When you have your original windshield replaced, it is crucial to ensure that your new windshield is installed properly.

If your installer is inexperienced or has not had adequate training or has not been qualified as a certified installer from the National Glass Association, you risk life-threatening danger in the event of a vehicle collision or accident.

Your windshield does not only protect you from the rain; the purpose of the windshield on your car is to protect you from being thrown violently out of your vehicle in the case of an accident.

Depending on the vehicle you drive - your auto glass provides 40% to 70% of the strength of your vehicle. 

Windshields are designed to protect drivers and passengers from being ejected from their car in the event of a collision. However when windshields are damaged or are improperly installed, this function is severely hampered. 

Without a functioning windshield, the passenger side airbag is useless. This is because the passenger side airbag is designed to first bounce off the windshield before bouncing back and protecting the passenger in a car collision.

In addition to keeping the passenger airbag functioning and securing the passenger inside the car, windshields are an important shock or impact absorber inside the vehicle. Windshields consist of two layers of glass bonded by an interior polyvinyl layer. Although the outside layers of glass may crack or break, the inside layer keeps the windshield flexible and capable of cushioning any impact that may result.

Finally windshields are important because they hold up nearly 60% of the roof for most cars. This is a major cause of concern for vehicles that have a tendency to roll over. In a roll over accident, roof support is what keeps a passenger from being crushed by the weight of their vehicle. If the windshield falls or pops out of the vehicle, the probability of the roof collapsing is much higher.

There was a ABC News Report on windshield safety that aired in June of 2008. If your windshield was improperly replaced it could be a risk, and you may not even know it. A factory-installed windshield prevents the car's roof from caving in and deflects the airbag. An improperly installed windshield is likely to come out during an accident - just when you need its protection most.

It is estimated that millions of replacement windshields are not installed properly - as many as seven out of ten.

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.

Improperly trained installers may not wear disposable rubber gloves when handling a windshield. This causes oils and dirt from the installers' hands to contaminate the bonding service of the windshield, causing it not to adhere properly.

An improperly prepared pinch weld will cause the windshield to not bond fully.

Our technician will inspect the pinch weld and make sure that it is clean and free of scratches.  We will prepare the surface on the windshield with a primer or use an adhesive that does not require this.
 
To avoid contaminating the windshields bonding surface – we clean your glass with new paper towels and glass cleaner. We will discuss with you the adhesive used and the time needed for it to properly bond the windshield to your vehicle before you can drive the car.

Some companies use 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.  

Golf Auto Glass does not recommend that Butyl tape be used in any automobiles for adhering the windshield to the automobile.

Your safety is of primary importance. If you have any safety questions, do not hesitate to ask us when setting your appointment. Glass plays such an important role in a car or truck's design that professional auto glass installation has become a matter of life and death.

Proper windshield installation is as important to your safety as seatbelts!

Link: Federal Moror Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations