Back Windshield Replacement in Fayetteville, NC

Auto Glass Replacement Fayetteville is Impex Auto Glass serving Fayetteville, NC. Back windshield, rear windshield, back glass and rear window all mean the same part: the glass at the back of the car, usually with the defroster lines running across it. For door windows, see car window replacement in Fayetteville, NC.

Why a back windshield cannot be repaired

A front windshield is laminated, two sheets of glass with a plastic layer between them, and that is what lets a small chip be filled with resin. A back windshield is almost always tempered: one sheet of glass, heat-treated so that when it fails it breaks into small, blunt pieces instead of sharp shards. That is good for the people in the car, but it means a damaged back glass does not crack and sit there. Once the surface is broken, the whole pane lets go, sometimes minutes or hours after the hit.

Impex’s own wording is that because back glass is tempered and shatters when damaged, replacement is the safest and most effective solution. If you see a crack in a back windshield that has not yet fallen in, treat it as broken: park the car where falling glass will not matter and arrange the replacement.

What to do before the new glass goes in

• Photograph it. The opening, the glass inside the car, and the cause if you know it. Your insurer may ask.
• Leave the small pieces. The cubes get everywhere, and clearing them is part of the job. Lift out anything valuable and anything you need.
• Keep the rain out. Tape heavy plastic over the opening, taped to the paint, not to the rubber or the trim, which can come away with the tape.
• Do not drive with the glass sagging. A back glass that is cracked but still in the frame can drop in on a bump. Brush off what has fallen and leave the rest for the technician.
• Note what was attached. Wiper, antenna lead, third brake light, camera or sensor. It helps to mention them when you call.

Back windshield replacement, step by step

1. The part is confirmed by VIN. Back glass varies more than people expect: defroster grid, antenna lines printed in the glass, privacy tint, a rear wiper hole, a brake light housing or a sliding center pane on a pickup. Impex checks the part against the VIN before it is ordered.
2. The car is protected. The rear seats, cargo area and the paint around the opening are covered.
3. The loose glass is cleared. The cubes are vacuumed out of the seats, the cargo area, the hatch or trunk seals and the gaps where they collect.
4. The old bond is cut out. What is left of the old glass and its urethane bead is cut away from the frame, and the frame is prepared for the new bead.
5. The new glass is set. A fresh urethane bead is laid and the new back windshield is set in place and pressed home.
6. The connections go back on. The defroster leads are reconnected, along with any rear wiper, antenna lead, brake light or camera that was attached.
7. The defroster is tested. The rear defroster is switched on to check that the grid heats before the job is signed off.

Impex puts a back glass replacement at about one to two hours. Because the new glass is set in urethane, it needs time to bond before the car is driven, and the technician will tell you when it is safe to go.

The first 24 hours after a new back windshield

Impex’s aftercare advice for back glass is simple: avoid washing the car and avoid using the rear defroster for 24 hours. The heat from the grid and the pressure of a car wash both work against a bond that is still curing. Close the hatch or trunk lid gently for the first day as well.

• No car wash, pressure washer or hose on the back glass for 24 hours
• No rear defroster for 24 hours, even on a cold or damp morning
• Close the hatch or trunk gently
• Leave any retention tape on until the technician says it can come off

SUVs, hatchbacks, pickups and sedans

Where the back windshield sits changes the job a little. On a sedan it is fixed into the body above the trunk lid, between the rear pillars. On an SUV, a minivan or a hatchback it is usually part of the liftgate, often with a rear wiper and a brake light, and sometimes a camera. On a pickup the back glass may be a single fixed pane or a slider with a center section that opens, and some carry a defroster grid of their own.

Many SUVs and pickups also have dark factory privacy glass at the back. North Carolina’s tint rule, G.S. 20-127, requires side and rear windows to let through at least 35% of light, but multipurpose vehicles such as pickups, SUVs and minivans are an exception behind the driver. The VIN check orders the same factory tint your vehicle left the plant with.

Insurance for a back windshield in NC

A back windshield broken by a stone, a branch or a break-in is normally a comprehensive claim. The NC Department of Insurance lists breakage of glass and missiles or falling objects among the losses comprehensive pays for, less any deductible. North Carolina has no law that waives the deductible for glass, though some policies include full glass coverage. Your declarations page will say.

Under G.S. 58-3-180 you choose who replaces the glass, and the insurer pays the same amount whichever shop you pick. Impex works with all major insurance providers. If you are insured with USAA, as many military families around Fayetteville are, our page on USAA windshield replacement explains how a glass claim with that insurer usually runs. A comprehensive glass claim is not an at-fault accident and adds no Safe Driver Incentive Plan points, though insurers may look at how often you claim.

Where the work is done

The job is done at the vehicle, with no shop to drive to. A back windshield needs a dry, level place with room to open the hatch or trunk fully: a driveway, a garage, a covered lot. Urethane does not like a downpour, so if heavy rain is forecast and there is no cover, the visit may move to a dry window.

We cover Fayetteville and the I-95 towns: Parkton, St. Pauls and Lumberton to the south, covered on windshield replacement in Lumberton, NC, and Wade, Godwin, Dunn and Erwin to the north, covered on windshield replacement in Dunn, NC. If the front windshield is damaged as well, the homepage covers auto glass replacement in Fayetteville as one job.

A camera or sensor on the back glass

Some vehicles carry more than a defroster on the rear glass: a rear wiper motor, an antenna printed into the glass, a third brake light, or a camera mounted near it on the liftgate. These go back on and are tested when the new glass is in. Tell us about them when you call, so the right glass is ordered and the visit allows for them.

Questions people ask