Rear windscreen replacement across Sydney
A rear windscreen behaves nothing like the one in front of you. The front windscreen is laminated, two layers of glass bonded to a plastic interlayer, which is why it cracks and holds together and why small damage can often be repaired. A rear windscreen is normally toughened glass instead, heat treated so that when it breaks it breaks completely, into thousands of small blunt granules rather than sharp shards. That is a safety feature and it works, but it means there is no such thing as repairing one. If the rear glass has gone, it is a replacement, and the vehicle is open to the weather until it is done. We replace rear windscreens at your home or workplace across Sydney, using the correct panel for your vehicle including its demister element, and we clear the glass out properly rather than leaving you to find it for months.
Replacing the glass
Rear glass varies far more between vehicles than a front windscreen does, because it follows the shape of the body. A sedan, a hatch and a wagon built on the same platform take three different panels, and the correct one has to match not only the shape but the demister layout and any antenna printed into it. Most modern rear windscreens are bonded to the body with urethane in the same way a front windscreen is, which means the adhesive has to cure before the glass is doing its structural job. As with a front windscreen we stay with the vehicle through that cure, so the car is ready to drive when we finish rather than at some point after we have gone. Some older vehicles use a rubber gasket instead, which needs no curing time at all. Your technician will tell you which yours is. Either way the visit runs two to three hours, most of that being the fitting and clearing the glass out.
- Correct panel for the body shape and specification
- Demister layout matched to the vehicle
- Bonded with automotive urethane on most modern vehicles
- Bonded glass is cured before we leave, so the car is ready when we finish
- Gasket set glass has no curing time at all
- Two to three hours on site
Demister and antenna
The fine lines running across a rear windscreen are the demister, an electrical heating element printed directly onto the glass. Because it is part of the panel rather than a separate component, it is replaced along with the glass, and a correctly matched panel restores it exactly as it was. Some vehicles also carry the radio antenna printed into the same surface, occasionally alongside the demister lines, and those connections are reattached during fitting. If your demister or your radio reception was not working properly before the glass broke, tell us, because the fault may sit in the wiring or the switch rather than in the panel and it is better to find that out before the new glass goes in.
- Heating element replaced with the panel
- Antenna connections reconnected on fitting
- Demister tested before we leave
- Existing faults worth mentioning beforehand
Clearing the glass out
When a toughened rear windscreen fails it produces thousands of small granules and they travel further than anyone expects. They end up in the boot, in the parcel shelf, down the back of the rear seat, inside the seat belt reeler mechanisms, in the door cavities and in the spare wheel well. Glass left in a seat belt reeler can stop it retracting properly, and glass left in a door cavity rattles for the life of the vehicle. Clearing it is genuinely part of the job rather than a courtesy, so we vacuum through the areas the fragments reach rather than the areas that are easy to see. We cannot promise to find every last granule, and anyone who does is overpromising, but the vehicle should come back to you usable rather than uncomfortable.
- Boot, parcel shelf and rear seat
- Seat belt mechanisms checked
- Door cavities and spare wheel well
- Honest about not finding every last granule
What the job involves
Toughened glass, not laminated
It cannot be repaired, which is why replacement is the only option.
Demister element comes with the glass
The heating grid is printed onto the panel, so it must be the right one.
Antenna connections reconnected
Some vehicles carry the radio antenna printed into the same surface.
Fragments cleared out properly
Boot, seats, seat belt mechanisms and door cavities, not just the visible glass.
Get a free quote
Tell us the make, model and build year, and whether the glass is broken or still in place. A photo helps, particularly one taken from outside showing the whole rear of the vehicle, since rear glass varies by body shape more than the front does and a wagon, a hatch and a sedan of the same model are three different panels. If the vehicle has been broken into or the glass is already out, say so, and we will tell you how to keep it covered until we get there.
Service available across every Sydney region
Central and Inner Sydney
Sydney CBD, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, Newtown, Marrickville, Enmore, Alexandria and Waterloo
The East and Northern Beaches
Bondi, Coogee, Maroubra, Manly, Dee Why and Narrabeen
North Shore and Northern Suburbs
Mosman, Chatswood, North Sydney and the Hills District including Baulkham Hills
South and West Sydney
Cronulla, Hurstville, Brighton Le Sands, Parramatta, Penrith, Campbelltown and Camden
Frequently asked questions
Can a rear windscreen be repaired instead of replaced?
No. A rear windscreen is normally toughened glass, which is heat treated so that it breaks apart completely into small blunt granules rather than cracking and holding together. There is nothing left to inject resin into, so unlike a front windscreen there is no repair option. Replacement is the only route.
Why did my rear windscreen shatter completely when the front only cracks?
They are different types of glass, chosen deliberately. The front windscreen is laminated, two sheets bonded to a plastic interlayer, so it cracks but stays in one piece and keeps you inside the vehicle. The rear is toughened, so it fails completely into small blunt pieces rather than large sharp ones. Both behaviours are safety features for their position on the vehicle.
How long does it take, and when can I drive afterwards?
Two to three hours on site, and the car is ready to drive when we finish. Where the glass is bonded with urethane the adhesive has to cure before it is doing its structural job, and we stay with the vehicle through that cure rather than leaving and asking you to wait. Where the glass sits in a rubber gasket, which is the case on some older vehicles, there is no curing time involved at all.
Will my rear demister still work after the glass is replaced?
Yes, provided the correct panel is fitted. The demister is an electrical element printed onto the glass itself, so it is replaced along with the panel rather than transferred across. We test it before leaving. If the demister was already faulty before the glass broke, the problem may be in the wiring or the switch instead, so it is worth mentioning when you book.
Do you clean up the broken glass?
Yes, and it is a real part of the job rather than a courtesy. Toughened glass produces thousands of granules that reach the boot, the parcel shelf, the back of the rear seat, the seat belt mechanisms, the door cavities and the spare wheel well. Glass left in a seat belt reeler can stop it retracting and glass left in a door cavity rattles indefinitely. We will not claim to find every last piece, but we clear the places the fragments actually reach.
Can I drive with the rear windscreen missing?
It is not a good idea and it may attract a defect notice, quite apart from the weather, the exhaust fumes and the security risk. If the vehicle has to be moved before we get there, cover the opening as securely as you can and keep speed down, since a loose covering at speed can come away. Tell us when you book and we will talk you through it.
Does insurance cover rear windscreen replacement?
Often, though glass cover varies between policies and some optional windscreen cover applies only to the front windscreen rather than to all vehicle glass. If the glass was broken in a break in there may also be a separate theft or malicious damage component to the claim. We work with all the major Australian insurers, though the claim is lodged by you as the vehicle owner rather than by us, and your product disclosure statement is the place to check what your policy actually treats as glass.
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