Window Tints and Windshield Damage: FAQs

If your automobile windows are tinted or you are considering having a tint applied to them, then you may have many questions about this tint and how it can affect current and future windshield damage. 

Before you have auto tint applied to your windows or have your already-tinted windows repaired, learn the answers to three frequently asked questions about auto window tint and windshield damage. 

Do Window Tints Prevent Glass Damage? 

Since most automobile window tints are applied to the interior surface of the windows, they do not protect the windows from the most common causes of cracks and chips. For example, if a rock hits your windshield exterior with extreme force while you are driving, the glass may still chip or crack since the rock is making contact with the actual window and not the film. 

However, window films applied to window interiors do provide an added layer of protection if a window were to shatter while driving or upon impact in an auto accident.

Windshields are made from laminated glass that consists of two glass layers with a layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin located between them. This resin layer holds onto glass pieces when the glass breaks to reduce the chance of glass-related injuries in the event of an auto accident. When window tint film is applied to the interior of a windshield, it forms an extra protective layer that can further help hold glass pieces together if the window were to break. 

Most side and rear automobile windows are made from simple tempered glass instead of laminated glass. This glass type contains no PVB resin and is more likely to break into many small pieces that fall out of the window opening when the glass is broken. Window tint can help hold this glass together during an auto accident to potentially increase occupant safety. 

While all window tint films help prevent glass shattering to a degree, a window tint type called security film increases the impact-resistance of the glass more than other window tint types. This film is typically thicker and stronger than traditional window tints. 

Do Window Tints Affect Existing Cracks and Chips?

Auto glass cracks can expand over time, which is why you need to have windshield cracks repaired quickly when possible before the damage worsens. However, it is especially important to have an auto glass crack repaired quickly if the cracked window is covered with window tint.

While all window tints vary slightly in design, many tint types help keep your automobile interior cooler by absorbing much of the sun's heat instead of allowing it to pass through the glass and into your vehicle. As the window tint absorbs the sun's heat, it can pass heat into the window glass, potentially making tinted glass much hotter than untinted window glass. This extreme heat can lead to thermal stress that causes a glass crack or chip to expand very quickly. 

When you repair a crack or chip in tinted auto glass quickly, you can worry less about thermal stress expanding the crack until it jeopardizes windshield structural integrity so much that the glass must be completely replaced 

How Are Tinted Auto Windows Repaired?

Cracks and chips in tinted automobile windows can be repaired just as cracks and chips in untinted windows are. However, the tinted window repair process requires an additional couple of steps and just a little more time. 

Before performing the glass repair, an auto glass expert will first remove just a small portion of the window tint located behind the chip or crack with a razor blade or other tool. If this tint were left in place, it could hinder the performance of the glass filler and create an undesirable final repair appearance.

Next, the glass repair expert performs the windshield repair by injecting a glass resin into the chip or crack and then allowing it to cure as it would on an untinted vehicle window. After the glass filler or resin used to perform the repair has fully cured, a new small piece of window tint is cut to cover the area where the tint was removed and used to create a tint patch behind the window repair area.

This patch is typically created by adhering the tint piece to the window and heating the seams where it meets your existing tint to minimize its appearance. If you find the appearance of the seams left behind by the window tint patch undesirable, you may want to have the tint on the window completely replaced after the repair process. 

If your vehicle windows are tinted or you are considering having an aftermarket tint applied to them, then now you know the answers to these FAQs about window tint and windshield damage. Contact the auto glass repair experts at MS Glass Outlet for all of your auto glass repair and replacement needs today.