The car windshield, or just plain windshield, is the primary auto glass part on any vehicle. Simply explained, the car windshield (the front window) is a piece of material used to “shield” the driver (and passengers) in a vehicle from the air or wind current created when traveling in an automobile. However, today’s windshields are much more than just a shield against the wind. The windshield is created with a combination of glass and plastic. Two pieces of laminated safety glass “sandwiches” a piece of plastic and the entire product is held together with glue. This technology became a standard in the 1920’s thanks to Henry Ford and French invention.
More than just a screen from wind, the windshield is one of the major safety devices of a car as well as a shield from stones, insects, debris and ultraviolet light. Today, a windshield’s usefulness has been taken to the next level by commonly employing advanced technology including heads-up displays, solar coating, high-beam glare reduction, heating elements, condensation sensors, rain sensors and night vision features.
The windshield is permanently affixed to the vehicle’s frame with a pinch-weld. A specially designed adhesive, called urethane, is used to create a molecular bond between the vehicle’s frame and the glass. If this bond is broken, it can negatively influence the rollover safety of vehicle as well as deployment of airbags. Mobile Glass takes the use of correct urethane very seriously and currently we only use Sika brand 220 urethane. This is not the industry standard. In fact, it’s quite the contrary! Sika 220 is a much higher quality product which has noticeably reduced our warranty work and increased confidence in our superior service. The cost of Sika is actually twice that of standard urethanes other auto glass companies use, yet our prices are still lower. Mobile Glass is doing our part to truly deliver a high quality product for a lower price.
Truck Windshield
The work ‘truck’ can be used to describe both personal pickup trucks and commercial trucks. So for clarification, personal pickup truck windshields are similar to automobile windshields described above. In this section, we’ll be discussing the commercial truck windshield.
Most commercial trucks actually have two windshield glass parts creating a “split” windshield. Because the span of the cab is much wider than passenger vehicles, the commercial truck windshield can be massive when designed as one piece. Thanks to kind designers, most commercial trucks, including Freightliners and Macks, have adopted the split design. Due to the nature of the trucking business, commercial drivers need to have their broken windshields replaced immediately. Mobile Glass may be the only choice for most commercial truck owners. Our business is designed to provide fast mobile service to the truck’s location so drivers can meet all their professional deadlines.
Windshield Prices
To get a windshield price, Mobile Glass recommends using our quote form. Generally speaking, windshield prices are the least expensive of all auto glass in your vehicle. Windshield prices for more common automobiles (Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, etc.) can be much lower than for foreign makes. Windshield cost really depends on your particular model. Prices can also vary depending on the type of service you require: windshield repair vs. windshield replacement.
Windshield Repair
Most windshield chips or cracks can be repaired. We have a page specifically dedicated to discussing windshield repair. Mobile Glass goes one step further for our customers, we even offer a “do it yourself” section. So, if you are looking for rock chip repair, windshield crack repair, repair costs or looking to do it yourself, then you have come to right place!
Windshield Replacement
Windshield replacement is a job best left to a seasoned veteran. Windshield Replacement not only requires a high level of skill, but also quite a bit of muscle and some expensive tools. As with all areas of windshields and auto glass, windshield replacement is discussed in further detail at this link.
If you are interested in the exact steps required to replace a windshield, feel free to discover our Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Camry and BMW 3-Series how-to windshield replacement pages. Remember that windshield replacement costs do vary from city to city. If you want to learn more about other types of auto glass, please read on.
Auto Glass: Non-Windshield Automotive Glass
The windshield is only one part on an automobile. Door glass, quarter glass, vent glass and back glass are some of the other main auto glass parts. Please visit our auto glass parts page to learn more about the different parts as well as options for the parts including the windshield.
One glass option is shading and tinting. Did you know almost every glass part manufactured today has some level of tint embedded within it? Consumers have the option of choosing between green and blue tint. There’s plenty more to learn, so don’t stop here! Contact Mobile Glass for more information or an auto glass shop now.