Follow Us x
.png)
AUTO GLASS BASICS
There are two fundamental types of auto glass, tempered safety glass and laminated safety glass. Because your safety is important to us, Clear-Vu Auto Glass only uses OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and DOT (Department of Transportation) approved replacement glass.
- Tempered Safety Glass: Tempered glass starts as a single pane of glass which is "tempered" to making it stronger. The tempering process occurs when glass is heated to a very high temperature and then rapidly cooled. This results in a very strong glass that when broken crumbles in very small bits of glass.
- Laminated Safety Glass: Consists of two pieces of glass with a plastic layer sandwiched between them designed to meet the federal standard of .030 inch of PVB laminated between the layers of glass.
In addition to the types of glass, coatings and monograms are added.
- Coatings: Laminated glass and tempered glass are often coated with a special automotive film. This film can provide privacy, mirroring, or UV protection. UV coatings are designed to reduce the vehicles need for air-conditioning and in some cases can improve fuel economy.
- Monograms: Typically found in the lower right-hand corner, most auto glass has a monogram or "bug" imprinted on it. This monogram contains critical information about the specifics of the glass. This monogram includes information such as the manufacturer, the glass type, where it was manufactured in the month and year of manufacture, the model number and the DOT certification number as well as a glass code. By looking at this monogram we will know if your previous repair shop used DOT approved parts and if those parts came from a wrecking yard or an auto glass manufacturer.
