Stranded and Out of Business: Help Needed with Toyota Yaris

[forkingabout]

25 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

I seem to remember temporary windscreens in car accessory shops back in the 70s 80s, iirc they looked a bit like a polycarbonite roof on a conservatory, but rolled up.

The idea being you carried one in the car, along with all the other spares in case anything went wrong on a journey,doubt they'd be legal to use now.

They where popular as toughened glass was being used for most windscreens at the time.

If a toughened windscreen suffered an impact & shattered but didn't fall out in front of the driver, the smart thing to do was punch through the remains of the screen to allow forward vision then stop safely.

 

[MikeSh]

7 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

If a toughened windscreen suffered an impact & shattered but didn't fall out in front of the driver, the smart thing to do was punch through the remains of the screen to allow forward vision then stop safely.

The later ones had a roughly rectangular zone in front of the driver which (by some change to the toughening process I suppose) broke into larger pieces so the driver could see to safely pull over ... or I suspect in many cases just carry on home.

[Cyker]

2 hours ago, MikeSh said:

I've experienced that. I was putting toughened glass panels into a conservatory type structure, from inside. There was a nail sticking out of a rafter above (as I found later) and I must have just caught the edge of the pane on it. One second I was holding a 2 ft wide piece of glass, the next I was standing with my hands 2 ft apart wondering where the glass had gone. It was in a small pile at my feet.

When I went to get a replacement the assistant told me that toughened glass is very fragile on the edges. I wish I'd known that before 😒

It's quite interesting how it works - The toughened glass is 'stressed', which for some reason makes it much stronger to impacts, but if that stress is released some how, the whole panel will just implode in the blink of an eye.

There are some fascinating videos by the SlowMo guys on YouTube where they show how amazingly fast the crack propagation travels once it starts.

[flash22]

Laminated glass is the best option, especially on a modern car as the screen is bonded in and acts as a structural component, take the glass out of a car and the roof will crush like a coke/pepsi can

[Rhymes with Paris]

1 hour ago, flash22 said:

Laminated glass is the best option, especially on a modern car as the screen is bonded in and acts as a structural component, take the glass out of a car and the roof will crush like a coke/pepsi can

That's interesting, and I understand it.

But with modern screens being bonded to the bodywork ie glued, rather than being in a frame of some kind,is the structure dependent on the bonding?

Or is the bonding so good that all the strength is in the glass?

 

[MikeSh]

29 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

But with modern screens being bonded to the bodywork ie glued, rather than being in a frame of some kind,is the structure dependent on the bonding?

Yes. The old system with a slotted rubber bead doesn't hold the glass securely. You've probably seen video of crash tests or post-crash photos of real life accidents where the windscreen has left the car but remained intact. 

Bonding was first used (AFAIK) to keep the windscreen in place as a secondary restraint for occupants who weren't belted - It was considered safer to head the glass than to leave the car through the opening.

Using the glass structurally probably followed from that. 

Modern 'glass' can actually be incredibly strong. Laminated glass is a bit like reinforced concrete - the two or more components alone are not very good for some task, but the combination is.

(OT. It always intrigues me that the recycling will take bottles and jars but not window or drinking glass or pyrex type.)

[flash22]

pyrex and the like are borosilicate glass and can be toxic when recycled, same with some window glass it has polymers in the glass or is layered

 

I worked with a lot of lab-grade glassware and borosilicate glass is used with 3d printers

[MardyMarvin]

On 6/28/2024 at 2:48 PM, RobMac2020 said:

Yes we are beyond that, my insurer will not allow me to use Autoglass but they seem to be the most connected people. I am just going to bite the bullet and pay without insurance (currently £1100) as I just need it done.

not sure if its the same for glass but car repairs the insurance companies can not force you to use their preferred repairer and you can use one you wish to. Its a lot more hassle as such and generally you have to get various quotes and prove the cost are standard for the repair.

Look it up but you never know

[FROSTYBALLS]

15 minutes ago, MardyMarvin said:

not sure if its the same for glass but car repairs the insurance companies can not force you to use their preferred repairer and you can use one you wish to.

However, some insurers charge an additional excess or limit the amount one can claim if their approved repairer isn't used, and this is written into their policies.

As the OP stated though, he isn't using his insurer for this.