Both side windows and side mirrors have important roles in keeping you, others on the road, your vehicle and your vehicle contents safe.

Side Windows on cars are an important security and safety feature for the following reasons:

• Theft protection – side windows stop would-be thieves from easily accessing the contents of your vehicle.
• Weather protection – side windows protect the wind, rain and snow from entering your vehicle and causing damage.
• Visibility – side windows provide the driver with a greater field of vision whilst they are driving.

Side mirrors are a very important safety feature on vehicles. You will use your side mirror multiple times during every journey you take. Some important uses for side mirrors are:

• When parking or manoeuvering your vehicle
• when exiting your vehicle
• when over taking or changing lanes
• when using roundabouts

Side windows and side mirrors are important safety and security features on your car and should always be kept in a usable condition. Unfortunately accidents do happen, and this can impact on the usefulness of these important features.

What happens when a side mirror or side window gets damaged or broken?

Side windows can sometimes get broken during a journey. Loose stones/rocks on the can road fly up and strike the window which can cause it to shatter. You may have seen people driving by with plastic or fabric taped over a broken side window – this should only ever be a very brief temporary fix.

It will help to keep the rain or wind out of the vehicle for a short time but will not be effective as a security measure. Additionally, a covered rear side window on the drivers side may obscure the view of cars or motorcyclists that are overtaking the vehicle, which could increase the risk of an accident occurring.

Side Mirrors can get damaged in a variety of ways, this is largely due to their location and the fact that they stick out from the main structure of the vehicle.

Some of the most common ways a side mirror can get damaged are:

• During parking manoeuvres
• During car washing, particularly automated car washes
• When parking on a busy or narrow road, passing cars may clip the wing mirror
• Vandalism can occur when a car is parked on the street overnight or if left unused for a period of time on a street

A cracked side mirror may obscure visibility and is also at risk of shattering completely which would render it completely useless. Any tape or other fixing materials could also lead to reduced visibility. You can minimise the risk of damage occurring to your side mirrors by ensuring they are always tilted inwards when you park your car or go through an automated car wash.

What should I do if my side mirror or side window gets damaged?

If your side mirror or side window does get damaged, it is important they are fixed or replaced as soon as possible to ensure your vehicle is safe to operate and secure. Take a look at our side mirror repair page or side window replacement page for more information about how we can help you with this process.

A special note on side mirrors. Side mirrors can be complex to repair or replace, Fast Autoglass technicians specialise in the repair of glass side mirrors and are trained to make repairs to a high standard of workmanship. Fast Autoglass can provide cut-to-fit flat mirror glass, if a replacement is needed for a convex mirror we can source replacements for the original parts.

Fast Autoglass offers repair and replacement services in Christchurch and Canterbury. We provide a high quality, fast and efficient service and have expertise in a range of auto glass solutions. We have a workshop that is centrally located in Christchurch and we can also offer a convenient mobile service. Contact us for all your auto glass repair needs.