With mobile repair available and insurance footing most of the bills, we hope to see more Charlotte area drivers coming in for replacement immediately.   Since the windshield is essential to the structural integrity of the vehicle, driving around with a severely damaged auto glass is equivalent to ignoring frame damage.

Not only does the windshield hold up the roof of the car, preventing collapse, it is also integral to the Safety Restraint System.  In the event of a collision, the airbag deflects off the windshield in order to hold it’s proper position in front of the driver or front passenger.  When the windshield is weakened by a crack, the glass can fold like a hinge upon impact, displacing the airbags and further weakening the surface that supports the roof and provides a barrier that keeps people inside the vehicle.

Once drivers resolve to get immediate attention for their damaged windshield, their safety is still determined by the quality of the replacement products and the procedure of the glass technicians.   When a shop is using inferior products, it can compromise the safety of the work they are doing.  Aftermarket (non-OEM) windshields don’t always have the proper fit or proportion and cheap urethane doesn’t dry properly – when these factors are paired with improper training in procedure it can spell disaster for the car owner.

We want anyone who has a severe crack in their windshield to remember that the windshield is essentially a safety component.  So please, get your OEM replacement at a qualified shop as soon as the damage pops up – before your windshield pops out!

Chip repair won’t cost as much or take as much time as replacement, but it should still be repaired as soon as possible.  Over just a short period of time moisture and dirt tend to accumulate in the damaged area, making it harder to repair without any visible evidence of the damage.   And without the proper attention things can quickly go from bad to worse.

Even after the initial impact the chip can quickly turn to a crack with the strain of every day driving, especially if there is more than one point of damage. Not only do road bumps and wind pressure act upon the glass while driving, air temperature can destroy a windshield just as easily.   Many times we have had customers come in to replace and windshield that had been chipped and cracked overnight.   Once a chip has spread to a crack longer than an inch or so, it can’t be safely repaired.

One must also remember that the windshield is critical to the structural integrity of the car.   Most of us wouldn’t want to drive ourselves and our families around in a car with frame damage.   So why do we drive around with damaged windshields?

The shop is trying to talk you into OEM auto glass, which of course, costs a little more than an aftermarket windshield.  Why should you pay more for a piece of glass than you absolutely have to?  There are a couple of very legitimate reasons that OEM glass is a better choice, and when considered, often overshadow the small difference in price.

From the shop’s point of view, the main difference between OEM and aftermarket glass is quality.  While all windshield manufacturers are required to follow the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,  OEM glass is made with the same tooling and has identical fit and form as the factory installed windshield.  Consumers often notice a difference as well, in the clarity or coloration of the aftermarket glass as opposed to their original auto glass.

And for those hoping to someday trade in their car – dealerships know the difference.  They often refuse to accept cars with aftermarket glass, or subtract the cost of re-replacing the glass from the trade in value.

But the number one reason to choose OEM glass, and paramount to all the others is – Safety.  The windshield is critical in supporting the roof of the automobile in rollover accidents as well as being a component in the personal safety restraint system.  Airbags are meant be be used in conjunction with seat belts and are built to be supported by the windshield, which keeps the airbag in front of the passenger An ill fitting windshield can actually dislodge upon impact, leaving the roof unsupported and the passenger cabin open in those crucial seconds immediately afterwards.

So while it’s up to the customer to decide what is best for them, we think the difference in the value of an OEM windshield greatly outweighs the difference in cost.