Here’s what to look for and what to do about it.

Common Signs of Side Mirror Damage

Damage doesn’t always mean a missing mirror. It can show up in subtle ways, such as:

• Cracks or chips in the glass

• Wobbling or loose housing

• Discoloration or fading of the reflective coating

• Malfunctioning adjustment controls

• Built-in features not working (turn signals, defrost, cameras)

Even small issues can impair your ability to see and react to traffic around you.

What Causes Side Mirror Damage?

• Accidental bumps in parking lots

• High-speed debris like rocks or gravel

• Weather exposure, especially sun damage and ice

• Vandalism or theft attempts

• Aging electronics in modern mirrors with tech integrations

Understanding the cause can help determine whether you need a full replacement or just a repair.

Repair vs. Replacement: What’s Best?

• Glass-only damage: If the housing and tech still work, you might just need a glass replacement.

• Housing issues: Wobbly or cracked mounts often require replacing the entire assembly.

• Tech failures: Mirrors with built-in sensors or cameras typically need expert diagnostics.

Professional auto glass companies like AGD can evaluate your specific mirror model and recommend the most cost-effective solution.

Don’t Ignore Side Mirror Damage

Driving with a damaged or misaligned side mirror can reduce visibility, impact your awareness of blind spots, and even result in a ticket depending on your state’s laws.

Vehicle Side Mirrors – Stay Ahead of Safety Issues

Catching side mirror damage early and getting it repaired promptly ensures your vehicle stays safe, legal, and fully functional. It’s a small fix that can make a big difference on the road.

Here’s a look at the specialized technologies behind modern EV windshields—and why proper installation and repair is more important than ever.

Advanced Driver Assistance Integration

Nearly all EVs come equipped with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), and many of these systems rely on sensors and cameras embedded in or around the windshield. These systems power features like:

• Lane departure warning

• Collision avoidance

• Emergency braking

• Autopilot and self-driving capabilities (in some models)

Proper calibration of these sensors after windshield replacement is essential. Even slight misalignments can lead to malfunctioning safety systems.

High-Tech Coatings and UV Protection

EV windshields often feature specialized coatings that:

• Reflect infrared radiation to reduce interior heat buildup

• Block harmful UV rays to protect passengers and materials

• Improve energy efficiency by reducing reliance on AC systems

These high-tech layers require careful handling during repair or replacement to maintain performance and clarity.

Acoustic Glass for a Quieter Ride

Since EVs don’t generate engine noise, wind and road noise become more noticeable. To combat this, many manufacturers use acoustic-laminated glass in windshields to enhance cabin comfort. Matching the exact glass type during replacement is critical for maintaining sound insulation.

Structural and Aerodynamic Roles

With the rise of panoramic designs and extended glass surfaces, EV windshields often serve dual purposes:

• Structural reinforcement of the vehicle frame

• Aerodynamic shaping to reduce drag and extend range

This makes glass choice and adhesive quality more important than ever—especially in crash protection scenarios.

Choose EV Glass Experts for Installation

As EVs continue to advance, so do their windshield requirements. At AGD, our technicians are trained in the latest EV windshield technology, including recalibration of ADAS systems and installation of specialized glass types. Whether you drive a Tesla, Rivian, or another EV brand, we ensure your vehicle is safe, compliant, and performing at its best.

Schedule your EV windshield service today and get expert care backed by experience.

What Are Smart Glass Windows?

Smart glass windows use technologies such as electrochromic, thermochromic, or photochromic materials to change transparency levels. These adaptive features offer dynamic control over light and heat, making them an ideal choice for modern spaces.

Benefits of Smart Glass Technology

1. Energy Efficiency: Smart glass can block heat on sunny days, reducing the need for air conditioning.
2. Enhanced Privacy: Switch from transparent to opaque for instant privacy.
3. Improved Comfort: Reduce glare and UV exposure without sacrificing natural light.

Applications in Homes and Vehicles

• Homes: Replace traditional curtains or blinds with smart glass for sleek, automated light control.
• Vehicles: Minimize glare for drivers and passengers while maintaining a comfortable cabin temperature.

Smart glass windows represent the future of energy-efficient, adaptable design. Whether you’re upgrading your home or vehicle, this technology delivers comfort, convenience, and sustainability—all at the flip of a switch.

