What happens if your car dashes into a tree at the side of the road and the window shield shatters? Unlike the regular glass, which breaks into tiny sharp shards, the windshield of your car will break into small harmless pieces.

Why is it so? It is because that the glass used in cars are not regular glass. They are made from auto glass which has high impact tolerance and is designed primarily for your vehicles.

Read further to know more about auto glass and their uses.

What are the two main types of auto glass?

The two main types of auto glass are- tempered and laminated. While the windshield of your car has laminated safety glass, the side windows and the rear mirror is made from tempered glass.

• Laminated: Invented in themed 1920’s, laminated safety glass is formed when two sheets of glass with the help of Polyvinyl Butyral are stuck together. After this, the glass is then introduced to high heat, and the result is called as laminated glass.

Windshields are made from laminated glass. This is because laminated glass does not fly in the sir if it is shattered. Also, if you bang your head into the windshield of your car, the laminated glass windshield will act as a pillow and will save you from any major injury.

• Tempered: Tempered glass is an auto glass which is made from a single sheet of glass which is being subjected to extreme heat and then treated with rapid cooling.

They work best for the side windows of the car as when they suffer from an impact, they break down into harmless pebble sized shards of glass.

Unlike laminated glass, which can be repaired, tempered glass must be replaced if it is damaged.

How to change your car’s windshield?

You will need to call the auto glass expert to fix your windshield. The auto glass expert will then detach the wipers, molding and the cowl from the windscreen. Then he will clean the old adhesive off the place that holds the windshield and put a fresh coat of adhesives. After this, he will take the new windshield and fix it to your car. The cost of the auto glass repair is either paid by the insurance company or the owner of the car.

Remember that it is essential that you fix a cracked windshield and do not drive a car which has broken windshield. The windshield of your vehicle will act as a barrier when your vehicle meets an accident and prevent you from flying off your car.