A broken car window seems simple enough until you start looking at the replacement options.
Some vehicles use tempered glass in their side windows. Others use laminated glass. Depending on the vehicle, you may even find different types of glass in different window positions.
For the driver, the important part is pretty simple: Seminole Auto Glass can identify what your vehicle uses and replace the correct type of glass.
Larry Seymour explains this in the video below.
Tempered and Laminated Glass Behave Differently
Tempered glass has been common in vehicle side and rear windows for decades. When it breaks, it typically shatters into many small pieces rather than remaining together as one large sheet.
Laminated glass is constructed differently. It uses layers of glass bonded around an inner layer that helps hold the glass together after an impact. Most drivers are familiar with laminated glass because it has long been used for windshields, but laminated glass is also found in the side windows of many newer vehicles.
As the video points out, laminated side glass can also provide benefits such as additional sound reduction and resistance to intrusion.
You don’t need to memorize the differences before calling an auto glass shop. You just need the correct replacement for your vehicle.
How Do You Know Which Type of Glass Your Car Has?
Sometimes you can find markings printed near a lower corner of the window that provide information about the glass. Vehicle year, model, trim level, and the position of the window can also make a difference.
In other words, don’t assume that the side glass in one version of a vehicle is necessarily identical to the glass in another.
When requesting an auto glass quote, providing accurate vehicle information helps Seminole Auto Glass identify the right replacement glass before the appointment.
What If the Glass Isn’t Broken?
Not every side-window problem requires new glass.
If the window is intact but won’t go up, falls down inside the door, moves crookedly, or makes strange noises when you press the switch, the problem may be with the power-window mechanism instead.
That could involve the window motor, regulator, switch, wiring, or another component inside the door.
Seminole Auto Glass also provides power window repair in Tallahassee, including motor and regulator service.
We recently covered that subject in more detail in our guide to window motors and regulators.
Broken Side Glass? Seminole Can Help
A shattered door window is inconvenient no matter what kind of glass was originally installed.
There’s glass to clean out, an open vehicle to deal with, and usually a Tallahassee weather forecast that makes leaving a window uncovered less than ideal.
Seminole Auto Glass services more than windshields. Our auto glass services also include side windows, rear windows, back glass, power windows, and window regulators and motors.
If your vehicle uses tempered side glass, we can help with the proper replacement. If it uses laminated side glass, we can handle that too.
And if the glass is fine but the window itself has stopped working, we can help determine what’s going on inside the door.
Better Call Seminole
You shouldn’t have to figure out whether your vehicle has tempered glass, laminated glass, a failed regulator, or a worn-out motor before asking for help.
Tell us what happened and what the window is doing. We’ll take it from there.
For side-window replacement or power-window repair in Tallahassee, call Seminole Auto Glass at 850-539-4527 or request a quote online.
