Safety First !

            
In an accident, do you know  your vehicle's safety restraint system,

of which your windshield is its most vital component,

must work perfectly in less than a heartbeat.

There is no rehearsal, there is no second chance.

 So make the safest choice for you and your family.

 Today’s vehicles are engineered so the windshield has become

a major structural component of the chassis.

 It is designed to keep passengers inside the vehicle during an accident

as well as prevent roof-crush in a rollover.

 

          A properly installed windshield will stay bonded to the vehicle during an

accident.

 Without your windshield in place your airbags are useless. 

It is also imperative in an accident the occupants remain inside the vehicle.

SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT that become ejected do not survive.

 Ten percent of all accidents are rollovers.

Should the windshield release from the vehicle during the rollover,

 the a-pillars by themselves cannot support the weight of the vehicle

 and the roof will crush down on the occupants causing serious injury or

worse.

 Proper windshield installation requires a properly trained professional

using the correct materials and procedures.

The auto glass industry has developed

 the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS)

which have quickly become the benchmark for insuring

a properly installed windshield.

If you would like to view a copy of the AGRSS Standard visit www.agrss.com

We highly recommend that you make sure your  windshield is replaced by a

company that is familiar with these standards and abides by them.


                                     

 

Questions to ask before making an appointment


with a glass replacement shop.

 

 

Do you offer windshield repairs?
 

If so, how big of a break can you repair?
 

Can you repair a cracked windshield?
 

How many repairs do you do per week?
 

Do you offer mobile service?
 

If the windshield is replaced, how long will the car have to sit before it can be driven?
 

Do you offer a warranty if the windshield leaks (either water or air) after you replace it?
 

Do you have a lifetime money back guarantee on your repairs or is it just applied

towards a new windshield?

Do you repair according to ROLAGS or replace according to AGRSS standards?

DID YOU SEE THE 20/20 REPORT ON WINDSHIELD
 
SAFETY THAT AIRED ON FEBRUARY 25, 2000?

 

It is shocking at how some auto glass installers are willing to risk your life - only to save a

few minutes of their time.

Your replacement windshield could be a risk, and you may not even know it.

Even if you wear your seatbelt and have a properly functioning airbag, without a windshield

firmly bonded to your car, any safety precautions are worthless. Your factory-installed

windshield prevents the car's roof from caving in and deflects your airbag. An improperly

installed windshield is likely to come out during an accident - just when you need its

protection most.

20/20 Windshield Jeanne Fransway, featured on 20/20, ran off a Wisconsin road late one night. She was later found seventy feet away from her car on top of her windshield. A properly installed windshield could have saved Ms. Fransway's life.

Experts say that millions of replacement windshields are not installed properly - as many as seven out of ten.

What can you do to ensure a safe windshield installation? Choose an auto glass company that values your safety, not cutting a few more dollars of their bottom line. Educate yourself and ask questions. Pick a shop that is well established and stands behind their work.


Fatal mistakes in the 20/20 program that no auto glass service company should make:

Not wearing disposable rubber gloves when handling a windshield. Oils and dirt from the installers' hands can contaminate the bonding service of the windshield, causing it not to adhere properly.

 

We recommend that anyone installing a windshield wear a new pair of gloves with every job so that your new windshield does not become contaminated.

Not properly preparing the pinch weld, causing it not to bond fully.

 

We recommend that your technician inspect the pinch weld and make sure that it is clean and free of scratches. If scratches are present the technician should eliminate exposed metal with a primer. We also recommend that the technician prepare the surface on the windshield with a primer or use an adhesive that does not require this. One example would be Essex U418 primer less urethane. Proper preparation avoids the typical rust problems that arise from replacement windshields.

Not cleaning the windshield properly - wiping it down with a dirty rag. Again, this dirt can contaminate the windshield's bonding surface.

 

All installers should clean your glass with new paper towels and glass cleaner.

Installer doesn't warn the customer that the car is not safe to drive until the adhesive has had
 
sufficient time to bond the windshield to the automobile.

 

Your technician should discuss with you the adhesive used and the time it takes

for it to properly bond the windshield to your vehicle. This lets you make an

informed decision as to when you feel the car is safe to drive.

Using butyl tape instead of urethane. Butyl tape is an inferior adhesive, only holding to 60lbs

per square inch. Urethane, by contrast, holds to 600lbs per square inch.

 

It is not recommended that Butyl tape be used in modern automobiles for

adhering the windshield to the automobile.

Your safety is of primary importance. If you have any safety questions, do not hesitate to

contact a professional windshield installer!

Glasslinks.com

 Auto Glass  News & Information 

October 1995

CBC Television's "Market Place":
Story on Windshield Replacement and Safety.

    Market Place, a Canadian Television  program, aired a very interesting story on after-market windshield replacements. Market Place is a   'consumers affair type' show, similar to the popular US 60 Minutes TV program.
    The feature included on-air interviews with some replacement shops and employees / owners, a "tour" of a salvage yard documenting improperly installed windshields, and  pointed remarks and observations. There are several video copies of the program floating around, which originally aired on October 24, 1995.

Below is a synopsis of the program (updated 1996).
[Notes are direct from  CBC / Market Place summary that appeared on the Web.]

 

Summary:
The windshield in a car does more than keep the wind and rain out. It also helps protect you in case of accidents. It will keep a passenger inside the vehicle and prevent an ejection. In case of a rollover it also helps maintain the structural integrity of the roof. But a lot of shops are installing replacement windshields the wrong way. The adhesive they use is not the proper one, or they don't allow it to cure properly. In order to save a few dollars they are jeopardizing people's lives.

