You’ve probably always wondered what those tiny black dots are for at the lower end of your windshield. Probably, if you’re much of a car head or if you’re someone who is detail-oriented when it comes to your car, you must have noticed them and wondered what role they play. This row of dots, referred to as the “frit,” does something more critical than you would think.
Frit refers to a band of black enamel baked into the glass. Richard Reina, a lifelong automotive enthusiast shared, “The little black dots on your windshield, including the black band around its perimeter, are called frits.” Indeed, those dots do not only come to add beauty but rather have significant purposes.
What, then, does the frit do? The first important thing it does is that it helps the windshield stay in place. Modern cars’ glass is attached to a vehicle’s frame using a strong urethane adhesive, generally making a windshield one of the body parts of the car. Frit provides a strong bond between the glass and the adhesive with the frame of the windshield. Without it, “the glass could become loose and eventually fall out of the frame,” indicated Craig Campbell, founder and CEO of Auto Parts Guideline. While your windshield isn’t going to fall out as you’re tooling down the highway or zipping around town doing errands, it’s still something you really should address if the dots do rub off. However, it isn’t really for keeping the windshield held in place on the car.
It’s also a very critical step in manufacturing. First, the frit is printed on the glass during the production process to grind the shape of the windshield. It has to be heated and then molded into shape, therefore. The frit will then heat up quicker and in a far more dynamic temperature compared to all the other non-coated glass parts. This is to ensure that more heat is given out from the frit to the uncoated glass, so it doesn’t warp from the heat. Another practical reason for these dots is to hide the adhesive, which bonds the glass to the car. It’s also a way for the automaker to simply hide the adhesives from plain view,” one article states. This is not merely about why one would not want squished glue lines on the windshield of his car, but most especially of what it could do in guard against UV light waves. The adhesive taken up by the inward-facing side of the frit is responsible for bonding such to the windshield, while the part facing outwardly acts to protect the adhesive from UV radiation as a frit. This dual function that the frit functions with serves to extend the life of your windshield by protecting the adhesive from the long term damage caused by exposure to the sun.
You must be wondering if there is a need to replace the windshield when the frit starts wearing off.
However, Reina says there might not necessarily be a need to replace the whole windshield, which you will have to consult a professional to look at in order to assess the damage.
“If there’s a crack in the glass that’s obscuring your vision, covers more than half of the windshield, or extends to the outside edge it should be replaced or repaired right away,” said Reina. Chips due to dust, dirt and sand small enough not to catch your fingernail can come up with, like, a white haze dangling around the edges. That is bad for visibility in hail or snow. The frit, however, is one thing that you cannot touch. “The black spots on the windshield are part of the original feature; you don’t want to pretend to fix or alter them,” says Reina. It’s best to see a professional if you notice the dots wearing off. The next time you’re held up at a stoplight, staring at those half-tone dots in your driveway or over your shoulder from the inside of the car, remember the dots actually serve: to hold the windshield in place, preventing it from warping during manufacturing; as a scourge on UV damage. Though these small black dots are minor in size, they become crucial to the makeup of your vehicle. If in doubt, seek help from an expert who can take a look at your windshield. Better to be safe than sorry with your car’s safety!
