Auto Glass Certifications & Definitions

Auto Glass Replacement Glossary

There are many new features in today’s windshields. Below is a glossary of terms that can be useful in understanding some of these features.

• Acoustic Interlayer: Glass having a thicker than normal center laminate for noise reduction and better stereo sound quality.
• AGRSS: Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standards. Safety standards widely accepted by the auto glass industry.
• Anti-theft: Vehicle glass that is made of laminated glass and tempered glass sandwiched together to help prevent smash & grab theft.
• Butyl: An adhesive/sealant. It achieves lap shear strengths of only about 13 psi.
• Diversity Antenna: Combines the reception from two or more antennas on the vehicle. They work together to achieve superior radio reception. They typically appear as a thin brown or orange line inside the glass.
• Dot Matrix Shade: The traditional gradient shade band in the laminate is replaced by a dot matrix frit across the top of the windshield. These little black dots are painted onto one of the glass surfaces.
• Electrochromic Mirror: A rear view mirror that automatically dims when light shines on it.
• Encapsulated: A glass part that has a molding attached. Usually it’s only on the top of the glass and is commonly found on GM made SUV’s.
• Frit: The black painted border around the perimeter of the auto glass. Designed to block the sun’s rays from deteriorating the adhesive that structurally bonds the auto glass to the vehicle.
• Heated Wiper Park Area: A windshield contains heater grids across the lower part of the glass where the wipers rest. Usually visible as a brown or grey lines running horizontally at the base of the windshield.
• High Modulus Adhesives: Adhesive designed to withstand a variety of stresses and still return to its original form. High modulus adhesives are stiffer than normal adhesives.
• HUD: Heads up display. Some of your vehicle’s key instrumentation is flashed up onto the bottom of the windshield.
• Laminated Auto Glass: A sandwich of two pieces of glass with a layer of laminate between them. All front windshields are made of laminated glass. Properly installed windshields cushion an occupant’s head during impact, act as a backboard for the airbags, and provide structural roof support in an accident.
• Light Sensor: A sensor usually located on the windshield that senses the absence of light and turns the headlights on.
• Nonconductive Adhesives: Low in carbon and change high frequency antenna impedance. Sensitive electronic signals in some luxury cars require specialized nonconductive adhesives to maintain optimal operating levels.
• O.E.M.: Original Equipment Manufacturer
• PVB: Polyvinyl Butyral. The vinyl layer between two pieces of glass that make up the front windshield.
• Rain Sensor: A sensor usually located near the windshield’s rear view mirror that senses rain and activates the windshield wipers.
• Safe Drive Away Time: The safest allowable time to drive a vehicle after a front windshield installation. This is usually a minimum of one hour.
• Solar Absorbing Auto Glass: Auto glass that blocks out harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays thereby reducing the sun’s damage and keeping the inside of the vehicle cooler.
• Solar Coated Auto Glass: When the inner layer of non-solar glass is coated with UV reflective film before being attached to the PVB and second layer of glass to form the windshield