The glass used in your car or truck is automotive safety glass, and while replacing it is not overly complicated, it needs to be done correctly or it could leak. If you have a window in your vehicle that is broken, you should take your car to an auto safety glass replacement shop to have the glass repaired.

Damage Assessment

When you have a broken or cracked side window on your vehicle, the glass repair shop will need to replace it. That's because you can not fix side windows like windshield glass. The correct window glass will need to be ordered for your vehicle make and model and could take a couple of days to get in the shop. Taking the vehicle to the shop to evaluate the damage and order the correct glass is the best place to start. 

The way the glass was broken can cause other damage that needs to be dealt with as well. A baseball hitting the side window of your car, for instance, could dent the sheet metal where the glass mounts. That damage would need to be repaired, or the new glass will not seal when it is put in place. 

Fortunately, the technician can determine what work needs to be completed when you bring the vehicle in. The auto safety glass replacement service will schedule a time for you to bring the car in after the assessment is complete. If the damage to the body is bad enough, the glass shop may recommend you have a body shop repair the other damage before they put the new glass in for you. 

Replacing The Glass

Once the glass has arrived, the auto safety glass replacement service will remove the old glass from the vehicle. Often when a side window breaks, the only glass that stays in the frame is the glass that bonded to the urethane seal around the edge. 

The technician working on your vehicle will remove the urethane and the glass and clean the area so that it accepts the new sealer and adheres properly. All of the old material must be removed, or it could cause an air gap under the new seal and allow water to get into the vehicle. 

Once the new seal is in place, the glass is positioned on the seal and pressed into place. The bond is almost instant, which means the tech needs to get it positioned right so that the glass lines up with the body and seals correctly. 

There is no additional maintenance needed once the glass is installed. If the glass leaks after the installation, let the auto safety glass replacement service know, and they can reseal it. However, in most cases, it will seal properly the first time, and the repair will last the life of the car. To learn more, contact an auto safety glass replacement service.