A broken car window always seems to happen at the wrong time: late at night in an apartment lot, in a trailhead lot with rain on the way, or in the morning before work. The new glass may be a call and a visit away, but the car still has to be closed up for the next few hours or the next day. Here is how to do that properly, without making the replacement harder or leaving marks on the paint.
Before you cover anything
- If it was a break-in, call the police first and do not move things that might matter to a report. Take photos of the window, the inside of the car and anything missing.
- Put on gloves. Door glass, quarter glass and most back windshields are tempered and break into small, blunt pieces, but there are a great many of them and some edges are still sharp.
- Lift the big pieces out by hand, then vacuum. Seats, floor mats, the door pocket and the seat tracks. Do not try to fish glass out of the inside of the door; that is part of the replacement job.
- Knock loose pieces out of the frame so they do not fall onto the plastic or into the car later. Work from the inside out, gently.
What you need
- Heavy clear plastic sheeting, or a heavy-duty trash bag cut open. Clear is better than black because you can still see through it a little.
- Painter’s tape or a good quality masking tape. It holds well enough and comes off paint cleanly. Packing tape and duct tape can leave residue and lift clear coat when they are pulled off after a hot day.
- Scissors, and a dry cloth to wipe the paint before taping.
Covering a door window
- Dry the paint around the opening on the outside of the door.
- Cut the plastic a few inches bigger than the opening on every side.
- Tape the top edge first to the painted door frame, then pull the plastic down tight and tape the sides and the bottom.
- Keep the tape on paint. Avoid the rubber seals and the window felt, and avoid the inside trim panel, which tape can mark.
- Add a second layer of tape along the top edge if you will drive at speed; that is the edge the wind gets under.
Once it is covered, roll the other windows up and lock the car anyway, but take everything of value out. Plastic keeps the rain out; it does not keep anyone out.
Covering a back windshield or a quarter window
A back windshield is the biggest opening on the car, so use the largest sheet you have and tape it to the painted body around the frame, not to the strip of old adhesive left in the opening. On an SUV or hatchback, keep the lift gate closed from then on: every opening and closing shakes more glass loose. On a pickup, the cab is open to the bed, so park under cover if you can.
A quarter window, the small fixed pane behind the rear door, leaves a smaller hole in an awkward place. Smooth the plastic flat so it does not flap and drum at speed, and tape it all the way around.
Get the glass quoted
Three short steps: the glass, your vehicle and how to reach you. Impex Auto Glass comes back with a quote and a time to come to the car.
How long can the plastic stay on?
As short a time as possible. A taped opening is a way to get home or to keep the rain out overnight, not a repair. North Carolina’s G.S. 20-135 makes it unlawful to knowingly operate a North Carolina vehicle made on or after January 1, 1936 unless it has safety glass wherever glass is used in doors, windows, windshields, wings or partitions. Plastic also blocks your view through that window, which matters most on the driver’s side and at the back.
Tape left on paint in the sun for days is also harder to take off cleanly. Most replacement visits start with peeling it off, so the sooner the glass is booked, the better for the paint.
Getting the glass replaced
When you call, have the year, make and model, which window is broken, and the VIN if you can reach it: it is on the dash at the base of the windshield and on the driver’s door frame. Impex Auto Glass uses the VIN to order the exact glass your vehicle was built with. For a door window, Impex puts the job at about 30 to 60 minutes, and you can drive straight away. For a back glass, about one to two hours, with the rear defroster left off for 24 hours afterwards.
The details are on the pages for door glass replacement in Raleigh, back windshield replacement in Raleigh and quarter glass replacement in Raleigh. A broken window is normally a comprehensive claim in North Carolina, paid less your deductible, and under G.S. 58-3-180 you choose who replaces the glass.
Window taped up south of Raleigh? Call Impex Auto Glass and the technician comes to the car.
Questions drivers ask
Which tape should I use to cover a car window?
Painter’s tape or a good masking tape on the painted frame. It holds and comes off cleanly. Avoid duct tape and packing tape on paint.
Can I drive with plastic over a car window?
Only to get home or to a safe place. NC law requires safety glass in the windows, and plastic blocks your view, so have the glass replaced.
Should I vacuum the glass inside the door?
No. Clear the seats and floor, but leave the inside of the door to the technician, who clears it out as part of the replacement.
Get a quote
Send the quote form or call, and Impex Auto Glass will set a time for your glass.