High-tech glass: The smallest jump becomes really expensive

High-tech glass

The smallest jump becomes really expensive

Windshields are getting more and more built-in features for safety and comfort. In addition, they are becoming increasingly larger and more complex. This makes them significantly more expensive.

Peter Weissenberg

Published today at 4:00 p.m

Modern windshields are complex products. Therefore, they often have to be replaced immediately in the event of minor damage – which costs money.

Photo: Audi

Subscribe now and benefit from the read-aloud function.

BotTalk

For a century, the windshield essentially had only one function: protecting the occupants from rain, insects and wind. A better window, which has been manufactured since the mid-1950s in such a way that thousands of splinters do not fly through the car in the event of a crash. Apart from this laminated glass, innovations were limited when it came to the largest pane in the vehicle.

Today, even the buyer of the cheapest new car looks at the road through an expensive piece of high-tech. Since this year, lane keeping or emergency braking assistants have been mandatory in Europe – and with them a camera at the top edge of the windshield, mounted exactly on the surface of the curved inside. In addition, the digital view requires its own heating, at least at this point, to keep the window clear even in icy temperatures.

Up to 20 functions in the glass

But most vehicle manufacturers don’t just stop at the built-in camera: “Up to 20 functions are built into a modern windshield every day,” says Jean-Pierre Filippini, Managing Director of Carglass Germany. This ranges from thermal insulation to the installation of a noise-absorbing film and heaters for the windshield wipers in the rest position to temperature sensors, hoods for a lidar in the glazing towards the roof, GPS antenna cables, mobile phone and DAB connections – and last but not least the built-in areas for the head-up display.

Depending on the car model, installing a new high-tech windshield can be very complicated – as is the case here with a Tesla Model 3.

Photo: Carglass

Development is progressing rapidly, especially with these symbols virtually integrated into the field of vision via a film. BMW, Toyota and Great Wall have presented their visions of the future for the first time: head-up displays that take up almost the entire windshield and also provide different areas and information for the driver and front passenger. The driver can see the navigation arrow and the upcoming speed limit on the road in front of him, while the passenger is watching a film or conducting a video conference. Many suppliers such as Forvia are working on similar technologies that will potentially soon be available on all car windows. Who wouldn’t want to have the constellations explained through the panoramic glass in the roof while taking a break in a reclining seat?

Auto glass workers need digital competence

Completely new views – but they have an expensive downside: These high-tech windshields can no longer be repaired for little money, even if there are tiny holes in the critical areas of the assistance systems, but have to be completely replaced. In the event of damage, new challenges also arise for auto glaziers, as Filippini’s experts recently explained at a presentation using the Tesla Model 3 as an example. Repairs and replacements now require even more precision and expertise. The specialists must understand complex digital systems and be able to repair them precisely.

After replacing the lens, the software of the various sensors and cameras must be recalibrated.

Photo: Carglass

It starts with the sheer size of the windshields. While the pane of a Beetle was originally flat like a window, just under a meter wide and less than half a meter high, today’s glass surfaces are often three times as large, curved, even below the front hood or into the roof, specially shaped for the integration of functions and equipped with countless connections for technology.

This makes removal and installation complicated. Because it is not possible by loosening a few screws or adhesive surfaces. With the Tesla, for example, the front luggage compartment, parts of the interior paneling and the door seals have to be removed in order to expose the window. Technicians also need a deep understanding of not only the hardware, but also the software. You must perform updates and reconfigure systems to ensure the best functionality. This means they need to continually educate themselves to keep up with rapid technological developments.

A real cost explosion

The insurance companies were also frightened by the expensive development. Because they usually have to pay to replace the window – and then convert the costs to all insured people the next time the tariffs are calculated. The cost explosion begins with transport: “If 35 replacement windows for a vehicle without a windscreen camera still fit on a supplier’s Euro pallet, then for the high-tech lenses there are only 11,” says Filippini. Accordingly, delivery becomes more expensive. However, it becomes really expensive due to the complex calibration after installation. The systems must cover exactly the same area as before, so that, for example, the edge of the road can be virtually illuminated using infrared, even in the dark, or that four-dimensional cameras can accurately identify people and animals after digital comparison with the cloud.

Furthermore, it is not possible with millimeter-precise installation. After reinstalling the software via the central computer in the Tesla – and a quick connection to the American cloud – a so-called recalibration trip is necessary. This can take up to 160 kilometers. Hours of work during rush hour traffic in the city. Without this firmware update, the assistance systems in the rolling computer will not switch on. The modern windshield is just as stupid as it was in the Beetle. But replacing it now costs about ten times as much as it did back then.

Found an error? Report now.