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If you use your car regularly, the risk of damage to the car is inevitable. Not only because accidents happen, but also because many Belgians have to deal with window damage caused by stone chips, vandalism or one of the many other possible causes of car window damage. That is why it is good to take a look at the types of car window damage, ways in which car windows can be damaged and in which cases the car window needs to be replaced. On this page, we will also show you how to ensure that you always choose car windows with the best price-quality ratio when your car window needs to be replaced.
Before we can look at the different types of car window damage, it is good to know that there are two types of automotive glass. These are laminated car windows and tempered automotive glass. In most cases, your car will have a laminated windscreen and the side and rear windows will be made of tempered automotive glass. Of course, there are exceptions, as a number of premium models now also have laminated rear windows, including models from Tesla, Mercedes, BMW and Audi.
The special production process also makes this automotive glass stronger, which makes the car safer and the windscreen much more durable. In addition, the unique production process of laminated glass ensures that the windscreen can crack in the event of damage or that a chip appears in the windscreen after stone chips. This is not the case with tempered glass.
Tempered car windows shatter into thousands of small pieces when damaged. This is intentional, as it prevents large shards of glass from entering the car in the event of an accident, thereby significantly increasing passenger safety. This is also the reason why tempered automotive glass is also referred to as safety glass.
However, this also means that the tempered side and rear windows shatter immediately in the event of glass damage. Therefore, you cannot have a chip or crack in a tempered car window, as it is a single layer of glass without film. More and more people are choosing to have the front side windows made of laminated glass, mainly for sound insulation reasons. However, this comes with a number of risks, including the fact that you can no longer break these laminated side windows with a safety hammer in an emergency (for example, if your car ends up in water). The video below explains the advantages and disadvantages of laminated side windows in your car.
There are various ways in which your car's windscreen can be damaged. Below you can see the most common causes of car window damage in Belgium:
The cause and type of car window damage are closely related. In the case of vandalism and burglary, for example, a side window is almost always smashed, while stone chips almost always cause a crack or chip in the windscreen.
Since tempered car windows shatter when damaged, they must be replaced immediately in all cases. Driving without a side or rear window is not only very annoying and impractical, it can also be dangerous.
When it comes to damage to the laminated windscreen, it becomes much more difficult to determine when your car's windscreen needs to be replaced. There are quite a few rules when it comes to technical inspections (source). Windscreen damage in the driver's field of vision can be grounds for rejection during a technical inspection. If there is a chip larger than a 2 euro coin, the car will be rejected immediately. If there is a crack longer than 5 centimetres on both sides of the windscreen, your car's windscreen must also be replaced, as is the case with a 10-centimetre crack in one of the layers of glass. Non-transparent damage is also taken into account. For these types of windscreen damage, the damage may have a maximum diameter of 10 millimetres.
As in other countries, the main focus is on windscreen damage in the driver's field of vision. This makes sense, as this is by far the most important part of the windscreen. If the damage is outside the driver's field of vision, in many cases you can continue driving with a damaged windscreen.
Do you think or know that your car window needs to be replaced? Then it is good to know that replacement, unbranded car windows are considerably cheaper than the original automotive glass for your make and model. The after market car windows you find at our company are made in exactly the same way as the current windows in your car, but are considerably cheaper because we do not need an exclusive brand logo on our automotive glass. This allows you to save hundreds of euros per car window without compromising on quality. The price difference is so great that our new car windows are often still cheaper than second-hand automotive glass!
If you are able to come to the workshop, we will be happy to replace your car window at one of the five workshops listed below in Belgium. If your windscreen is equipped with a camera, we can calibrate your camera directly at the workshop.
Berbroek - Herk-De-Stad:
Address: | Steenweg 3 Bus 604 |
Postal code: | 3450 |
City: | Berbroek (Herk-De-Stad) |
Geel (by appointment):
Address: | Molseweg 138 |
Postal code: | 2440 |
City: | Geel |
Wilsele - Leuven (by appointment):
Address: | Pastoor Legrand 13 |
Postal code: | 3012 |
City: | Wilsele (Leuven) |
Bocholt:
Address: | Rademakersstraat 11 |
Postal code: | 3950 |
City: | Bocholt |
Kortrijk:
Address: | Sint-Katharinastraat 34 |
Postal code: | 8501 |
City: | Kortrijk |
If you want to save as much as possible on windscreen replacement for your car, you may consider doing the car window replacement yourself. If you are technically minded and have the time, in many cases you can replace the side window of many different car models yourself. However, when it comes to the windscreen, we strongly recommend that you leave this to a professional, who will ensure that the new car window and your car are not damaged and that the new windscreen is fitted correctly. To make it as easy as possible for you, we work with professional fitting partners who also replace car windows on-site in Belgium. You can simply leave your car in the car park or park it at work; our partners will ensure that the car window is replaced without you having to worry about it. Of course, this applies to rear windows, side windows and windscreens. When you indicate during the ordering process that you want windscreen replacement on-site and within what time frame, the page immediately adjusts the price for you so that you can immediately see what the total price will be.
Does your car's windscreen need replacing, or do you have your eye on a new car that needs one of its windows replaced? Then you will find new car windows at attractive prices with us, without compromising on quality. Can't find what you're looking for or do you have questions about how we work or the options available? Please don't hesitate to contact us, as our team will be happy to help you personally.
