- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
Watching a car hit a concrete barrier at 48km/h is a pretty good reminder that the windscreen in front of you does a lot more than just keep the rain out.
That was the point Sika, a Swiss speciality chemicals company, wanted to make when it staged Malaysia’s first exclusive live automotive windscreen crash test at the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) PC3 Laboratory in Melaka recently.
Your Windscreen Is Actually Doing A Lot
Most of us probably don’t think much about our windscreen until it gets dirty, chipped or cracked. But that big piece of glass plays an important role in the car’s overall safety, especially when things go very, very wrong.
See, your car’s front and rear windscreens (or windshield, whichever you want to call them) actually do quite a bit in an emergency situation.
They help maintain the cabin’s structural integrity, support the roof during a rollover, assist with airbag deployment and help keep occupants inside the car.
So replacing one isn’t exactly a case of taking out the old glass and sticking in a new one. According to Sika, the adhesive used, surface preparation, and curing process can all affect how securely the windscreen stays attached in a collision.
Then there’s the added complication of ADAS, or Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems.
See, a lot of cars nowadays have cameras and sensors positioned behind the windscreen, so getting the glass installed properly matters too. Otherwise, some of those safety features may not work as they’re supposed to.
And because this is Malaysia, there’s also our hot and humid weather to consider. The conditions can affect an adhesive’s working time, making proper application and curing even more important.
Which brings us to the bit holding the whole thing together.
So, What Actually Holds The Windscreen In Place?
For the test, Sika used its SikaTack DRIVE adhesive to bond the front windscreen to the car. It’s a specialised product made for automotive glass replacement, with Sika saying it meets the quality standards expected by car manufacturers and is compatible with different car makes.
But the adhesive is only one part of the process. Before it even goes on, the glass and surrounding surfaces have to be properly prepared. That means making sure everything is clean, dry and free from grease, oil, dust and other contaminants.
And we got to watch Sika’s technicians go through the whole process before the crash test.
The adhesive was applied using a battery-operated or air-powered piston-type application gun, with the application itself taking less than 30 minutes. The windscreen was then left to cure for about an hour.
Sika says that this adhesive of theirs has a 60-minute Minimum Drive Away Time (MDAT), which basically means the car can be driven once the adhesive has had enough time to cure under the right conditions.
So, this means less hanging around at the workshop lah.
And there’s a reason Sika wanted to show all this in a crash test rather than just talk about it.
“A windscreen is a safety component, yet it is often replaced based on price and speed alone,” said Sika Malaysia Head of Automotive & Industry Daphne Wong.
She explained that the adhesive used and the quality of the installation are just as important, as they help keep the glass securely in place when it matters most.
“We chose to show this in a live crash rather than explain it on paper, so there is no doubt about how much the quality of a replacement matters… You’ll never see your windscreen the same way again,” she added ahead of the test.
Then Came The Fun Part
By this point, the car was ready, the windscreen had been installed, and the adhesive had been given time to cure. Sika used a Perodua Ativa, one of the top 10 best-selling cars on Malaysian roads this year, for the crash test.
And obviously, nobody was actually sitting inside the car lah.
Two crash-test dummies were placed in the front seats to represent larger adult occupants before the Ativa was sent towards the barrier.
The crash test followed the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 212, which measures how well a windscreen stays attached to the vehicle frame during a frontal crash at 48km/h.
In simple terms, it’s not just about whether the glass cracks. The test also looks at how much of the windscreen is still attached to the car around its edges after impact.
And according to Daphne, at least 50% of that border needs to remain attached for the windscreen to meet the standard.
When everything was set to go, it was time for the main event. And because watching a car deliberately crash into a wall is way more interesting than us trying to describe it, here’s what happened…
And The Result?
Look, we’re definitely not car crash experts, but even our untrained eyes could tell that was one hell of a hit.
The front end of the Ativa was seriously crumpled, the airbags deployed, and the two dummies looked like they had seen better days.
But the windscreen was still there, okay!
There was visible damage to the glass, but it had remained attached to the vehicle rather than separating from the frame.
And after it all ended, the live crash test was subsequently recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records as the “First Automotive Windscreen Crash Test Evaluation 2026” in Malaysia.
Your Windscreen Is Actually Taking Quite A Beating
Of course, you don’t need to yeet a whole car into a wall to end up with a messed-up windscreen.
While we were there, we also chatted with some of the windscreen specialists and installers who had come to watch the demo.
And apparently, they say that the windscreen replacement business is doing pretty “good” right now, much to the suffering of Malaysian motorists everywhere lah.
See, they told us that tiny chips and cracks on windscreens have become quite a common headache for drivers, and sometimes seem to appear out of absolutely nowhere.
One possible reason, they explained, is that cars are getting faster while modern tyres are also getting better at gripping the road.
That means stones and other bits of debris can get flung up with more force, increasing the chances of them smacking into someone else’s windscreen.
And if that little chip eventually turns into a crack big enough to require a full windscreen replacement, well, that’s when the way it gets replaced starts to matter.
Which Is Why Getting A Proper Replacement Is Key
So Sika has a Certified Auto Glass Installer Program that trains participating workshops on how to properly replace a windscreen using its products.
That covers the same steps we saw during the demo, from getting the surfaces ready and applying the adhesive to fitting the glass and giving it enough time to cure.
A Sika representative at the event explained that this matters because not every workshop operates in the same conditions. The weather, workshop environment and even the type of windscreen being fitted can affect how the job is done.
Sika has been involved in automotive windscreen bonding since 1980 and says it has conducted more than 80 crash tests over the past four decades to verify passenger safety following windscreen replacement.
The company also says its adhesives are used to fit more than 400,000 vehicles every year.
So if you ever end up with a nasty crack across your windscreen, don’t just look for the cheapest or fastest replacement. Make sure the person doing the job knows what they’re doing, because you never know when that bit of glass might really matter.
Need A Windscreen Replacement Soon?
If you’re getting your windscreen replaced between 15 September and 31 December 2026, this is another reason to look out for a Sika Certified Auto Glass Installer workshop.
Customers who replace their windscreen at a certified workshop can enter Sika Malaysia’s monthly lucky draw by submitting a photo of the workshop’s Sika Certified Auto Glass Installer signboard together with their receipt.
Three winners are picked each month, with each receiving a RM100 petrol card. So, for more information, head on over to Sika Malaysia’s website HERE.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.
Watch This Car Get Yeeted Into A Wall & You’ll Never See Your Windscreen The Same Way Again
Entertainment Flash Report
Comments
Post a Comment