Hey I did my first scratch removal. I had one of my dealerships give me a call and said they had a new car that was vandilized. When I looked it had been hit by a rock or something but no break just scratches. I said I can try to get them out but they are kind of deep. They said ok if you can't get them out we have to put a new windshield in anyway. So I took it back to the shop and polished away.
This was my first time to do this so I was a little scared about getting the windshield to hot and cracking it. Well after 2 hours I was done. It was a rainy day so was not able to do other repairs anyway. 2 hours. I did not expect it to take so long. I took it back and he liked it and paid me. I don't think I will do another unless the weather does not permit regular repairs.
Too much time for too little money. But I guess the guys at the dealership think I am a mircle worker now. So I guess maybe making them happy was worth it?
How long does it take you to do a scratch? This one was about 10 scratches in the area of a dollar bill. They were deep. You could catch you finger nail on them easy.
Scratch removal sucks
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Nelson
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maxryde
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Scratch removal sucks
Hey Nelson, You didn't say what equipment you were using? I looked at scratch removal and after research found it to be time consuming and labor intensive so I backed away from doing the heavy stuff I will polish a light scratch but no more Scott:~)
My best mentor one said " be fair with your priceing but never too low, be honest with your customer/competition, when the day is done be sure you have done "good works", and always leave something of value on the barganing table!!
While my friend and trainer/ mentor Ray has moved on, his words live.
While my friend and trainer/ mentor Ray has moved on, his words live.
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dgarza
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scratch removal
are we talking scratches on the windshield or body?
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dgarza
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sydfloyd44
Please don't take this the wrong way....
Did you check it for distortion when you were finished?
If you spent 2 hours buffing a dollar bill sized scratched area that could easily be felt with your fingernail and you actually removed them, I would be quite concerned.
Again, don't take this the wrong way!! Just makes me wonder how much distortion is really there. If it is no where near the vision, not a big deal and probably won't be noticed anyway.
Did you check it for distortion when you were finished?
If you spent 2 hours buffing a dollar bill sized scratched area that could easily be felt with your fingernail and you actually removed them, I would be quite concerned.
Again, don't take this the wrong way!! Just makes me wonder how much distortion is really there. If it is no where near the vision, not a big deal and probably won't be noticed anyway.
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StarQuest
Nelson,
When you get a chance let us know what you were using for equipment to buff these scratches out? The system I use would normally only require 15-20 minutes to buff the described damage. If your using a very basic buffing system.... it would take two hours or more because their not meant to remove deep scratches. Just curious?
When you get a chance let us know what you were using for equipment to buff these scratches out? The system I use would normally only require 15-20 minutes to buff the described damage. If your using a very basic buffing system.... it would take two hours or more because their not meant to remove deep scratches. Just curious?
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glassdoctor
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Nelson,
Been there done that. It's not something you want to do very much. But it's nice to have the ability to be the hero, especially for a good account. I don't look at the $/time of the job, but the value of making the dealer happy. They won't easily forget if you save them $$ doing something very very few people do.
The worst part of doing scratches is the ones that either don't come out completely or are really too long, too bad to do. You have to choose between blowing half a day or telling them sorry, can't do it.
Several times, I have wished I never picked up scratch equipment. You know exactly what I mean, don't you?
Been there done that. It's not something you want to do very much. But it's nice to have the ability to be the hero, especially for a good account. I don't look at the $/time of the job, but the value of making the dealer happy. They won't easily forget if you save them $$ doing something very very few people do.
The worst part of doing scratches is the ones that either don't come out completely or are really too long, too bad to do. You have to choose between blowing half a day or telling them sorry, can't do it.
Several times, I have wished I never picked up scratch equipment. You know exactly what I mean, don't you?
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Nelson
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I have the scratch removal system from Glass Mechanixs. The damaged area was in the lower area of the windshield on the passenger side. Yes there was some distortion if you looked at if from the outside in but when on the inside of the auto you have to look down at the ground to see it. It was on a cab over 2 ton truck with flat windshield. The distortion did not make a difference.
If you can get this out in 15 min with another system which one is it? And how much does it cost? I do not want to invest very much money in this since I will not be doing it very often.
I agree that making my dealer happy was worth more than the money.
If you can get this out in 15 min with another system which one is it? And how much does it cost? I do not want to invest very much money in this since I will not be doing it very often.
I agree that making my dealer happy was worth more than the money.
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StarQuest
Hey Nelson,
I use a Scratch Hog II system. The equipment is not cheap, about 3 times the cost of Glass Mechanix system. I was fortunate though, found somebody that had only used it once and wanted to get rid of it for half what he paid. Not really pushing glass buffing or the product to anybody but it works with some practice and patience.
The only reason I ever bought this unit is because somebody was attempting to steal my dealership accounts by offering a complete service not limited too chip repair. So I felt challenged to do something about it after seeing him on my lots one to many times. It's a 3 part cutting and buffing system designed for some serious scratch removal. Apparently it was better then what this guy was using, cause never seen him again and still kept all my accounts.
What you have is probably fine to keep your dealers happy. In the future just stay away from those really deep scratches unless you have the "HOG" First step is using a diamond pad which is basically a meat grinder that needs some control over or you'll get yourself in lots of trouble. Many times I find myself just doing simple wiper blade scuffs or side glass scuffs using less abrasive 2nd and 3rd step pads which only take 10-20 minutes. It can be a pain sometimes but find it helpful when things are slow and look for additional income.
I use a Scratch Hog II system. The equipment is not cheap, about 3 times the cost of Glass Mechanix system. I was fortunate though, found somebody that had only used it once and wanted to get rid of it for half what he paid. Not really pushing glass buffing or the product to anybody but it works with some practice and patience.
The only reason I ever bought this unit is because somebody was attempting to steal my dealership accounts by offering a complete service not limited too chip repair. So I felt challenged to do something about it after seeing him on my lots one to many times. It's a 3 part cutting and buffing system designed for some serious scratch removal. Apparently it was better then what this guy was using, cause never seen him again and still kept all my accounts.
What you have is probably fine to keep your dealers happy. In the future just stay away from those really deep scratches unless you have the "HOG" First step is using a diamond pad which is basically a meat grinder that needs some control over or you'll get yourself in lots of trouble. Many times I find myself just doing simple wiper blade scuffs or side glass scuffs using less abrasive 2nd and 3rd step pads which only take 10-20 minutes. It can be a pain sometimes but find it helpful when things are slow and look for additional income.
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