Side & Back Window Replacements – Auto Glass

Side and Back Car Window Replacements

It can be traumatizing to have a car window broken, especially if you were in the vehicle when it happened. However, you can rest easy. Even though there is likely glass everywhere and a hole in the side of your car, we can help. Windshield Surgeons Auto Glass’ skilled technicians will have your vehicle like new in no time.

You will find the important things to consider with car glass replacement below. We’re here to help.

Have a broken front windshield? For details on vehicle front windshield replacements, click here. 

Tips for Car Glass Replacement

Installation methods and requirements vary substantially depending what window was broken. However, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Glass Gets Into Things:

If you have had a window shatter, glass gets places you may not have considered. Glass left in the wrong place can result in perpetual shards being found, cuts, and even rattling noises.

For example, in the case of car door windows, shards get deep into the mechanisms of your door. So, while it is important that the glass company give the inside of your vehicle a courtesy vacuum to get most of the glass, it is even more important they ensure to have vacuumed and cleaned out any glass from areas you cannot reach.

It is a very good idea to have the inside of your vehicle detailed after your window has been replaced. The courtesy vacuum will get most of it but small embedded fragments may remain.

What Types of Car Windows are There?

Car glass fits into two categories, laminated and tempered.

• Laminated glass is usually found in your front windshield. It is highly impact resistant but difficult to escape from in an emergency.
• Tempered glass (the focus of this page) is most commonly found on the side and back windows of your vehicle.

Tempered side glass is quite ‘hard’ despite what the movies make it seem. However, it quickly fractures in to many mostly harmless pieces when it does break. This is desirable because if you ever need to get out of your vehicle through the window, large pieces of glass are extremely dangerous.

Light vs Privacy Tint:

Windows on the rear half of a vehicle can come right from the factory in a couple different tint darkness levels and colors.

Not sure how to tell what you have? You likely have a “light” tint if you look at your vehicle and can very easily see into the vehicle from the outside. Whereas, if you either cannot see inside or if light is clearly being blocked, you likely have “privacy” tint. You may not even realize you have privacy tint without getting out and looking at your vehicle from the outside.

You will be asked to identify if you have light or privacy tint when you get a quote if it is possible for your vehicle.

Aftermarket Tint Consideration:

You may find a new window doesn’t match if you, or anyone who previously owned your vehicle, had aftermarket tint applied. Tint films come in a broad variety of light transference percentages and all have unique coloration. This means if you did have a dark aftermarket tint applied, it is unlikely to match a factory dark privacy tint in the window.

In this situation, your best bet is to reach out to the tinting company and see if they can obtain the same exact product still. If the same exact tint can be found, opt for the light tint edition of glass (if available) and have it aftermarket tinted again afterwards. Don’t gamble and hope factory privacy tint will match your aftermarket tint.

Here is a helpful page about Alberta Tinting Laws and Regulations.