Benefits of Anti-Theft Window Film for Commercial Properties

1. Enhanced Security Against Break-Ins
   • Anti-theft window film strengthens the glass, making it more difficult to break. Even if the glass shatters, the film holds the fragments together, deterring intruders.
   • Tip: Use films rated for high impact to maximize security.
2. UV Protection
   • Many anti-theft films block up to 99% of harmful UV rays, protecting your interiors and merchandise from fading.
   • Tip: Choose dual-purpose films that combine security and UV protection for added value.
3. Energy Efficiency
   • Certain window films reduce heat transfer, lowering cooling costs during hot Arizona summers.
   • Tip: Opt for films with energy-efficient properties to save on utility bills.
4. Privacy and Aesthetic Appeal
   • Tinted or reflective films not only provide added privacy but also improve the exterior appearance of your property.
   • Tip: Select films with finishes that complement your building’s design.

Best Window Film Options for Optimal Protection

1. Clear Security Film
   • Ideal for maintaining visibility while increasing glass strength. Clear films are a great option for storefronts or office windows.
2. Tinted or Reflective Film
   • These films offer additional privacy and UV protection while enhancing security. Perfect for businesses that require discretion, like banks or clinics.
3. Bullet-Resistant Film
   • For high-risk areas, bullet-resistant films provide extra protection against violent intrusions, ensuring safety for employees and customers.

Commercial Window Film Installation Tips

• Hire Professionals: Proper installation is key to ensuring maximum effectiveness and longevity of the film.
• Assess Your Needs: Work with a security expert to determine which type of film best suits your property and risk level.

Investing in anti-theft window film is a proactive way to protect your business. With added benefits like UV protection and energy efficiency, it’s a smart choice for commercial property owners looking to enhance security and create a safer environment. Contact AGD today to learn more about how anti-theft window film can benefit your commercial property.

Benefits of Ceramic Tinting for Luxury Vehicles

1. Ceramic Tinting Provides Unmatched UV and Heat Protection

Ceramic tinting excels in blocking up to 99% of harmful UV rays, protecting your vehicle’s interior from fading, cracking, and discoloration. Additionally, it reduces significant heat transfer, ensuring that the cabin remains cool and comfortable even in extreme conditions like Arizona’s desert heat.

• • • • Why it matters: Luxury cars often feature premium leather and materials that can degrade under intense sunlight. Ceramic window tint preserves the interior’s pristine condition.

2. Crystal-Clear Auto Glass Visibility

Unlike traditional tints, ceramic tinting doesn’t compromise visibility. It reduces glare while maintaining clear views, which is especially important for drivers who value both safety and aesthetics.

• Pro tip: High-quality ceramic tints ensure nighttime clarity, a crucial feature for safety-conscious luxury car owners.

3. Elegant Appearance and Durability

Ceramic tints enhance the sleek appearance of luxury vehicles with their non-reflective finish. Unlike dyed or metallic tints, ceramic films don’t fade over time, ensuring a long-lasting, refined look.

• Bonus benefit: These tints don’t interfere with GPS, Bluetooth, or other electronic signals, a common concern for tech-integrated luxury cars.

Whether you’re protecting your investment or simply upgrading your ride’s style and comfort, ceramic tinting is the superior choice for luxury vehicles. Contact AGD today to learn more about how to protect and enhance your luxury vehicle with ceramic tint.

Heat and UV Exposure

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures and direct sunlight can cause auto glass to expand. This expansion increases the likelihood of cracks, especially if the glass already has minor chips or flaws. UV rays also weaken the integrity of the glass over time, making it more susceptible to damage. Additionally, extreme heat can cause the glass to warp slightly, affecting the seal around the windshield, which could lead to leaks or structural issues.

Cold and Freezing Conditions

On the other end of the spectrum, freezing temperatures can be equally detrimental. When temperatures drop, auto glass contracts. If there is existing damage, such as a chip or crack, the stress caused by this contraction can cause the damage to spread. Furthermore, rapid temperature changes, like pouring hot water on a frozen windshield, can cause the glass to crack due to the sudden expansion and contraction.

Hailstorms

Hail is one of the most direct threats to auto glass. The impact of hailstones, especially large ones, can cause chips, cracks, or even shatter windows and windshields. Vehicles left unprotected during a hailstorm are particularly vulnerable, and the resulting damage often requires immediate repair or replacement.

Heavy Rain and Flooding

Heavy rain itself doesn’t pose a direct threat to auto glass, but it can exacerbate existing problems. For instance, water can seep into chips or cracks, potentially weakening the glass further. Flooding can also lead to issues with the seals around the windows and windshields, leading to leaks and further damage.

High Winds and Debris

High winds can carry debris that can strike auto glass with considerable force, causing chips or cracks. In severe cases, large debris could shatter a window. The combination of high winds and debris during storms makes it essential to seek shelter or use protective covers when extreme weather is forecasted.

