Modern windshields can contain many features including heating mechanisms, sensors, tints, coatings, and radio antennas. They may even contain more sophisticated features including heads-up-displays (HUD) and satellite uplinks. With these kinds of features, it is not hard to understand why windshields can be expensive. This is also why windshield repair is a common solution to cracked, scratched, and damaged windshields.

During a windshield repair, the technician uses a specially formulated resin, injecting it into the damaged area of the glass. The resin is then cured, restoring the windshield’s integrity, and polished to restore the clarity of the glass. If the windshield has become damaged to the point where the PVB layer is compromised, repair should not be considered and complete replacement is required.

Windshields are constructed from laminated glass. This laminated glass is composed of two or more layers of glass, with a thin plastic sheet in between. This transparent sheet of plastic is actually called polyvinyl butyrate, or PVB, and is fused between the layers of glass in an adhesion process which utilizes pressure and heat to bind the layers together.

The PVB film keeps the glass from shattering in the event of an accident. On impact, most of the glass is kept from entering the vehicle’s cabin, and can even act as a retainer to keep objects, including you, inside the vehicle.

Windshields are designed to operate in conjunction with your vehicle’s airbags. Properly installed windshields provide support to the back of the airbag, sustaining it and allowing it to fully deploy into the occupant compartment, rather than into the dash.  If the structural integrity of the windshield has been compromised, it may cause the airbags to only partially deploy or to not deploy at all, dramatically increasing the chances of serious injury or death in the event of an accident.

The windshields of all vehicles are constructed from a type of glass known as laminated glass. This type of glass is different than what is used for the rest of your vehicle’s windows. Used since 1927, laminated glass is created by placing a thin sheet of adhesive plastic between two layers of glass. This transparent plastic is called polyvinyl butyrate, or PVB, and is infused with the glass using extreme pressure and heat. The PVB sheet holds the glass together in the event of impact, and prevents the windshield from shattering. This helps prevent further injury to the occupants that may be caused from the shattered glass.