Curing: What’s Normal, What’s Not

Right after install, a light haze or a few “water pockets” are normal. In warm, dry weather, curing typically takes 2–3 days; in cooler or humid conditions, plan for a week or more. Arizona heat can speed evaporation, but the adhesive still needs time to set—avoid rolling windows down until your installer’s recommended window (often 3–5 days). If haze lingers well past that, it’s worth a quick check.

First Cleans and Everyday Care

Wait until the film has fully cured before cleaning. Use an ammonia-free glass cleaner and a clean microfiber cloth with light pressure. Straight, gentle strokes keep edges tight; aggressive scrubbing—especially in corners—can lift the film. On the rear glass, wipe with the defroster lines, not across them.

Habits That Keep Tint Looking New

Think “gentle and predictable.” A soft squeegee is fine if you avoid pushing directly into borders. Skip blades, abrasive pads, and harsh solvents. If you’re clearing interior fog or winter frost, only scrape the exterior—the interior film can scratch easily. And if you love decals, place them on exterior surfaces; adhesives plus removal can stain or lift film over time.

Window Tint – What to Do When Something Looks Off

A small bubble during cure is normal; most disappear as moisture evaporates. Edge lifts usually come from rolling windows down too soon or cleaning too aggressively. Addressing small issues early prevents dust from creeping under the film and turning a minor touch-up into a full redo.

Want your tint to stay sharp for years, not months? Contact AGD for window tinting and aftercare advice – we’ll check edges, touch up problem spots, or refresh film with an option that fits your look and local laws.

Let’s take a closer look at how these two types of glass compare in terms of strength, safety, and function.

What Is Laminated Glass?

Laminated glass is typically used in windshields. It’s made by sandwiching a layer of plastic (usually polyvinyl butyral, or PVB) between two sheets of glass. This bonded structure holds together even when shattered, creating a “spider web” effect instead of sharp shards.

Benefits:

• High safety rating – reduces risk of ejection in a crash

• Sound insulation – blocks more outside noise

• UV protection – filters harmful rays

• Crack resistance – minor impacts may not cause full breakage

What Is Tempered Glass?

Tempered glass, used in side and rear windows, is created by heating and then rapidly cooling the glass, which increases its strength. When it breaks, it shatters into small, blunt pieces rather than dangerous shards.

Benefits:

• Stronger than standard glass

• Shatters safely on impact

• Less expensive than laminated glass

• Easy to replace

Laminated or Tempered Glass – Which One Is Better for Your Vehicle?

The answer depends on the location and purpose of the glass:

• Windshields almost always use laminated glass for better visibility and safety.

• Side and rear windows typically use tempered glass, but some newer models are switching to laminated for added protection against break-ins and noise.

If you’re considering upgrading or replacing auto glass, talk with a professional about your options. Depending on your driving habits and environment, it may be worth considering laminated side windows for added peace of mind.

AGD Can Help with Any Type of Auto Glass

Understanding the differences between laminated vs. tempered glass helps you make more informed decisions about your vehicle’s safety and comfort. Whether you’re replacing a broken window or just exploring options, choosing the right glass matters. Contact AGD for any of your auto glass needs, we’re here to help!

Road Trip 101: Start with the Right Window Tint

When you’re on the road for extended periods, exposure to sunlight can be draining. Window tint helps block harmful UV rays while keeping your car’s interior cool. This reduces the temperature inside the cabin, making it more comfortable for passengers and preventing your upholstery and dashboard from fading.

• UV Protection: Reduces the risk of skin damage from prolonged sun exposure.

• Improved Comfort: Keeps the cabin cooler during hot weather, saving on air conditioning.

• Energy Efficiency: Reduces the need for high AC use, saving fuel during long drives.

Enhancing Privacy and Security on Your Road Trip with Tinted Glass

Aside from comfort, tinted glass also offers increased privacy and security. Tinted windows make it harder for people to see inside your vehicle, providing peace of mind when you make stops along the way. Whether it’s to take a break, grab a bite to eat, or check out a scenic view, knowing your belongings are less visible adds an extra layer of protection.

• Privacy: Reduces the chances of opportunistic theft.

• Security: Deters potential intruders by making it more difficult to see inside your car.

Improved Visibility with High-Quality Windshield Glass

A clear and undamaged windshield is essential for maintaining visibility and safety while driving, especially in unfamiliar areas or during bad weather conditions. AGD offers high-quality windshield glass that provides superior clarity, ensuring a safe and enjoyable trip. If your windshield has chips or cracks, it’s crucial to get it replaced before hitting the road to avoid further damage.

• Enhanced Clarity: Superior visibility reduces eye strain during long drives.

• Safety: Unobstructed views of the road help prevent accidents.