Understanding how different weather conditions affect auto glass can help drivers take preventative measures to protect their vehicles. Regular inspections and timely repairs of minor damage are crucial to maintaining the integrity of auto glass, ensuring safety and visibility on the road.

Safety Features Aren’t Cheap

In the past, cars didn’t have many safety features. Nowadays, vehicles are full of components intended to keep you and your passengers safe during collisions. These components touch virtually every part of your automobile. They also aren’t cheap to manufacturer, service or repair. Meanwhile, if you need to access another system, you often must go around or remove safety features. Doing so, of course, often requires you to pay extra.

Modern Cars Are Complicated

Safety features aren’t the only culprit making repairing modern cars expensive. Virtually all systems in today’s vehicles have electrical components, complex designs and other aspects that make repairs complicated. Highly technical repairs involve many steps and typically take a long time to complete. Further, since many mechanics charge an hourly rate for repairs, long, complicated fixes typically result in an expensive invoice.

Mechanics Require Expertise

Successfully repairing cars requires tapping into considerable knowledge and expertise while using special skills. Generally, the more technology a car has, the better abilities the repair technician must possess. As you may imagine, hiring good mechanics requires paying a fair wage. To make a profit, repair shop managers often must pass higher labor costs through to you.

Materials Are Expensive

Today’s motor vehicles usually aren’t made with vintage materials. Instead, modern automakers often use state of the art components that are expensive to produce. Even though mechanical shops often try to find the lowest prices on repair parts, components are usually more expensive for newer vehicles due to higher production costs.

Calibration Takes Time and Money

Newer cars, trucks and SUVs are sensitive machines. Following a repair, most require alignment, calibration, programming and other modern services. These procedures, though, may not always be cheap but are usually vital to completing the repair. Likewise, calibrating repaired vehicles usually takes time, requiring the car owner to pay higher labor costs for the calibration job.

High-tech vehicles have the modern features that many drivers want. They also can be extremely expensive to repair. Instead of suffering sticker shock, understand why your high-tech car may cost a fortune to repair so that you can budget to keep it in tip-top shape.

Corning teamed with Ford to work on creating a Ford GT complete with Gorilla Glass.  This advancement brings state-of-the-art technology right to the consumer.  In the new Ford GT, the Gorilla Glass is used in the windshield as well as the rear window, bulkhead, and a separation window.  Ford has long been an automotive industry leader and their new Ford GT supercar with Gorilla Glass saves more than 12 pounds in vehicle weight.  The implementation of Gorilla Glass in the Ford GT offers vehicle owners window glass that has five times the strength of traditional window glass.  As standards for fuel efficiency become more and more stringent, implementing Corning Gorilla Glass will become more important for many automobile manufacturers.  Corning elaborates on the exciting advancements of the Ford GT supercar complete with Gorilla Glass, “Weight reduction is a key means for automakers to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions regulations. Lightweight windows can also improve handling and driving performance by lowering the car’s center of gravity. Unlike conventional float glass, Gorilla Glass for Automotive has no optical draw lines, making it ideal for steep windshield applications like the GT. Ford is also using Gorilla Glass for the rear window and as an acoustic separation wall in the bulkhead.”  Ford’s GT supercar is the first production car to offer this technology and it will be exciting to see what manufacturers follow suit.

Corning Gorilla Glass is not just being used for windshields but sunroofs, lights, dashboards  rear windows, touch-screen steering wheel displays, and control panels to provide a far more fuel efficient and safe car as well as a dramatically enhanced driving experience. For automobile owners looking for the ultimate driving experience while being eco-friendly and saving on gas, Corning Gorilla Glass is the answer.  Many automobile manufacturers are beginning to utilize Gorilla Glass in their cars but automobile owners can also have their car retrofitted with Gorilla Glass and installed by experienced professionals such as AGD.

All automakers are trying to create a lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicle – it is simply the future.  And Corning Gorilla Glass is making the future possible in a myriad of car brands.   Gorilla Glass is not only thinner and lighter but is damage and scratch resistant as well.  Investing in Gorilla Glass for your vehicle is one that is sure to pay off in the long run because your windshield will be much more durable and you will save on the cost of fuel since you will use significantly less.  Though the glass is very similar to the glass used in smartphones, tablets, and televisions, it has added chemical durability so that it can handle the different elements that a car will encounter.  As consumers continue to expect the kind of technology in their smartphones in their homes and wherever they go they want that same quality in their vehicles glass and interior options.  There is no doubt about it, Corning Gorilla Glass is the automotive glass of the future and makes a significant impact on the quality of your driving experience as well as provides significant fuel savings.