What Kind of Windshield Do I Have?
What Kind of Windshield Do I Have?
This permanent bug on your windshield is probably a bit different than what you have pictured. The automotive glass industry actually refers to the stamp pictured above as a “bug” or “monogram” which can usually be found on the bottom corner of your windshield. The bug provides pertinent information about the windshield, which can be helpful to both consumers and glass shops for looking up the windshield part number.
Why is it There?
If you’re going to have your windshield replaced soon, it may be beneficial to provide the glass shop with the information in the bug. Or if you recently had your glass replaced, you may want to confirm that the shop used quality glass. So what do all of these numbers and symbols mean?
What Does it Mean?
We’ll start with the most obvious—this glass is for a Nissan and is most likely the original factory part since it displays the company logo. The company that made the part for Nissan is Vitro and it was manufactured in Mexico. Not all glass will have these logos displayed, but all will list their Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) number that the company is registered under. For example, Vitro is registered under DOT 287.
What about the line reading “LAMINATED AS1”? U.S. federal regulations require that glass pass certain safety tests. AS1 glass passes them all, AS2 does not pass all the impact tests, and AS3 is typically of a darker tint and is referred to as privacy glass. Since AS1 is the only glass to pass all safety tests, it is the only glass allowed for windshield use.
The E with a circle around it may be displayed if the product is also distributed in Europe. You may also see “CCC” with a circle around it if the product is distributed to China. Both of these markings carry similar meanings to US’s AS1 safety rating. The long number next to the E which reads “43R-000499” also pertains to European distribution. The first section, “43R”, indicates the part conforms to European standard of safety regulation number 43. The set of numbers that follows, “000499”, is the approval number assigned to the part.
Next, we’ll look at M119. This is the manufacturer’s part number which allows them to identify the glass. There may be additional symbols, illustrations, or codes added by the manufacturer to indicate information such as date of manufacture, added options and more.
Replacing the Glass
When having your glass replaced , these manufacturer designations may help the glass company identify the exact glass needed for your vehicle. But because some vehicles can have up to 20 different windshields depending on equipment options, they may need the vehicle identification number, or even to do a visual inspection to identify a match.
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