 

More Information:
Depending on the make and model, a windshield provides anywhere from 18 to 20 percent of the structural integrity of the vehicle. Passenger-side air bags rely on the windshield for support. If the windshield pops out during an accident the air bag will inflate out onto the hood of the car and become totally ineffective. That's just one more reason why it is important to have the windshield installed properly. The air bag inflates with such power that if the windshield hasn't been installed properly it can push the windshield right off the car. Also the structural support the windshield provides could prevent the roof from caving in on the passengers during an accident. A cave-in could inhibit any help, i.e. firefighters, from getting a passenger free from the vehicle.

Close to a million windshields are replaced each year in Canada. Thousands of those are installed improperly. A windshield is not difficult to install. There are steps which should be followed to make sure it is done right: the old adhesive has to be taken off; primers need to go on the body and on the glass; then the adhesive, urethane, is applied; and the windshield is put in place and left to sit so the urethane can cure. Curing time is one of the major problems with improper installations. Many installers don't let cars sit long enough to make sure they're safe to drive away. If it is not properly cured the urethane will be wet in the centre. This means weak points and the windshield will let go at its weakest point. Urethanes need up to six hours to cure safely. For maximum protection, to prevent roof crush, urethane has to cure for 24 hours, a lot longer than that in the winter. But for most shop owners time means money and annoyed customers.

There are government standards which govern the installation of windshields when a vehicle is being manufactured but these regulations do not legally apply to replacement windshields or after-market installations. The goal of these standards is to reduce crash injuries and fatalities by making sure as much of the windshield stays attached to the car as possible. Body shops and glass shops can be, and have been, held liable when they don't follow the vehicle manufacturers replacement recommendations.

Some shops don't even use urethane. To cut corners and save money they use things like silicon, bathtub caulking, and various types of adhesives that we don't even recognize to hold the windshields in place. The most common is Butyl. Butyl was used in the early 1970's but it is only a sealant not an adhesive and it never cures. Butyl is half the cost of urethane. But with Butyl there is no strength, it just pulls apart.

There are no government regulations which require an autoglass installer be certified or trained. To combat lack of training the National Glass Association in the United States established a certification program. Also, the glass division of the Ford Motor Company, called Carlite, holds one week installation schools throughout the year which are available free to anyone working within the industry.

So if you have a windshield that needs to be replaced, try to get it replaced the same way the car-maker installed it.

  • Ask the shop if they follow the car-maker's specifications.
  • Make sure they use urethane.
  • If they keep the car for only a short time, ask questions.
  • Find out what the proper cure time is for the adhesive they use. Remember it takes 24 hours - longer in winter - to reach a full cure.
  • If the shop tells you they use Butyl, take your car elsewhere.

 

 

"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



       FACT: The NHTSA classifies the Windshield as a
 "It's a complicated job that requires skill and training in the use

of primers, adhesives, and proper handling.

 

 

primary component of a vehicle's safety restraint system.


FACT: National statistics show nearly

8 out of 10 auto glass replacements fail

to be installed properly and safely.


-Arnold Diaz from the ABC News program 20/20


 

 

 

 

"Unfortunately, installers don't have to be licensed or certified.

And as experts say, installers are making mistakes.

 mistakes you may not know about until its too late."



When windshields are installed at the factory, an appropriate
 
adhesive is applied to a clean and viable channel surface

and then a robot installs a windshield glass

free of any human body oil contamination.

By virtue of a new vehicle's production and delivery sequence,

the windshield adhesive is provided more than enough time

to cure before the new vehicle is put into service.


When windshields are replaced, the molding and lower

windshield cowl panel should be

removed and then the glass is cut out. The previous urethane

adhesive is removed leaving no more than 1/16" of the original

urethane bed. The channel area should be primed

to inhibit rust. An appropriate (1-part or 2-part) urethane

adhesive would then be applied to the replacement

windshield (free of any body oil or other contaminates)

and the windshield installed.

Depending on the type of urethane adhesive used, "cure"

time would range from 1 hour (for 2-part urethane)
 
to 24 hours (for 1-part urethane).

Moldings, necessarily damaged in this process, are to be replaced.

Failure to do any of  these steps completely could cause

the windshield to dis-bond.

 

Here is a list of facts about windshields you should know.

  • Seventy percent ( 7 out of 10) windshields are improperly replaced.
  •  
  •   - Source ABC 20/20

    Here is a list of facts about windshields you should know.

    • Seventy percent ( 7 out of 10) windshields are improperly replaced.
    •  
    • - Source ABC 20/20
    •  
      • On average 3 out of 4 windshields that are replaced could have
      •  
      • been saved had the car owner simply taken time to get a chip
      •  
      • repaired.
        • Vehicle manufactures rely on the windshield for 30% of roof
        •  
        • strength. - Source Ralph Nader
        •  
        • It is known that at least once every 2 weeks a death occurs
        •  
        • in an auto accident in which the windshield had been
        •  
        • replaced within the last 48 hours. - Source AGRR Magazine,
        •  
        • a leading publication to the auto glass repair and
        •  
        • replacement industry.
      •  
        • In an investigation by the Lousiana Speaker Of The House,
        •  
        • it was found that mishandled and improper windshield
        •  
        • installations were common.
      •  
        • The fact is that most automotive safety experts rank the
        •  
        • windshield as the third most important safety component
        •  
        • in today’s cars and trucks. Seatbelts and airbags rank first
        •  
        • and second.” - Car Care Council
      •  
        •  “Many people just don’t realize that their car’s windshield
        •  
        • contributes to the vehicle’s structural integrity by
        •  
        • supporting the roof during a rollover.” - Leo Cyr, Vice
        •  
        • President of the NGA’s Auto Division
      •  
          •  
          • "This suggests windshield integrity may be a crucial factor
          •  
          •  
          •  
          •  
          •  
          • in crash survivability". - AAA
             
          •  
          •