just ordered..

[t4k]

I have completed to Wal-Mart headlight job reworks this week. One lady told me she refused to pay for the work at Wal-Mart due to the fact that she could not tell a difference in her lights. She loved my work and thanked me several times while paying my full retail price.

Their (Wal-Mart) work is bad and just be ready to do a better job for the people who have been ripped off by Wally world!!

[WSRNewb]

thats comforting, hopefully word will get around that the super store doesnt do everything better with low prices.still its ashame that customers will have wasted hard earned money on their vehicles to understand the difference. im excited about teaching customers how the process works and the proper way to go about restoration. i currently work in a body shop and no one there even knew about the UV coating step of a HL Restoration. So theres definitly a market for this, just a matter of informing and proving the benefits to the customer.

[candyman]

I inform my customers that Iam restoring the UV to the HL, and I do offer a warranty of three years. I have a few customers that watch me do the H/L. When I apply the UV they are amazed at the result. That has been a #1 pleaser that generates additional business from the same customer or a referal of a friend. I also do a thank you letter the same day with a $5 referal offer and a bonus of $25 for 10 referals that purchase my service. I also offer them a 20% discount for any additional vehicles that may need my services for Chip or HL. Most of the HL in this area are worse than the ones I see on the videos. A few of the dealers want to pay no more than $20 per vehicle and only the vehicles that are completely brown/yellow and appear to be in a brittle condition. I am just not willing to do it for that price at this time. I figure it cost me about $7-$8 per vehicle for supplies (pads, chemicals, shop towels, tape), then add gas & travel time. If the lenses looked like the ones on the videos, I could reuse some of the pads, and it would take less time, lowering my expense. I am mobile for a range of less than 30 miles at the current time. I have bright canary yellow business cards with color information on the front (not busy). On the back I printed Why they should restore their HL,or repair WS chips, with additional information. I am trying to catch someone doing a HL at the wal-mart to see how they do it, and see the result. I'll keep chuging along, taking my time and building my business through referals by ensuring quality work. I really need to go to Oregon for the WS chip repair school. I think that will be a plus for me since I already have the deluxe Kit. I've mainly worked on scrap WSs, repairing cracks and chips. No referals yet from any of the companies, such as safelite, that I was approved for. I wonder now if I jumped the gun by offering the credit/debit card service ($15 per month). Most of the people paid cash, and the insurance companies state they will make a direct deposit to my Bank acct. The credit card service is done by cell phone from the site of the repair. I also have a slide card machine for the customer on site as well. Live and learn! I paid $184 for my half million dollar liability policy per year.

[t4k]

I inform my customers that Iam restoring the UV to the HL, and I do offer a warranty of three years. I have a few customers that watch me do the H/L. When I apply the UV they are amazed at the result. That has been a #1 pleaser that generates additional business from the same customer or a referal of a friend. I also do a thank you letter the same day with a $5 referal offer and a bonus of $25 for 10 referals that purchase my service. I also offer them a 20% discount for any additional vehicles that may need my services for Chip or HL. Most of the HL in this area are worse than the ones I see on the videos. A few of the dealers want to pay no more than $20 per vehicle and only the vehicles that are completely brown/yellow and appear to be in a brittle condition. I am just not willing to do it for that price at this time. I figure it cost me about $7-$8 per vehicle for supplies (pads, chemicals, shop towels, tape), then add gas & travel time. If the lenses looked like the ones on the videos, I could reuse some of the pads, and it would take less time, lowering my expense. I am mobile for a range of less than 30 miles at the current time. I have bright canary yellow business cards with color information on the front (not busy). On the back I printed Why they should restore their HL,or repair WS chips, with additional information. I am trying to catch someone doing a HL at the wal-mart to see how they do it, and see the result. I'll keep chuging along, taking my time and building my business through referals by ensuring quality work. I really need to go to Oregon for the WS chip repair school. I think that will be a plus for me since I already have the deluxe Kit. I've mainly worked on scrap WSs, repairing cracks and chips. No referals yet from any of the companies, such as safelite, that I was approved for. I wonder now if I jumped the gun by offering the credit/debit card service ($15 per month). Most of the people paid cash, and the insurance companies state they will make a direct deposit to my Bank acct. The credit card service is done by cell phone from the site of the repair. I also have a slide card machine for the customer on site as well. Live and learn! I paid $184 for my half million dollar liability policy per year.

Where did you come up with the three (3) year warranty time frame? Have you done any test to verify that your restoration will hold for this length of time? Does your UV supplier guarantee their product for three (3) years?

[candyman]

I read on one of the post that the product Iam using normally last about 3-5 years depending on location. I initial said a year to be safe, but a post stated that 3 years would be better, and the % that may still have the same vehicle would be low. I seem to do a lot of jeep Cherokees, Mustangs, and Chrysler vehicles 1996 - 2003. I simply inform my customers that if it fades or yellows out I will redo the HL. I write this on the invoice. Its hard to find good data on some of these products other than through this forum. I read one article and it may say not to offer a warranty outside of 48 hours, while another may say they have been giving 1-2-3 years etc... . I however still dont tell clients the WS repair is good for the life of it. I also dislike using the word "FREE" WS chip repair to lure people. They already suspect the proceedure. I have found many car owners dont have WS replacement coverage. The newer cars have full insurance as a requirement by the lender. However some won't file a claim for fear their rates will increase. Safelite is running radio adds heavy in my state for the past two months for chip repair with an 800 number to call.

