Newly Replaced Windshield Maintenance Tips

A windshield is the guard of your car. The role played by your windshield in car in driver safety is unrivalled. It also acts as a supporting structure to your car's roof, maintaining your vehicle's structural integrity.

It is not uncommon for the windshield in cars to develop chips and cracks because of sudden impact. If your windshield develops a break, get it either repaired or replaced immediately to avoid long-term damage to your car and to avoid compromising your safety. If you have opted for windshield replacement, here are some basic after-care rules you should know-

How to Care for Your Newly Replaced Windshield?

You just got your windshield in car replaced and are excited to drive your car back home. Wait a minute and review a few aftercare tips for your newly replaced windshield to ensure that you do not end up damaging it again due to neglect.

Don't Drive Your Car Immediately After

Replacement mostly uses urethane as an adhesive to repair chipped windshields or affix new ones onto your car. Urethanes require a little while to cure. The curing duration of the adhesive is dependent on several factors like humidity, quality, and temperature, which can be as high as 24 hours in some cases. However, as a general rule, you must steer away from driving your car for at least one hour after the process of windshield replacement. This will ensure that the adhesive dries appropriately and does not leave gaps between the glass and the frame.

Leave the Tape On

Some repair facilities use tape while affixing a new windshield in car. As a car owner, you might be tempted to remove the tape to restore the attractiveness of your vehicle. However, you must refrain from taking off the windshield tape for at least 24 hours so that the glass is tightly held in place.

Stay Away From Car Washes

Car washes often use high-pressure jets, and motor pumps to clean the dirt and debris off the vehicle. If the sealant or the adhesive used to replace your windshield has not dried correctly, these jets will destroy their strength, and you will be left with an incorrectly set windshield. If the car wash facility uses some cleaning liquid or detergent, it might be abrasive to urethane and silicone-based adhesives and sealants.

Always refrain from washing your car at least 24 hours following a windshield replacement. Even if you are tempted to have your car washed, get it done at home with mild soaps or detergents and soft sprays of water. Remember that you do not need to keep your new windshield in car away from water. Instead, keep it away from impact or pressure created by strong water jets.

Be Careful with Your Driving

Do not be rash with your driving, especially immediately after windshield replacement. Avoid driving your vehicles on especially uneven terrain to prevent your windshield in car from jarring and shaking.

You should also refrain from slamming your car door or banging on the roof of your vehicle in a rush. Doing so creates sudden immense pressure within the vehicle, which may cause the windshield to pop out. Before exiting your vehicle, keep the window a bit gaped to allow the pressure to escape as you close your car door on exiting.

Leave the Window Opened

If you live in a region with particularly hot temperatures, the pressure might build inside your car as a result of the heat. If you leave your car parked for long hours under similar heat, your newly installed windshield might pop out or disassociate as a result of high pressure. Always leave your window gaped before parking your car if you have gotten your windshield replaced recently.

What not to do after windshield replacement?

Here are 8 things you should avoid doing after getting your windshield replaced:

1. Slamming the doors or trunk. This can create sudden pressure changes that can loosen the adhesive holding the windshield in place.
2. Driving on bumpy roads. This can also put stress on the adhesive and cause the windshield to come loose.
3. Using a high-pressure car wash. The high-pressure water can loosen the adhesive or damage the windshield.
4. Putting anything against the windshield. This can also put pressure on the adhesive and cause the windshield to come loose.
5. Rolling up the windows all the way. This can create a vacuum that can also loosen the adhesive.
6. Washing the car with harsh chemicals. These chemicals can damage the windshield or the adhesive.
7. Parking in direct sunlight. The heat from the sun can cause the adhesive to break down.

Read Also: How to Know if your Windshield Was Installed Incorrectly?

How AIS Windshield Experts Helps?

At AIS Windshield Experts, we understand that you might not always be equipped with aftercare tips for your newly replaced windshield. Our experts, therefore, educate you on safety features and essential practices to follow for recently installed windshields. Moreover, we provide a one-year warranty on all our products and services. We will attend to any post-installation damage without causing you the hassle.

Our technicians always use world-class replacement products and adhesives and observe the highest safety standards while installing a new or fixing a chipped windscreen. As a result of our tie-ups with various insurance providers across the country, we provide quick and hassle-free cashless windshield replacement services. We follow a Repair-First Policy, i.e., we will only suggest replacement in cases where repair is impossible. Head to our service centres or call us to avail of a doorstep windscreen replacement facility.