Broken windshields are common with cars and trucks because of rock impacts and other debris on the road hitting them, but dealing with a broken side window in your vehicle can be a completely different situation. When you have a side window that needs replacing, an auto glass repair shop is the best place to take the car to ensure a quality repair.
Stationary Glass
Broken glass on the side of your car or truck can be moving or stationary, but the easiest glass to fix is the fixed type. If one of these windows breaks, replacing it is often a simple matter of cleaning out the old glass and removing the sealing material from the window opening.
Modern vehicles often use a urethane seal, so the old material needs to be cleaned entirely off the sheet metal before a new seal can be put on. The auto glass repair tech may need to heat the old seal and then scrape it off to sure that the metal is clean before applying the new sealing material to the body.
Once the new seal is in place, the new glass is positioned on the seal and allowed to cure. The glass bonds very quickly, and it typically only takes a couple of hours for the seal to be water-tight and ready for use.
Moving Glass
If the broken glass is moving glass, it is typically mounted in a track and mechanism that raises or lowers the glass. Often, when these windows break, the glass falls inside the panels, and the auto glass repair tech will need to remove the trim inside the car to vacuum out the glass and access the track system.
Once all the old glass is removed, the new glass is set into the track and lift mechanism, then secured using several small bolts or nuts affixed to the glass. The auto glass repair tech will test the window to make sure it moves effortlessly and through the full range of motion. If the glass binds anywhere along the path, it can break, so adjustments are critical to ensure there is not binding.
Glass Selection
When you are replacing a side window on your vehicle, it is essential to make sure that the glass you are using is correct. The auto glass repair shop can order the glass for you, but it is important to let them know which window is broken and if there is anything special about it.
If the original glass was tinted, you want to replace it with the same glass, so it looks correct on the car. In cases where the glass pops outward for ventilation or has a defroster in it, let the glass shop know, and they will get the same glass to put back in.