[candyman]

I talked to a customer the other day that needed his windshield replaced and the cost was about 1300. His insurance company, Farm B. almost doubled his rates. He had a accident that costed him a few hundred in damages to another vehicle a few months prior to this. He paid cash out of his pocket for the repair. Although it didn't cost the insurance company, they applied that damage amount with the cost to replace his windsheld. That took him over a $1500 limit the insurance company formula allowed that activated a rate increase. That just didn't seem fair. Thats why so many people are afraid to file for a repair these days. When Iam asked, " will my rate go up if I file", I simply tell them to talk to their agent first. I do NOT want to get in the middle and be the pawn that gets the dirty end of the stick. Agents dont always tell it straight either. One agent told one customer no rate increase. A few months later they had an increase and the agent stated it was a new policy change that he was not aware of and started back tracking. It seems that that customer had had, about 2 additional repairs over a two year time frame with the same company. Their must be a limit for some companies. Product knowledge is what I seek on this site and awareness of the pitfalls that some face trying to make an honest dollar.

[t4k]

I read on one of the post that the product Iam using normally last about 3-5 years depending on location. I initial said a year to be safe, but a post stated that 3 years would be better, and the % that may still have the same vehicle would be low. I seem to do a lot of jeep Cherokees, Mustangs, and Chrysler vehicles 1996 - 2003. I simply inform my customers that if it fades or yellows out I will redo the HL. I write this on the invoice. Its hard to find good data on some of these products other than through this forum. I read one article and it may say not to offer a warranty outside of 48 hours, while another may say they have been giving 1-2-3 years etc... . I however still dont tell clients the WS repair is good for the life of it. I also dislike using the word "FREE" WS chip repair to lure people. They already suspect the proceedure. I have found many car owners dont have WS replacement coverage. The newer cars have full insurance as a requirement by the lender. However some won't file a claim for fear their rates will increase. Safelite is running radio adds heavy in my state for the past two months for chip repair with an 800 number to call.

I have a question for Delta Kits: Do you guys have a warranty program for the UV coating you sell in your headlight restoration kits?

[Brent Deines]

The Delta Kits warranty for our headlight restoration service is a 3 Year Customer Satisfaction Warranty. If the customer is not happy with our headlight restoration service for any reason Delta Kits will provide the restoration service again free of charge. We have not been offering our headlight restoration service for 3 years yet, but we have done a substantial amount of research and testing in various different climates that gives us the confidence to offer this warranty to our service customers. To date not a one single customer has been dissatisfied with our headlight restoration service.

The Delta Kits warranty for our headlight restoration chemicals is a 1 Year Product Performance Warranty. If the product is used within one year of the purchase date and fails to perform to our customer's satisfaction, the product will be replaced free of charge. Again, we have done extensive testing that has given us the confidence to offer this product warranty. To date we have not had a single warranty claim on our headlight restoration chemicals.

Unfortunately we cannot warranty our customer's work as we have no way to control the preparation prior to the application of the UV coating and no way to ensure the proper application of the product. It is the same with our windshield repair products. We offer a lifetime warranty on our service and a 1-2 year shelf life warranty on our resins depending on packaging options, but we cannot warranty the technician's work because the success or failure of the job is partially determined by the skill of the technician and and the quality of the equipment being used to apply the product.

Although we are very comfortable with our 3 year headlight restoration service warranty and frankly expect our average customers to get far more life than that out of the coating we apply to protect the lens, there are several variables that you should take into consideration when offering a warranty on your headlight restoration service.

1. Your own experience. What is your customer satisfaction experience?
2. Your local climate. Sunlight, heat, gravel, salt and chemicals on the road, wind, pollution, etc. These are all things that affect the original coating and aftermarket coatings.
3. Customer's driving habits. Does your average customer drive 10,000 miles a year or do they drive 100,000 miles a year?
4. Customer's vehicle maintenance habits. Car wash or hand wash? How often? Garaged or outside, etc.

[Brent Deines]

I talked to a customer the other day that needed his windshield replaced and the cost was about 1300. His insurance company, Farm B. almost doubled his rates. He had a accident that costed him a few hundred in damages to another vehicle a few months prior to this. He paid cash out of his pocket for the repair. Although it didn't cost the insurance company, they applied that damage amount with the cost to replace his windsheld. That took him over a $1500 limit the insurance company formula allowed that activated a rate increase. That just didn't seem fair. Thats why so many people are afraid to file for a repair these days. When Iam asked, " will my rate go up if I file", I simply tell them to talk to their agent first. I do NOT want to get in the middle and be the pawn that gets the dirty end of the stick. Agents dont always tell it straight either. One agent told one customer no rate increase. A few months later they had an increase and the agent stated it was a new policy change that he was not aware of and started back tracking. It seems that that customer had had, about 2 additional repairs over a two year time frame with the same company. Their must be a limit for some companies. Product knowledge is what I seek on this site and awareness of the pitfalls that some face trying to make an honest dollar.

What kind of car was your customer driving that required a $1300 windshield? That is very unusual. A rate increase for small comprehensive claims is also very unusual. I have had many customers who had me repair their windshield once or twice a year and never had an increase because of it. I agree that not all agents give it to you straight, and sometimes I think they just don't know what they are talking about, but I think you can find agents who will tell it like it is. However, telling it like it is may not always be what you want to hear. Everyone wants the cheapest insurance, but then they get upset when they find out they don't have the coverage they thought they did. It's always good to shop, but if the price is too low there is usually a reason.

I'm not an insurance expert either, but my dad was in the insurance industry for over 30 years and I have dealt with many insurance professionals over the years. Most of them recommend repairs as they know it saves their customer money, and more to the point, saves their company money. Some will try to scare their customers into paying for small comprehensive claims like windshield repair out of their own pocket rather than filing an insurance claim, but in my experience that is rare. That said, other parts of the country operate very differently than we do on the West coast, which may account for your experiences being so different than mine. I'm still very curious about the $1300 windshield though.

[adam@gtglass]

The new Land Rover Range Rover windshields are in that range.