Did you ever wonder how your windshield stays in place?
If you really think about it, isn’t it hard to imagine that you can drive down the road at 70 miles per hour and that piece of glass doesn’t move!
Obviously, that piece of glass staying in the right place is critical to the safety of the driver and passengers in the vehicle. And a urethane adhesive is the only thing that holds a windshield in place.
Your safety is the #1 reason that we ONLY use Dow Automotive Systems Urethane Adhesives. In safety testing, it has been proven that a lesser grade adhesive being used on a windshield can allow the glass to become displaced in an accident, compromising occupant safety. Our customers are our family, so as a parent protects their children, we will do everything we can to keep our family safe!
Here are a few questions and answers directly from Dow to further explain the purpose and safety components of a windshield.
Q: What holds your windshield in place?
A: Automakers use urethane adhesive to bond the windshield to the body of your car.
Q: What does the windshield do for safety?
A: The windshield adds structural strength to the overall vehicle and, for some air bags to work as designed, they must deflect off the windshield. The adhesive must hold the windshield in place during impact. To keep the occupants of your vehicle safe, it’s important to use a quality windshield adhesive that is approved by the vehicle manufacturer and proper installation procedures.
Q: How do you know your original windshield installation was safe?
A: There are government and manufacturer requirements imposed for motor vehicle safety. Vehicle manufacturers must certify each make and model passes a series of tests, including Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard windshield retention crash (FMVSS 212), occupant retention (FMVSS 208), roof crush (FMVSS 216) and intrusion (FMVSS 219) tests. Manufacturers also have their own standards, which may exceed government requirements. Both the adhesive and the installation process must pass these destructive tests. When your windshield is replaced, be sure it is bonded with a high-quality adhesive 
approved for the original installation, and is installed according to all industry standards. Nearly all vehicles manufactured in the United States had their windshields installed at the factory with adhesives produced by Dow Automotive Systems.
Q: Will your replacement windshield give the same protection as the original?
A: Most auto glass installers are concerned about passenger safety. They use a Dow Automotive Systems adhesive to replace your glass with bond strength equal to that of the manufacturer’s original installation.
Q: How do you know Dow Automotive Systems adhesives will retain your windshield during a crash?
A: Dow Automotive Systems adhesives are crash proven. We test our adhesives by replacing a windshield in a car and crashing it head on into a solid wall. The risk is too high to rely solely on theories and laboratory tests. Dow Automotive Systems’ minimum drive-away times are confirmed through actual vehicle crashes.
Q: Will the adhesive bond last?
A: Dow Automotive Systems subjects all of its adhesives to severe long-term durability laboratory and field tests to ensure lasting performance. Adhesives are exposed to cold, heat, humidity, rain and salt air for years to verify long-term strength.
Q: Why is it important to wait the prescribed time before driving the car?
A: For safety. It takes time to meet FMVSS requirements for windshield retention. The longer the urethane cures, the stronger the bond.
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