What is a Honda Civic’s car glass made from?

Your Honda Civic’s car glass comes from two varieties of treated glass; laminated and tempered.

They create your frontal windscreen with something named laminated glass, and every other section of your Honda Civic’s car glass (namely the side windows and rear windscreen) they craft with tempered glass. 

But what’s the distinct difference? And why is there a difference at all?

Let’s break it down.

Laminated glass – makes up the front windscreen

This type of glass is more hearty and endurable than its tempered equivalent. It’s composed of bonding two standard glass layers and one plastic interlayer (a vinyl plastic). These layers are forced together into one by utilising absurd levels of pressure and then exposing them to an extremely high degree of heat to bond them solidly together and create a long-lasting glass that can take an abundant amount of stress before it cracks. 

We produce windscreens with this nature of glass to stop any glass shards from developing. Now, the glass stays together and doesn’t fly towards the inhabitants of your Honda Civic. 

Laminated glass is simply repaired if some minor damage occurs on its surface, which is a helpful and money-saving feature, especially if we acknowledge how costly windscreen replacements can be. 

Tempered Glass – makes up the side windows & rear windscreen

This variety is the slightly more brittle equivalent to laminated glass (while still managing to be more powerful than your average glass type, known in some circles as “annealed glass”). 

You develop tempered glass by exposing a transparent sheet of annealed glass to extreme heat levels inside a massive furnace-like structure.

This glass sheet then experiences an accelerated cooling method known as quenching; it is hosed down and chilled in a concise amount of time. This technique results in tempered glass, which breaks into smaller and comparatively safer pieces when broken. 

Because of this characteristic, we employ tempered glass in conditions where human safety is a possible issue, i.e. side windows and rear windscreens in cars during a car collision/accident. 

This glass cannot be repaired when damaged, though and needs to be replaced entirely whenever it has been harmed.

What happens if I choose to drive around with cracks on the windscreen of my Honda Civic?

 Sure, riding around with tiny cracks or chips on the windscreen of your Honda Civic might not seem like a huge deal now. You’ve likely even seen a few friends and family do it before, and they’re none the worse for it….

…but for every action, there is a consequence. 

You can be in danger

Tiny cracks become huge dilemmas down the road. You’re driving along with a distorted view, for one thing, and your Honda Civic’s frame is compromised.

Your car glass is there to provide you with a transparent view while also shielding you and your passengers from any outside elements. This special glass also helps maintain the shape of the car’s supportful frame so that it doesn’t disintegrate like a crushed soft-drink can and thus cause terrible bodily harm to anyone should there be a collision or vehicular roll-over. 

Possible trouble with law enforcement 

When you operate any car with noticeable chips and cracks in the UK, you are accountable for fines ranging between £250 and £2,500. And you might be liable as well as to acquire three penalty points on your license.

These charges alone would already surpass what you’d have to spend on any car glass repairs or windscreen replacements, and these results can leave permanent marks on your record or even result in possible jail time.

What windscreen features does my Honda Civic have?

As you can see, whether or not your Honda Civic has windscreen features plays an essential part in what the final quote will be.

Here is a list of possible features your Honda might have. It is crucial you know whether yours has any of the following before you call a car glass technician to come over for a windscreen replacement.

Rain Sensor

Do the windscreen blades come on and automatically adjust their movement depending on whether it’s raining or not? A rain sensor is located right by the car glass areas placed behind the windscreen and following the rearview mirror. It starts itself when any rainfall or extensive amounts of liquid come into touch with the windscreen. It will then modify and start the windscreen blades automatically, supporting the driver with fighting against the distortion-effect that rainfall will cause towards their field of vision.

Camera

You might discern one or two three-sided shapes in the dark spot near the rearview mirror if you have a camera installed. A camera on your windscreen further assists the driver with issues like parking and providing fundamental rearview vision. It can also offer footage of a car accident and confirm that you were not responsible for the offending accident.

LiDAR/Radar

Do you have a road assistant in your car? The LiDAR device emits rapid laser signals, often up to 150,000 pulses per second. These signals bounce back from any obstructions. The sensor located on the instrument measures the value of the time it takes for each pulse to hop back. With this, the tool can calculate the gap between itself and the obstacle with pinpoint precision. It can also identify the exact dimensions of the object. LiDAR is utilised to make high-resolution diagrams and maps.