Energy Efficiency and Climate Control with Energy-Efficient Glass

For those looking to save on fuel and reduce their carbon footprint, energy-efficient glass can be a game-changer. This type of glass helps to keep the temperature inside your car more consistent, reducing the reliance on air conditioning and the need for excessive fuel consumption. It’s particularly useful during long road trips where climate control is key to staying comfortable.

• Fuel Savings: Less reliance on air conditioning means reduced energy consumption.

• Temperature Regulation: Helps maintain an even cabin temperature, reducing discomfort.

Investing in Road Trip Comfort with AGD’s Glass and Tinting Services

Upgrading your car’s glass and tint is an investment in your road trip comfort and safety. Whether you need to replace a damaged windshield, improve your car’s climate control, or enhance privacy, AGD offers expert services that ensure your vehicle is road-trip ready. Don’t hit the road without the comfort and protection that the right glass and tint can offer.

Contact AGD today to learn more about how we can transform your car into a road trip oasis.

Maintaining your RV auto glass is crucial for ensuring clear visibility and safety during travel. RVs face unique challenges, including long road trips and exposure to diverse weather conditions. Here are some essential tips to keep RV auto glass in top condition.

Tips for Maintaining Your RV Auto Glass

1. Regular Inspections

Frequent inspections of RV auto glass can help identify minor issues before they become major problems. Check for any chips, cracks, or scratches regularly. Early detection allows for timely repairs, preventing further damage and ensuring optimal visibility.

2. Clean with Care

Cleaning RV auto glass properly is vital to prevent damage and maintain clarity. Use a gentle, non-abrasive glass cleaner and a soft microfiber cloth to avoid scratching the glass. Avoid using ammonia-based cleaners, as they can deteriorate the rubber seals and tinting. For stubborn stains or residues, a mixture of vinegar and water can be effective.

3. Address Chips and Cracks Promptly

Even small chips or cracks can worsen over time due to the vibrations and impacts experienced during travel. Addressing these issues promptly can prevent them from spreading. Professional repair services can fill in chips and cracks, restoring the glass’s integrity and preventing the need for costly replacements.

4. Protect from Extreme Weather

Extreme weather conditions can take a toll on RV auto glass. During hot weather, the sun’s UV rays can cause the glass to expand and potentially lead to damage. In cold weather, the glass can contract, increasing the risk of cracks. Use protective covers when parked for extended periods and avoid sudden temperature changes, such as pouring hot water on a frozen windshield.

5. Check and Maintain Seals

The seals around RV windows and windshields are crucial for preventing leaks and maintaining structural integrity. Inspect these seals regularly for signs of wear or damage. If any seals appear compromised, replace them promptly to prevent water intrusion and further damage to the glass and surrounding areas.

6. Avoid High-Pressure Washers

While it might be tempting to use a high-pressure washer to clean your RV, it’s best to avoid this practice. High-pressure water can force its way into the seals and potentially cause damage to the auto glass. Stick to gentle cleaning methods and avoid directing water jets directly at the glass.

7. Store Properly

When not in use, store your RV in a covered or sheltered area to protect the auto glass from the elements. If indoor storage is not an option, consider using a protective cover that shields the vehicle from UV rays, rain, and debris.

Proper maintenance of RV auto glass ensures clear visibility, safety, and longevity of the glass. By following these tips, RV owners can enjoy a safer and more comfortable travel experience, free from the hassles of damaged or deteriorated auto glass.

Are you an RV enthusiast who is looking to elevate your road trip experience? If so, you’ve probably considered various ways to improve your RV’s comfort, appearance, and functionality. One often-overlooked upgrade that can make a huge difference in all of those aspects is RV window tinting. Below, we’ll look at the benefits of RV window tint and how it can transform your travel experience.

The Many Benefits of RV Window Tint

1. Energy Efficient Comfort

Tinting RV windows can reduce power consumption by reducing the amount of heat that enters the vehicle. When your car maintains a more stable internal temperature, it reduces the strain on the cooling system.

2. RV Window Tint Provides UV Protection for Your Vehicle’s Interior

RV window tint protects your skin and RV’s interior from harmful UV rays. It also prevents fading and deterioration of upholstery, curtains, and other interior furnishings.

3. Glare Reduction

Tint reduces glare, improves visibility, and makes driving safer. It is especially helpful for long drives on sunny days.

4. Enhanced Comfort for Extended Trips

RV window tint helps regulate the temperature inside an RV, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter for year-round comfort. 

5. Preserve Your RV’s Value

Window tinting can help preserve the value of your RV by protecting the interior from sun damage and making it more appealing to potential buyers.

The RV Window Tint Process

Before RV window tint can be installed, you must first choose the right shade of tint to match your preferences and needs for privacy, heat rejection, and UV protection. Once you have made your shade selection, the next step is professional installation. Experienced technicians will ensure precise application for optimal tint performance and appearance. 

