The windshield or windscreen is probably the biggest window of your car and is a major component that guarantees the safety of the passengers sitting inside.
But what if this windshield itself gets damaged through a flying stone or minor incident that will most probably leave small chips and crack?
Most owners assume that replacing a damaged or old windshield will consume lots of time or make them dish out a heavy amount. However, none of these is true!
Yes, replacing a windshield is a fast, efficient, and affordable process, provided you’re getting it done through an authorized center or mechanic.
Still, how long will it take for my car’s windshield to get replaced?
It is a serious question to counter if you are short of time or cannot leave the car at the center. So, let’s discuss both of these in this article.
How Long Does It Take To Replace A Windshield?
The time required to replace a windshield varies, taking into account various factors.
An average of 30-60 minutes is the minimum time required even by the experienced mechanics of a reputable company.
However, you should remember that you shouldn’t drive your car for at least 1-hour after the windshield replacement to allow the adhesives to harden.
It means that anything around 2-hours is the total time from start to finish.
Furthermore, vehicles with passenger-side airbags will take more time than vehicles without one. The reason is the extra time in such cases the adhesive will take to harden.
In a nutshell, it’s better not to ponder much on the windshield replacement time and focus on the safety standards that one follows in the process.
If your windshield is either damaged/not repaired or repaired from a non-trustworthy service center, you will compromise your critical and secondary safety barrier beside the seat belts.
Factors That Can Affect Windshield Replacement Time
There are tons of factors that can affect your car’s windshield replacement time, and these include:
Who’s replacing the windshield
If the windshield has prominent cracks and it’s impossible to drive with it, you will head to a reputed service center for the replacement work.
Now, they will try to get the work done as soon as possible without compromising quality and efficiency. However, you might need to pay some extra bucks in that case.
In another case, if you decide to take your car to a local garage, the higher are the chances of them asking you to leave the car for a day.
It is because being local; they will attend your car after the ones already present with them.
Lastly, if you take the windshield replacement duty on your shoulder, you might take more or less time than the reputed service center or local garage.
Therefore, who is replacing your windshield will have a say in the time consumption.
Kind of vehicle
No two vehicles are the same! You might argue that the windshield is the most easily accessible part of any vehicle, but there is another part of the story too.
In particular, when talking about cars, different categories of cars require different processes to remove and replace the windshield.
For example, high-end categories of cars like Cadillac, Mercedes, or BMW require removing special nuts and bolts to remove the windshield and unique process & precision to attach the new.
Thus, these cars will take more time for the whole process. However, this isn’t the case with other economy class models.
Kind of adhesives
Irrespective of your vehicle, the most common materials used to seal a windshield include silicone, polyurethane, and acrylic.
All these materials are suitable for use with several other repairs and replacements within the vehicle. However, do not forget that each of these has different curing or hardening time.
Therefore, depending upon the material your mechanic uses, the time after which you can again drive your car will vary.
Drive-away time
The time for which your vehicle must sit after the windshield replacement work is the drive-away time.
It ensures that the new windshield has stuck to its position firmly and the applied adhesives have dried/cured completely.
While some adhesives claim a drive-away time of an hour, others may need a whole day for the same.
The level of damage
Some people assume replacing a windshield an expensive process.
They would not think of it until it gets nearly impossible to drive with the damaged windshield or after a hammering from the police.
As a thumb rule, the time it will take to replace the windshield is proportional to the degree of its damage.
Hence, the minor damage your vehicle’s windshield has, the less time it will take and vice-versa. So, these are the common factors that affect the windshield replacement time.
Conclusion
The windshield acts as a second security cover for the passengers sitting inside the vehicle.
Whether your vehicle’s windshield comprises tempered glass or laminated glass, both these materials can suffer damages due to various reasons.
Starting from a minute crack, if not taken care of early, the same crack can cover the entire space of your windshield and elevate its repairing or replacement cost.
Hence, it would help if you got the windshield replaced as soon as you notice chips or cracks hurting its integrity.
