The First 24 Hours With a New Windshield, Plus Motorhome and Big-Rig Glass

A windshield replacement feels quick, and in a way it is. A technician can have the old glass out and the new one set in a short visit. But the job isn't finished the moment the glass is sitting in the frame. The urethane adhesive holding it in place is still curing, and what you do in the first day or so helps decide how good the seal turns out. Here's what we tell customers at the counter, plus a word about the bigger glass we handle for motorhomes, trucks and tractors.

Why the adhesive needs time

Urethane is a moisture-cured adhesive. It starts firm enough to hold the glass, then gradually reaches full strength over hours as it takes up moisture from the air. Temperature and humidity change how fast that happens, and different products have different safe drive-away times. Your technician will tell you the one that applies to the product used on your car, and that's the number to follow, not a general rule from the internet.

Our Google reviewer Bill Cibart put the rhythm of it simply: “about 45 minutes for the window replacement” and “an hour to let the adhesive dry.” That's one customer's experience, and your timing may differ, but it's a fair picture of how a visit goes.

Your first-day checklist

• Leave the retention tape on the glass until the technician says it's safe to take off.
• Close the doors gently, and crack a window an inch for the first day so the cabin doesn't build pressure.
• Skip the car wash for a day or two, especially anything with high pressure water or brushes.
• Avoid rough roads, big potholes and hard braking while the seal sets.
• Don't scrape or pull at the molding along the edge of the glass.
• Keep an eye out for water or air whistling at the edges, and call us if you notice either.

None of those is hard, and they cost you nothing. Following them just gives the adhesive its best shot at a clean, lasting bond. If something on the list doesn't fit your day, say you have to take the car through a long highway stretch right away, tell the technician before you leave and they'll tell you what makes sense for your product and your conditions.

What's normal and what's worth a call

A few small things are normal. You may see a thin line of black adhesive near the edge, and the glass may look a little different from what you're used to. Some customers notice a slightly different feel in the wipers on the new surface. What isn't normal is water getting into the cabin, a whistle at highway speed, a rattle, or dash warnings that weren't there before. Call us and we'll look at it, since small seal problems are much easier to correct early. We'd always rather hear from you about a whistle on day two than find out about a leak after the first big rain.

If your car has a lane camera or other driver assistance features, the recalibration after the windshield is part of the job. We do that in our own shop, and it's worth asking about when you book so the timing works out.

Motorhomes, trucks, tractors and logging rigs

We replace glass in any year of any vehicle, and that includes semis, motorhomes, tractors, logging trucks and farm equipment, not just sedans. Big glass is a different job. The pieces are larger and heavier, the work often happens up a ladder, and the mounting can be quite different from a passenger car. We've set motorhome windshields right in our Oroville lot, and Mike, our installer, has more than 30 years in auto glass and has seen just about everything come through the door.

Many of the people who run those vehicles around Butte and Yuba County can't spare them for long. Our mobile unit is available at no extra charge in Oroville and the surrounding area, and that can save you a trip. One customer, Raven Minion, wrote that the process went “from calling to windshield installed in less than 24 hours at a great rate.” Timing depends on the glass and the day, but we know how much a rig sitting still costs you.

Call before you wait

If you have a cracked windshield on a car, a truck or a motorhome, give us a call at (530) 538-8100 and tell us what you're driving. We'll talk through the glass, the timing and whether mobile service makes sense. The shop is at 2601 South 5th Avenue in Oroville, open Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 and Saturday from 9 to 1.