Window tinting is a great investment for any RV enthusiast who wants to make their road trips more comfortable, energy-efficient, and enjoyable. It reduces glare, protects the interior of your RV, and preserves its value. So what are you waiting for? At AGD, we specialize in RV window tinting and offer top-quality service and results. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and start enjoying total comfort and privacy on your next adventure.

There are many different types of window tint and ways to install it. While there are many benefits of installing new window tint (such as improving the appearance of your car, reducing heat gain which keeps your car’s interior cooler, and enhancing security), there is no greater benefit than the fact that it reduces glare while driving which improves your safety as well as the safety of passengers and other drivers and pedestrians.

When window tint is professionally installed, a thin layer of film is applied to your car’s windows which reduces the amount of light that enters your car. Window tint is available in a variety of materials and comes in different shades and colors.

As aforementioned, one of the main benefits of window tinting is its ability to reduce glare. When sunlight enters your car, it can reflect off different surfaces, such as the dashboard, mirrors, or even the road itself, creating a bright and distracting glare. Window tinting can help reduce this glare by blocking some of the sunlight from entering your car. This makes it easier to see the road and your surroundings, especially during sunny days, and at dawn or dusk when the sun is low on the horizon.

When it comes to window tinting, it’s important to choose a reputable and experienced company. Poorly installed window tint can bubble, peel, or discolor over time, reducing its effectiveness and potentially damaging your windows. At AGD, we use high-quality film and install it correctly, ensuring that you get the maximum benefits from your investment.

Become Familiar with Tinting Altogether

Taking the time and making the effort to understand how car tinting works and what it entails is a great first step before taking the leap. After all, there are multiple options on the market, some that may be more reliable or feasible for a certain make or model of car.

Furthermore, it’s important to know where exactly the tinting should go. Side mirrors and rearview mirrors often go un-tinted for the sake of the driver’s visibility and seeing other drivers on the road. Rear and side windows (areas that generally get the window tint treatment) should be checked for the shade of darkness it will be before applying. Lighter shades can give greater visibility while passengers still reap the benefits of the tinting, so determining how dark to make the tinting should be part of the decision-making process.

UV Reflecting Tints Are Key

Speaking of benefits to tinting, considering tints that provide UV protection will be highly advantageous in the long run. Tints can often help eliminate up to 99% of chances for UV damage to not only the car’s interior but to the people within it, guarding against direct beams of light that can cause harm. Window tint also helps to eradicate the oven-like feeling when extreme heat becomes trapped in the car, which will be more comfortable for all who spend long hours in the car, even during days of extreme heat.

State Laws Regarding Window Tinting

Before making the final call, it’s important to delve into the state’s window tinting laws. Every state has their own laws regarding how dark the tint can be on which windows, so doing homework first can save a lot of time and money.

Enjoy Your Tint

Once the preliminary research has been done, finding the perfect window tint should be a breeze. Tinting can be beneficial while looking great to boot, so giving it a chance can be a fun and worthwhile experience.

One of the first considerations when making the choice to tint your windows is deciding whether you should just  take your car back to the dealership or just call a local shop. While dealership upgrades and service centers usually deliver quality product, taking the time to locate a reliable local window tint shop will end up being more beneficial long term.

Below are some of the major benefits of choosing an independent Auto Glass & Tint Shop vs going back to the dealership.

Price:

Independent tint shops are frequently a more affordable option to the dealership. One key reason for this is that dealerships tend to charge higher hourly labor rates. This is accomplished because dealerships employ mechanics who are manufacturer-trained to execute repairs for a specific make/model. Although this ensures top-quality improvements on your specific car, a local autoglass shop such as AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co. is often just as efficient at having the job done. To minimize potential for low quality at independent tint shops, seek out a mechanic that is certified with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

Convenience:

Most likely, taking your car or truck for tint at an independent shop will be infinitely more hassle-free than driving to the dealership. Dealers are generally located directly off of highways, and could be situated close to residential areas. In comparison, independent autoglass shops tend to set up shop in a location just nearby your house.  Dealerships are actually required to meet customer service standards that are strict from the manufacturer. While this may sound like a reward, it may in the end mean that the dealer is more focused toward appeasing corporate than appeasing a person, the driver. Independent shops, alternatively, live or die by recommendations. As such, they know the importance of taking care of customers so that they will recommend their services to friends as well as family. In the end, this may mean an independent shop will be more willing to go far above the call of duty to make sure you go home a satisfied customer.

Personal Attention:

Corner tint shops also reap the benefits of a certain level of private attention. If you find an independent auto tint shop that you prefer, likelihood is you’ll get to know the technician over time. This personal partnership usually leads to improved service with your car, and may also result in discount prices over time. In comparison, customers rarely get to speak with a mechanic at the dealership. Rather, they talk to service salesmen that serve as middlemen between the consumer and the technician.

