pieces of one's vehicle until something happens to it. Here are three things that you need to know about your windshield.
#1 How Your Windshield Is Made
Windshields are made differently than the glass that is in your coffee table and the glass that fills up your windows in your home. Windshield glass is specifically crafted so that it will not crack and break easily, which is vitally important since your windshield is hit with so much flying debris every time you take it out on the road.
The primary reason why windshields are so strong is because they are made out of independent sheets of glass. Two different independent sheets of laminated glass are fused to a middle layer. The middle layer is made out of rubber. This middle layer helps the glass on both sides of your windshield absorb damage from flying objects. The rubber layer is why most small objects bounce off your windshield and very few cause damage. When a large or heavy flying object does hit your windshield, it usually only causes a small ding or crack instead of shattering your windshield.
#2 How Cracks Affect Your Windshield
When an object hits your windshield, it doesn't immediately shatter your windshield. Most cracks only damage the outer layer of your window. They don't go into the rubber middle layer or through to the glass layer on the other side of your window. Instead, they damage the outer surface of your window and the damage does not extend further.
However, the damage generally doesn't stop there. If you don't treat the window, the crack will slowly spread out over time and expand, compromising the integrity of your window further.
#3 How To Treat Cracks On Your Windshield
If the crack is new and shallow and doesn't extend into multiple layers of your windshield, the crack can usually be filled in. Windshield technicians use special glue and products to fill in the hole that has been created and smooth out the filler so that your glass remains smooth and whole. This generally works best when done right away. If the crack has had time to spread and enlarge, this method may not work anymore. Once the crack extends into the other layers of your windshield, it is generally better to replace your windshield instead of repair it.
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