When many people picture cracked car windows, their minds might bring them to a broken or shattered front windshield. However, there are other glass components of a car capable of cracking and breaking, including the sunroof. Though sunroofs might be a fun feature to bring sunlight into the car’s interior, they can be dangerous if they become cracked. Handling sunroof damage differs from fixing windshield damage, as they’re made from different materials: front windshields are made from laminated glass, whereas sunroofs are generally made of tempered glass. To learn what to do when handling a sunroof glass crack or shattering, read the details below.
Address the Crack Immediately
Sunroof damage is not relatively common. But as soon as you notice a sunroof glass crack, you need to reach out to an auto company to fix it sooner rather than later. If you don’t do something about the crack, you risk damaging your car’s interior if rain or snow starts to leak through the broken glass.
Drive to Safety
In some cases, there’s no time for you to assess sunroof damage: if the glass shatters while you’re driving in the middle of the highway, it’s a different story than noticing the crack at home. In the event that such circumstances occur, don’t panic. The first action you should take is to drive your car to the closest parking lot or safe area. Upon arrival, ensure that you and your passengers are safe, and if anyone has sustained any injuries, call 911. It’s possible that the tiny glass shards that broke off remain, so check your body thoroughly to ensure there aren’t any on you.
Clean up the Glass
Once you’ve parked your car in a safe location, it’s time to clean up the glass properly. However, understand that you should never pick up the larger shards of glass with your bare hands. Doing so is incredibly dangerous, as you can cut yourself on the sharp edges. Equip safety gloves before you begin the cleanup process, as they’ll protect you from the shards of broken glass. After the larger pieces are taken care of, it’s time to clean up the smaller bits of glass. Tempered glass is designed to break into smaller pebble-like pieces that are impossible to put back together, as they’re less likely to injure passengers when shattered. Nevertheless, they must be removed, so use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the smaller pieces. Because they’re so tiny, it’s possible to miss them, so vacuum the area twice to ensure no glass remains.
Call an Auto Company to Replace the Glass
Regardless of whether you noticed the sunroof glass crack at home or glass shattered during a drive, you need to contact an auto company to mend the damage. While tempered glass breaks into pieces that are less likely to damage car occupants, it cannot be fixed; a new sunroof must replace the old broken one. However, if the sunroof glass hasn’t shattered, the crack is small, and the molding or seal hasn’t been affected, then the replacement team will opt to repair the cracked glass instead of replacing the entire thing.
Also, if you aren’t comfortable driving to an auto center with the sunroof still cracked or broken, ask your auto company if they have a mobile window service. If they do, they’ll send their talented professionals straight to your home so you can have a new sunroof installed while never leaving your garage!
Do you need assistance with auto glass repair in Wilmington, DE? If so, reach out to Delaware Auto Glass today for help!