Windshield Repair Forum

Safelite says they use a primer solution, to remove impurities and to clean the break prior to beginning the repair.
They also say they have the most superior resin on the market.
What do you all think about this?
What do you think the primer solution is?

I think we need some truth in advertising.
Lots of shops advertise as skilled, trained , certified that aren't.
I fell sorry for the customers that get taken for a ride every day by misleading companies.

A few weeks ago I had a older couple call me (I say older, they were simply retired). Anyway, they had stopped here in town to have the company in question take a look at their chip and give them an estimate of how much it would cost to have it repaired. What this gentleman told me was they were told was "by the time the chip was properly cleaned, primed and repaired the cost would be $108.50." The man said thanks but no thanks. As he was leaving the other company mentioned to him that he might check with his insurance company. The man did, they called me and he was very pleased that he saved $108.50 and I picked up a happy customer and hopefully a new referral customer. My point here is that the other company may be big but they are not very wise.

And that same job that would have paid them $108.50 only paid you $60 to $70. And the insurance industry is convinced that using a third party administror for glass claims is a great thing. Hmmm, a few extra dollors floating around there!

To help you understand their pricing policy, you need a little history lesson on the development of the insurer/glass company tie up.
Back in the seventies, in the uk (where the Belron business model was born), the replacement market ( no repair then) was a pirate market. Car owners who needed a glass replacement were being ripped off big time because windscreens/ windshields were made of toughened glass and needed an immediate replacement when they shattered. Garages and motorway service stations held the windscreen companies to ransom, demanding high commission payments to have the replacement rights on their properties. These costs were passed onto the motorist who then passed their claim onto their insurer. Ronnie Lubner saw the opportunity to capture the market. He bought Autoglass ( then owned by Royal Doulton) and Windshields and formed AutoglassWindshields, creating a national company. He then guaranteed the insurance companies set prices, no matter where they were in the UK. The insurance companies jumped at this and within the space of five years the business grew ten fold, making it the biggest company in the uk. Using this basic model the business grew and grew to what it is today. So if someone asks the price of a windscreen or a repair they will be quoted the full price. The price the insurance company actually pays is something only a few people know. They are controlled at board level. So that is why quoted prices are so high, Safelite( Belron) will not discount at ground level and risk their relationship with the insurance companies.

It seems they use some sort of acetone as a "dry out" solution. A couple guys discussed it a while back on the forum: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8403&p=56211&hilit=acetone#p56211

I would never put anything into a break that isn't resin. Just my opinion. As far as the quality of resin they use, I can only speak from my experience in seeing previous Safelite repairs. I've seen quite a few on customer cars and I always notice the legs on combination and star breaks. They are always kind of white/gray and visible. Similar to filling a break with moisture in it. The majority of their repairs I've seen just don't look very good, and could be poor workmanship, tools, resin, or a combination of each. Quality resin goes a long way.

On a much different note, I did a repair on a 1939 Dodge truck today. Pretty neat to see it considering not many civilian trucks made it past WWII. Repair turned out perfect, by the way.

-Marty

I use acetone on almost everything. Out here the hi-line cars get Rain-x and other contamination in the glass. The only way I know to get it out is acetone in an eyedropper while flexing with a probe. I use an evaporator or the sun to dry it out. The clean-out takes an extra couple minutes, but I think it is worth it.

Safelite is not a word we are allowed to use around our shop. I make it a point to let the customer know about safelites history. When I started glass work we bought safelite glass because of the price. After a few years of constant returned glass.. like as in about 50 percent... we quit. The glass had distorts and depressions in the glass. Enough that customers would return and complain. We had a standing poilcy to inspect all glass against a striped wall. Safelite couldn't sell their own glass so they started installing their own glass. Now they are a greedy cut throat company. Their ads show the independant glass company as a inferior hack. Implying that we use inferior products. Most independant shops are seasoned professionals that have been doing glass work for over 10 years. Most safelite employees are college students with 2 days of on the job training. Sorry for my rant... Just telling it like it is ! ! !

I have had many of the guys who have been using those techniques come to me for training, when they want to start doing proper quality repairs. I have run many side by side tests using the methods and the tooling they use, it seldom does well.

Bad idea to put acetone or alcohol into a break. Softens, melts might be a more accurate description, the PVB. No need if a moisture evaporator is used to dry out.