Consumers need to keep themselves educated to prevent falling prey to fraud and scam auto glass chip and crack repairs and windshield replacements. This helps protect them from unethical auto glass shops involved in these scams.

Tempered glass is auto window glass that shatters into small pieces when broken. They are used for side windows so if the vehicle submerges, they can be broken to help the passenger escape.

This is because there are more cases of passengers getting ejected from vehicular accidents than submerged vehicles. Also, thieves find it difficult to break into a vehicle with this type of glass. You know your vehicle doesn’t have tempered glass if it has a ‘Laminated’ stamp or if you see laminate in between two glass pieces when you look down at the glass from its top.

Auto glass installed in US-based vehicles should meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards. This is proven through a DOP (Department of Transportation) stamp on the windshield, indicating the window meets FMVSS 205 standards and is safe.

Some rules help determine if the windshield should be replaced instead of the crack or chip getting repaired:

Pits are like small ice cream scoops scooped out of the windshield that doesn’t reach the plastic layer between the two glass pieces. It cannot be repaired as the repair resin will not stick to the windshield and as its part of wear and tear, it’s not covered by insurance. Chips have starring for the resin to adhere to.

There may be shrinking, windshield cracking or the area turning yellow with bad repairs. Not all resins are alike and tools and techniques used for resin application affect the repair quality. Chips or cracks may also expand unexpectedly with quick temperature changes induced through cranked ACs or heaters and bumpy roads.

The cheaper urethane caulking used for windshield replacement needs more drying time, which usually isn’t communicated to the client. There are recommended urethanes for vehicles based on where you are in US and the temperature there.

Sika Brand urethane that caulks with an hour’s drive time is requested in Arizona for best results. Other popular brands are Sika MOVEIT and Progrip with varied drive times. So ask your installer why they use a particular urethane brand and its drive time.

Many clients don’t listen to their installer’s instructions to leave the side windows cracked while drying. This causes problems- if the windows are rolled up and the door opened and closed, the moving air pushes against the newly installed windshield to potentially create a small hole in the urethane seal, which creates an annoying noise while driving. Open side windows let air flow out and prevents any pressure on the newly installed auto windshield seal.

If you need to repair or replace your auto glass, we at Safe Auto Glass Inc. will happily and professionally do it for you at guaranteed best prices. We cater to all vehicles and glasses and provide mobile services wherein we repair and install the auto glass at your site.

We provide lifetime warranty on our glass and craftsmanship and deliver fast results with same or next day turnaround while maintaining quality control on our work. We use the finest adhesives and reliable factory installation methods, so you know you will be in safe hands.