As you can clearly see, the answer is simple.  Make your life easier by sticking with the local shop.  There’s never need to go back to a dealer for services such as tint or windshield replacement.  You can get all those services and more here in Tempe at AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co.  We treat our customer like family!

Phoenix Services | Tempe Services | Chandler Services | Scottsdale Services | Peoria Services

AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co. | 3414 S Mill Ave | Tempe, AZ 85282 | 602-759-5900

find us on..         

Central: 602-759-5900
East Valley: 480-289-5108
West Valley: 602-275-5066

During even the shortest periods of time, a dog left unattended inside of a car during a hot Arizona day, can lead to nothing but trouble. trouble, not just for yourself, but for the health and well-being of your pet.   At AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co, we make sure our Window Film Clients are educated about the dangers of leaving a pet in the car, and we by no means use window tint as a good way to prevent pet deaths.  Yes, Window tint will help your pet and yourself enjoy the ride a bit more,  but ultimately we warn you about the how dangers affect benefits

IT turns out that it takes only 5 to 10 min for your pet to succumb to the extreme summer time heat. Consider this: your pet can’t know how important it is to remain calm and quiet. She or he anticipates getting out of the car with you, and gets frustrated when left out and starts off pacing around. This increases the heart rate & respiration prior to the heat kicking in.

Yet everyone is likely guilty of stopping for any quick errand en route home from the vet, or running to the bank after a trip to a dog park. However when the bank line seems long, do we abandon the shopping & rush to the car? Hardly enough. That’s why, as much as we like our pets, we need to quit taking them with on those trips that do not welcome them at every stop. Since the guardians and caretakers of our partner animals, it is imperative that we put their best interest first and then leave them at home where they belong in air conditioning. We must also encourage others to perform the same. If people do not understand the dangers, there is an infographic that serves as a quick lesson that any car, parked for any length of time, is simply too hot for a pet.

Stuff you should always keep in Mind

It’s critical to keep in mind that while we love our pets as members of the family we need to respect their physiological variations. The humidity that people call muggy or stifling is harmful and could be deadly to our animals. Animals pant to evaporate moisture from their lungs which will help cool them. Elevated humidity prevents this from happening efficiently & our pets can be in danger quicker than we believe. Add heat with humidity during an Arizona summer day & mix can be deadly. On an 80 degree day of standard humidity, a car will reach 99 deg in 10 min.  

All of this information is important to remember.  Next time you and fido go on a road trip anywhere, make sure you follow these simple rules.  

AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co.  

3414 S Mill Ave | Tempe, AZ 85282 | 602-759-5900 | Website

find us on..         

Central: 602-759-5900
East Valley: 480-289-5108
West Valley: 602-275-5066

Have you ever wondered why your ice cracks when you put it in a glass of water?  Or even worse, why your windshield cracks when you turn on your air conditioner?  Believe it or not it is the same reason, thermal stress! Thermal Stress by definition is; stress in a body or structure due to inequalities of temperature.

To understand this a little bit better, look at it this way.  When you drop a few ice cubes in your glass of water, quite often you here a pop.  That is the ice cracking or sometimes actually breaking apart.  This is because the water is warmer than the ice (meaning the molecules in the water are moving faster than the molecules in the ice).  Heat can only move from an object of higher temps to an object of lower temperature.   The molecules in the water, moving much quicker than the molecules in the ice, transfer their heat to the ice cube.  This causes the ice cube to melt and sometimes crack.  The larger the difference in temperature between the ice and the water the faster the ice melts and becomes a liquid.  This is also why the ice cracks and sometimes breaks.

When it comes to your windshield it’s exactly the same thing.  In areas of the country where there are high outside temperatures cracking windshields are not uncommon.  If your vehicle has been sitting in the sun and suddenly the windshield is cooled, a crack can appear.  The cooling can come from air conditioning or from water, anything that causes a rapid temperature change.  

How can you avoid cracking your windshield?  Keeping your vehicle in the shade can help.  If you have a remote start on your car you may want to avoid putting the A/C on high when you first start your car.  The slower you cool the glass the less likely it is to break.  If you have an A/C that is instantly cold you may want to set it at a higher temperature so it slowly cools your glass.  Never pour cold water over your hot vehicle, this will most certainly crack your windshield! 

If and when thermal stress happens to occur, don’t fret, just call AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co.  We replace autoglass and windshields on all makes and models of any type of vehicle. Our top quality windshield replacement is the best in the valley.  Call today!

AGD Auto Glass & Tint Co.  

3414 S Mill Ave | Tempe, AZ 85282 | 602-759-5900 | Website

find us on..         

Central: 602-759-5900
East Valley: 480-289-5108
West Valley: 602-275-5066