Guides & advice
517 guides written by people who fit glass for a living — including a page for every make and model we work on. No filler, and no pretending a repair will work when it will not.
All guides, newest first
How It Works
Can a windshield be replaced in the rain? (No, and here is why)
The one condition that stops a mobile job, the chemistry behind it, and what a shop should say instead of pushing on.
Vehicle Guides
Tinting a Volvo XC90 in Sacramento: film, law and heat
Which film a Volvo XC90 actually needs in a valley summer, what California law allows on the front windows, and what the job costs on this vehicle.
Vehicle Guides
Volvo XC60 back glass and side windows: what a break actually involves
Why tempered glass fails all at once, where it ends up inside a Volvo XC60, and what a proper replacement includes that a cheap one does not.
Vehicle Guides
Acura TLX back glass and side windows: what a break actually involves
Why tempered glass fails all at once, where it ends up inside a Acura TLX, and what a proper replacement includes that a cheap one does not.
Vehicle Guides
Volvo XC60 windshield replacement: what it costs and why
What makes a Volvo XC60 windshield the part it is — the sensors, the coatings, the calibration, and the honest reasons two quotes can differ by hundreds of dollars.
Vehicle Guides
Rock chip on a Volvo XC60: repair it or replace the glass?
Four tests you can run in the driveway on a Volvo XC60 — size, location, depth and age — and why the answer leans differently on this vehicle than on the next one.
Care & Maintenance
Dash cams, toll tags and transponders: where they can go
Modern windshields have coatings and sensors that make some parts of the glass unusable for stick-on devices.
Window Tint
Ceramic vs carbon tint: what the upgrade actually buys
Dyed, metallic, carbon and ceramic films compared honestly — including when carbon is the smarter buy and ceramic is a waste of money.
Vehicle Guides
Tinting a Volvo XC60 in Sacramento: film, law and heat
Which film a Volvo XC60 actually needs in a valley summer, what California law allows on the front windows, and what the job costs on this vehicle.
Vehicle Guides
Rock chip on a Acura TLX: repair it or replace the glass?
Four tests you can run in the driveway on a Acura TLX — size, location, depth and age — and why the answer leans differently on this vehicle than on the next one.
Vehicle Guides
Acura TLX windshield replacement: what it costs and why
What makes a Acura TLX windshield the part it is — the sensors, the coatings, the calibration, and the honest reasons two quotes can differ by hundreds of dollars.
Vehicle Guides
Acura RDX back glass and side windows: what a break actually involves
Why tempered glass fails all at once, where it ends up inside a Acura RDX, and what a proper replacement includes that a cheap one does not.
Vehicle Guides
Tinting a Acura TLX in Sacramento: film, law and heat
Which film a Acura TLX actually needs in a valley summer, what California law allows on the front windows, and what the job costs on this vehicle.
Vehicle Guides
Rock chip on a Acura RDX: repair it or replace the glass?
Four tests you can run in the driveway on a Acura RDX — size, location, depth and age — and why the answer leans differently on this vehicle than on the next one.
Vehicle Guides
Acura RDX windshield replacement: what it costs and why
What makes a Acura RDX windshield the part it is — the sensors, the coatings, the calibration, and the honest reasons two quotes can differ by hundreds of dollars.
Vehicle Guides
Acura MDX back glass and side windows: what a break actually involves
Why tempered glass fails all at once, where it ends up inside a Acura MDX, and what a proper replacement includes that a cheap one does not.
Vehicle Guides
Tinting a Acura RDX in Sacramento: film, law and heat
Which film a Acura RDX actually needs in a valley summer, what California law allows on the front windows, and what the job costs on this vehicle.
Vehicle Guides
Rock chip on a Acura MDX: repair it or replace the glass?
Four tests you can run in the driveway on a Acura MDX — size, location, depth and age — and why the answer leans differently on this vehicle than on the next one.
Vehicle Guides
Acura MDX windshield replacement: what it costs and why
What makes a Acura MDX windshield the part it is — the sensors, the coatings, the calibration, and the honest reasons two quotes can differ by hundreds of dollars.
Vehicle Guides
Rock chip on a Lexus GX: repair it or replace the glass?
Four tests you can run in the driveway on a Lexus GX — size, location, depth and age — and why the answer leans differently on this vehicle than on the next one.
Vehicle Guides
Lexus GX back glass and side windows: what a break actually involves
Why tempered glass fails all at once, where it ends up inside a Lexus GX, and what a proper replacement includes that a cheap one does not.
Vehicle Guides
Tinting a Acura MDX in Sacramento: film, law and heat
Which film a Acura MDX actually needs in a valley summer, what California law allows on the front windows, and what the job costs on this vehicle.
Windshields
How long before you can drive after a windshield replacement
Safe drive-away time is not a formality invented to keep you waiting. It is the difference between a windshield that stays in during a crash and one that does not.
Emergencies
Hail and auto glass in Northern California
Rare here, and when it happens the windshield is usually not the pane that breaks.