safelite repair equipment

[desertstars]

Anyone know what type they are using?

Is the product selection universal or an individual preference of each shop or "tech"?

[Repair1]

The last I checked they were using cold knifes, razor knifes, urethane, O that

[desertstars]

Jeez, Brian.

That answer sounded like something I'd write. My sentiments exactly.

I have a few good friends who are also competitors. I'm going to give them a call 'cause I'm curious.

I'm sometimes amazed at what measure of quality can be achieved by even the most primitive of bridge assemblies when handled by competently trained and experienced techs and vice versa.

(To wit: sophisticated equipment wielded by the unsophisticated.)

Thanks.

[gold star wsr]

I started in windshield repair with probably the most primative of equipment:

Plastic bridges that were a cheap knock-off of an already cheap product (I didnt know it at the time though), and the plastic injectors that use the rubber "boot" type seals... nothing fancy at all.

What I learned using this system was that good quality repairs can be accomplished no matter what the equipment is, if the repair person is willing to invest the time needed to achieve the desired results. Learning how to get a good seal, pulling vacuum, and applying pressure, as well as when and how often to cycle during any given repair are principals that vary little from the simplist to the 'most sophisticated' systems. But beyond all that, being able to know when the chip is completely filled, and staying with it to that point is the most important stage of the process. Because until the chip is filled completely, to the ends of all the legs, it is not repaired at all.

I still have the equipment I started with even though I upgraded to a better sytem years ago. And from time to time, I get it out and do some repairs with it. The main difference between cheap tools and better ones, (in my opinion, whatever that's worth) is the amount of time needed to do the same repair.

By the same token... one can have the 'best equipment' available, and still never achieve a level of quality repairs. Some of this may be attributed to poor training...particularly not being trained how to recognize when a repair is complete, and when it isnt. But anyone genuinely interested in doing good work soon learns how to determine when a chip is fixed and when it is not, and how to expidite the process, and what additional steps to take, if necessary, to ensure a good fill.

All this is true regardless if the repair person is using a 'bicycle' or a rolls royce.

[desertstars]

Exactly, Gold Star, exactly.

But, this is a good one.

We upgraded to the stainless-steel injector assemblies when they first appeared sometime back. (Actually, we started with aluminum but they aren't worth squat. If the assy happens to fall off the w/s, the stem will bend if it hits the ground at the right angle.)

A couple of months ago, we ordered a replacement for a lost set and when we received the new one, it arrived sans threads. Neither the stem nor the cylinder was threaded!

Obviously, it had slipped through the manufacturing process as well as quality control.

Or, so we thought.

Turns out they shipped us what they called the "carwash model".

I told them we weren't a "push and go" repair shop and to send us the "professional" model.