Replacement of the backlite
Is your backlite broken? You have to act quickly!
We are here to help
All over Europe, the 1,400 Glassdrive intervention centres are able to repair your vehicle as quickly as possible to make it safe and allow you to get back on the road in complete peace of mind.
A sense of urgency generally grips drivers who find the backlite of their vehicle broken: the passenger compartment is no longer protected against the risk of intrusion and driving becomes, if not impossible, then at least very uncomfortable because of the discomfort caused by the intrusion of violent draughts, the intensity of external noise, the entry and stagnation of polluting particles, or the infiltration of rainwater in bad weather.
Driving with a broken glazing also represents a real danger for all the passengers of a car who are exposed to the flow of projections likely to hit their back or head.
If necessary, Glassdrive offers damaged drivers a rapid and temporary repair service to enable them to remain mobile, while our teams receive the part intended to replace their damaged window.
Our objective: to reassure you by providing an immediate and perfectly reliable solution, wherever your vehicle is immobilised. At your home, in your company's car park or directly in one of our repair centres, our technicians are entirely at your disposal!
What does Glassdrive offer in the event of a broken backlite?
If your glass surface cannot be replaced immediately, and you wish to continue using your vehicle in complete safety, our teams offer to apply a plastic adhesive film to the inside of your glazing to temporarily seal the break, allowing you to drive in the best possible conditions and discouraging offences.
Unlike the windshield, the vast majority of backlite, like the sidelite made of toughened glass, an ultra-resistant material that shatters into small, non-cutting pieces under the effect of a very hard impact.
These safe shattering characteristics protect the people in the vehicle from serious cuts when the glass shatters. However, because of its more brittle characteristics than laminated windshield glass, whose plastic layers between the glass cushion the breakage, toughened glass that has been hit by an impact or crack, even if slight, cannot be repaired. It is therefore necessary to opt for a pure and simple replacement of the equipment: the Glassdrive teams rely on stocks that are replenished daily and on efficient logistics to receive a product that complies with the qualities and technical specifications of your original glass the day after we contact you (or within 48 hours at the most).
Glassdrive is a brand of Saint-Gobain. Saint-Gobain is a world producer of glass and equips one in two vehicles in Europe with its Sekurit brand. Saint-Gobain has developed, with its Sekurit Service brand, an ultra-efficient logistics system that delivers a wide range of 15,000 spare parts to the automotive glazing expert centres, which enables the Glassdrive centres to solve your incident quickly and with parts of the same quality as the original.
Replacing a backlite generally requires 3 hours of work, the equivalent of half a day: like the windshield, the rear window is fixed to the vehicle pillars using PU (polyurethane) glue, which requires minimal drying time. The removal and installation phases are of course completed by an extremely thorough cleaning operation inside the passenger compartment to remove all pieces of glass.
This task, which is also carried out in the boot and inside the boot door, leads the Glassdrive teams to dismantle the tailgate trim and, if the car has one, the spoiler, a small wing positioned in the extension of the roof.
The installation of the new glass obviously involves the reinstallation of the wiper, after checking that it is working properly, and the reconnection of all the electronic elements: GPS, alarm, radio, demisting device.
Glassdrive's advice on how to avoid a new incident involving your backlite
Like the sidelite, the backlite is one of the favourite targets of people looking to break in and steal from inside the vehicle: make sure that nothing is visible from the outside. An object, even of little value, lying around on the rear parcel shelf is sometimes enough to arouse the interest of burglars.
In addition to the comfort they provide by filtering ultraviolet rays, and the privacy they offer passengers in the rear, tinted windows also have the advantage of diverting the attention of malicious persons. It should be remembered that these thermoformable solar protections (they fit the curvature of your glasses perfectly) are authorised on the backlite and sidelite, with no restriction on tinting. However, for the windshield, the level of Visible Light Transmission (VLT) must reach a minimum of 70%.
The majority of Glassdrive centres offer the tinting film installation service.
Carrying bulky objects and equipment in the passenger compartment of your car is a potential source of impact that can cause damage to the window: when placing furniture, a bicycle or long tools (ladder, stepladder) in the boot or on the folded bench seat, make sure that the load is securely fixed, does not prevent the tailgate from closing and does not hit the glazing at the first sudden braking action.
The same care should be taken when transporting equipment on the outside of the vehicle, especially at the rear, where many drivers carry their bicycles on a bicycle rack: it is recommended that the installation instructions be followed carefully so that the two-wheeler is properly secured to its support, is not in direct contact with the tailgate, and thus avoids the end of the handlebars hitting the window in the event of shocks.
Also, watch out for flying stones that threaten the window panes of a vehicle parked near a mower in action along a road, or simply when you are mowing your own lawn and your car is often parked not far away.
How does insurance work in the event of glass breakage at the backlite?
Most car insurances cover the cost of replacing a broken backlite. The glass breakage guarantee applies to this type of glass unless the damage is linked to a break-in (followed by a theft) or an act of vandalism, in which case other specific guarantees are required.
As an approved partner of numerous companies and mutual insurance companies, Glassdrive simplifies the task of drivers by managing the entire administrative procedure necessary for their compensation. As soon as you call, our advisers contact your insurer and check what cover you are entitled to. Another advantage: thanks to the third-party payment system, you will not have to advance the costs of our intervention, only the excess if your car insurance contract provides for one.