Car window replacement
Door glass, quarter glass and rear windscreens, replaced at your address — usually the same day.
Side and rear windows are tempered, not laminated, which is why they do not crack and wait for you: they shatter into thousands of blunt fragments all at once. Most of our side-glass work is a break-in, and most of the job is getting that glass out of the door cavity and the carpet properly.
Every piece of glass except the windscreen
If it is on your car and it is glass, we replace it. Windscreens have their own page.
Front and rear door glass
The most common job by a wide margin. Broken into, or shattered by a stone or a slammed door with the window part-way down. We carry common door glass for popular models and can usually fit the same day.
Quarter and vent glass
The small fixed panes at the front and rear of the door line. Often bonded rather than mounted in a channel, and often the pane a thief goes for because it is cheaper for them to break.
Rear windscreens
Usually heated, with the demister element printed onto the glass, so the connections have to be re-made properly. A rear screen that shatters puts glass through the boot, the parcel shelf and the back seat.
Sliding and fixed van glass
Commercial vans, panel vans and utes with canopies. Fixed bonded panes and sliding windows both.
Window regulators and channels
When a window falls into the door, the glass is often fine and the regulator has failed. We diagnose which it is rather than selling you glass you do not need.
Truck, bus and RV side glass
Door, quarter and passenger glass on trucks, buses and motorhomes — including caravan side and rear windows.
Why side windows shatter and windscreens crack
Two different materials, chosen deliberately, and it changes what happens to your car.
| Windscreen | Side & rear glass | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Laminated — two layers bonded to a plastic interlayer | Tempered — heat-treated single layer |
| On impact | Cracks and holds together | Shatters completely into blunt fragments |
| Can it be repaired? | Often, if the chip is small | No — replacement is the only option |
| Why that type | Must stay in place and stay seeable in a crash | Must break clear so occupants can get out |
| Mess | Almost none | Thousands of fragments in the door and carpet |
Half of a side-glass job is the vacuum.
Tempered glass goes everywhere — into the door cavity, under the seat rails, into the seat belt reels and the carpet. A cheap job fits the pane and leaves the rest. Fragments then rattle in the door for years and work their way into the window channel.
What we do after a break-in
Same-day where we possibly can, because a car with a missing window cannot be left.
Ring us before you clean it up
Tell us the vehicle and which window. Take a photo if you can. We would rather you left the glass where it is — sweeping it around inside the car pushes fragments deeper into the carpet and the seat rails.
Report it and photograph it first
If you are claiming, your insurer will generally want a police report number and photos before anything is touched. Two minutes now saves a difficult conversation later — see insurance claims.
We attend and clear the glass out properly
Door card off, cavity vacuumed, window channel and regulator checked and cleared, carpet and seat rails vacuumed, seat belt reel checked. This is the part that takes the time and the part that matters.
New glass fitted and the car resealed
Correct pane for the vehicle, weather seals and door card refitted properly, window tested through its full travel. The car leaves secure and dry.
Tint, if it had it
Factory-tinted glass is tinted through the pane and comes that way. Aftermarket film has to be re-applied; we will tell you which yours is so there are no surprises.
Three things worth knowing
The questions we get asked most on a side-glass job.
Can I drive it before you get there?
You can, but do not — not far, and not on a motorway. An open window with a shattered pane still in the channel throws fragments, and an unsecured car is an invitation. If it must be moved, tape a bag over the opening from the outside.
Does it need to be the exact factory glass?
For side and rear glass, equivalent parts are generally fine and are what we normally fit — there is no camera looking through a door window. Heated rear screens are the exception worth getting right. More on glass grades on the OEM versus aftermarket page.
Will insurance cover it?
Comprehensive policies generally cover window glass including break-in damage, often under the same windscreen excess. Some insurers treat glass-only claims separately from your no-claim bonus — the detail is here.
Keep reading
Can a side window be repaired instead of replaced?
No. Side and rear windows are tempered glass, which shatters completely rather than cracking, so there is nothing left to repair. Replacement is the only option. Only laminated windscreens can be resin-repaired.
Do you replace car windows the same day after a break-in?
Usually, yes. We carry common door glass for popular models and prioritise break-ins because a car with an open window cannot safely be left. Ring first thing and tell us the vehicle and which window.
Should I clean up the broken glass before you arrive?
Please do not. Sweeping around inside the car pushes fragments deeper into the carpet, the seat rails and the door cavity. Leave it, and if you are claiming, photograph it first — clearing the glass out properly is part of the job.
Do you vacuum the glass out of the door?
Yes. The door card comes off, the cavity is vacuumed, the window channel and regulator are cleared and checked, and the carpet, seat rails and seat belt reel are vacuumed. Fragments left in a door rattle for years and eventually damage the window mechanism.
My window fell down inside the door. Is the glass broken?
Often not — a window that drops into the door usually means the regulator or the cable has failed rather than the glass. We diagnose which it is before quoting, so you are not paying for a pane you do not need.
Will the new glass be tinted like the old one?
If the original was factory-tinted, the replacement is tinted through the glass and matches. If the tint was aftermarket film it has to be re-applied afterwards. We will tell you which yours is when you call.
Broken into overnight?
Ring first thing. We carry common door glass, we clear the shattered glass out of the door and the carpet, and we get the car sealed and secure the same day — no call-out fee.