How to Distinguish Between 08 and 18 Year Glass?

[MacLaila]

Look at the numbers on the glass to distinguish between 08 and 18 year glass. Regardless of the specification of the automotive glass, there is a string of symbols in the lower left corner of the glass, with a corresponding number below the string indicating the production year. For example: "8" indicates the year, meaning it was produced in 2008. If the black dot is before the "8," it indicates production in the first half of the year; if the black dot is after the "8," it indicates production in the second half of the year. Here is more information about automotive glass: 1. The number represents the production year of the glass, corresponding to the last digit of the year. This should be determined based on the vehicle's manufacturing date. If the vehicle was manufactured in 2007 or 2008, then the glass year number "8" would correspond to 2008. The glass and vehicle production dates typically do not differ by more than 10 years. The small black dots indicate the production month of the glass. If the black dots are before the number, subtract the number of dots from 7; if the black dots are after the number, subtract the number of dots from 13. The result is the production month of the glass. 2. Automotive glass is produced by heating the glass in a furnace to near its softening temperature, then rapidly transferring it to air grids with varying cooling intensities for uneven cooling. This creates different stress levels between the main viewing area and the peripheral areas of the glass. Generally, this process produces zone-tempered glass. The peripheral areas, exposed to stronger cooling in the air grids, undergo full tempering, resulting in good fragmentation and high tempering strength. The main viewing area, exposed to weaker cooling, has larger fragments and lower tempering strength.

[StMartin]

I know this well! Just check the series of small black dots and numbers in the corner of the windshield. For glass from 2008, the dots are before the number, like '··8' which means 2008. But for 2018 models, it's different—the dots follow the number, so '18··' means it was produced in 2018. More dots indicate an earlier month: 7 dots mean January, while 1 dot means July. By the way, the dots on 2008 glass are more spaced out, while the printing on 2018 glass is finer. Here's another tip: look for the European standard code starting with E000 on the glass—this can also reveal production date info. Don’t get confused; many used-car odometer rollbacks are spotted through these details!

[StDaniel]

Here's a practical tip: crouch down to eye level with the lower left corner of the glass and look for the set of codes with a square frame. Glass produced in 2008 is usually marked with numbers + small black dots, where the dots are on the left side of the number (e.g., ●8 means July 2008 production). By 2018, the dots moved to the right side of the number (e.g., 18● means July 2018), or some may simply use an arrow pointing to the year. Another pro tip: the engraved numbers on 2008 glass are finer, while the 2018 font is bolder, more three-dimensional, and has sharper edges. If you're still unsure, snap a photo and post it on a car forum—the experienced folks will identify it in no time.

[JulianaLynn]

Three simple steps to identify: First, locate the window label characters in the corner of the glass. Second, check the format of the production year. For 2008, the year is abbreviated as a single digit followed by a dot, e.g., '8.' represents 2008; for 2018, it's written directly as two digits '18'. Third, count the small black dots to determine the month—their position varies before or after the year. For 2008, the dot is before the year ●8, while for 2018, it's after '18', or there might be a small arrow next to the number. By the way, also check the glass brand logo. In 2008, Fuyao used 'FY' at the beginning, while after 2018, the new logo is 'FYSG'. Older glass logos often have worn and whitened edges.

[McKendra]

As a vehicle inspector checking dozens of windshields daily: The biggest difference between 08 and 18 models lies in the date format. The 08 models used a 7+black dot combination (month = 7 minus actual number of dots) - for example, 5 dots means 7-5=February. The 18 models adopted a new standard: black dots added to the right of numbers indicate the latter half of the production year. Another hidden feature: lightly scratch the date area with your nail - 08 model prints tend to leave powder residue, while 18 models use more durable laser etching. The 8th digit of the DOT number in the glass corner is also crucial - J represents 08, R represents 18. This method is more reliable than counting dots!

[JordanRose]

Hey, last time when replacing the windshield, the technician taught me: Don't just look at the numbers, first feel the corners for small raised triangle icons. Post-2018 windshields have the production month stamped inside the triangle mark, a feature absent in 2008 designs. Then check the date position - 2008 fonts are biased towards the upper left corner, while 2018 dates are mostly in the lower right. The most intuitive difference is the month notation: older glass uses subtractive dot counting (7 minus solid dots), whereas new glass directly corresponds black dots to month numbers. When helping a friend inspect a used car last time, windshields dated half a year earlier than the nameplate usually indicate accident replacements. But this 2018 windshield was marked with an 2008 date, instantly exposing an odometer-tampered vehicle.