Tips to repair flat truck/trailer windshields

[maxryde]

Windshield Guy, We do a fair amount of trucks and use delta's equipment with no problem. I use a syringe to deliver the resin to the seal is the only thing and by all means stand on the tire with the hood rocked forward or as needed we use a 5' ladder on cab over units!! Nothing like a couple hundred trucks in a row to make a guy SMILE!!! You can effectively lower you price to help the truckers out and still make a nice buck, everyone wins!! Just remember they will be more upset about an unwanted intrusion on the inside of the rig!! Some of these guys call that home!! ALLWAYS ask the driver to enter the rig and be respectfull, don't move stuff around etc. You can ask them to position your inspection mirror or do without. This of coarse applys to owner opperated rigs only.

Best of luck. Scott

[screenman]

Novus style is just a type of injector that allows for front loading with resin.Esprit use the same style injector just do a search on the net and you will find them.

[GlassStarz]

I do 5 or 6 canadian trucks a week 1 day a week I pull into the little truck stop we have and walk the line $40 in that funny colored money seems to be the going rate.
When its slow or I finished early I will stop in for some cash but generaly stay away from the trucks if i can. Do alot of quebec cars in the winter as well dont know why they would be different 1 mile north? think maybe you might want to look at what your doing wrong if it slows off that much for you.
I think winter sales are the easiest dude fix it now or pay for a replacement next week

[Sneck]

#1 AWKWARD WAY TO SET UP ON VERTICAL GLASS IS..
If you use a standard injector, you just need to use a lot of resin, at least enough to get the level of the resin to completely cover the end of the injector without inducing air into the break. I use a syringe with a blunt needle to put the resin in the bottom of the injector as it is mounted to the vertical glass. After I use the syringe to place the resin in the bottom of the injector, quicky thread your piston into the injector before the resin runs out. Repair as normal.


#2 AWKWARD WAY TO SET UP ON VERTICAL GLASS IS..
Some techs have used their injectors without the aid of the bridge. This would allow them the flexibility to put the resin into the injector (with a finger over the end to keep resin from flowing out - then install the piston and turn the injector assy upside down until you are ready to quicky position it over the break. Flip the injector over and by holding it with your hand, place it over the damage - and essentially repair as normal (but you are now using your hand to hold the injector instead of using the bridge).


LESS AWKWARD WAY TO SET UP ON VERTICAL GLASS..
Use an injector such as GM (Glass Mechanix) which allows you to put your resin into the injector prior to mounting to the windshield. It is designed for use in vertical glass.

I have not done too many vertical glass jobs, but if there is a better way, I am all ears too!

[Windshield Guy]

Windshield Guy, We do a fair amount of trucks and use delta's equipment with no problem. I use a syringe to deliver the resin to the seal is the only thing and by all means stand on the tire with the hood rocked forward or as needed we use a 5' ladder on cab over units!! Nothing like a couple hundred trucks in a row to make a guy SMILE!!! You can effectively lower you price to help the truckers out and still make a nice buck, everyone wins!! Just remember they will be more upset about an unwanted intrusion on the inside of the rig!! Some of these guys call that home!! ALLWAYS ask the driver to enter the rig and be respectfull, don't move stuff around etc. You can ask them to position your inspection mirror or do without. This of coarse applys to owner opperated rigs only.

Best of luck. Scott

Thanks to all who replied with your tips .. it seems like a whole host of injectors can be used... which is the ultimate I should use? Which is the Lexus of them all????? Thanks!!

[Finch]

I have been doing w/s repairs for several years, and on the big trucks I have found that if you get a big fanny pack it will hold all you need for the w/s repair. As for the glass cleaner I got a small squirt bottle and filled it up with cleaner so it does not take up much room,paper towles fit it the back pocket of pants. Most fleet customers don't care if you stand on the motor JUST DON'T BREAK ANYTHING. other wise you will be doing chips for free for the next several years

Finch

[CPR]

I use a hunting/fishing vest with alot of pockets, it will hold everything you need.

[dgarza]

snek,
I would wear the suit and other gagets but i would absolutly have to draw the line on the bat-probe!

[repare-brise]

Yes the market slows in the winter but it does not die. There are a few things you can add to round out your offerings that will make you indispesable to dealers and fleets. The first is glass polishing/scratch removal, with our winters sand in slush+wipers = scratch removal=profits. If you can offer a good scratch removal service to your customers you will be first on there list for WSR as well. Dealer would rather pay you $100 to fix there WS than $200+ to replace as long as your work is faultless. For the retai customer, and fleets a service that you can offer that keeps them comming back in the winter is glass treatment. When I do a WSR I treat the windshield and 1/2 of the drivers side window. The treatment has 2 main benifits, first is increased visibility, and the second is easier snow/ice removal. The first time the customer has to scrape his/her windows they will be on the phone to you to treat the rest of there glass. I charge $30 for the windshield alone, or $60 for the complete car, and $75 for a wagon/suv/minivan. For fleets glass treatment is also a valuable add on. The inceased visibility that a good treatment gives can help reduce accidents. The day a driver with a treated WS sais to the dispatcher that the treatment helped his avoid an accident, they are life long repeat customers. For fleets(of large trucks) I charge (WS only) $40 for 1-9 trucks, $30 for 10-24, and $25 for 25 or more. The treatment takes about 10-15mins to apply, lasts 2-3 months, and costs less that $1 per application. While you are there you can inspect and repair any breaks. I have many fleets that are now hooked on the treatments(and the trucker have me do there personal vehicules(I charge corperate rates, not retail). Treatments alone are not enough for a living,but combined with scratch removal and WSR, you wont have time to take a ski vacation this winter.

Merci

[Windshield Guy]

Whoa... so can I just get this right cause I wasn't quite clear:

do you offer the treatment for free or offer the $100 w/ the whole shabang including the WSR and the scratch removal? Which is the best kit to use for this? Besides the truck fleet contracts, how do you entice the buyer? I am thinking of going into this but seems they are quite expensive? How does one practice for this -- video? I cannot quite imagine this working by practicing on a junkie old windshield as they are probably scratched up so bad anyway? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again for your input.

Yes the market slows in the winter but it does not die. There are a few things you can add to round out your offerings that will make you indispesable to dealers and fleets. The first is glass polishing/scratch removal, with our winters sand in slush+wipers = scratch removal=profits. If you can offer a good scratch removal service to your customers you will be first on there list for WSR as well. Dealer would rather pay you $100 to fix there WS than $200+ to replace as long as your work is faultless. For the retai customer, and fleets a service that you can offer that keeps them comming back in the winter is glass treatment. When I do a WSR I treat the windshield and 1/2 of the drivers side window. The treatment has 2 main benifits, first is increased visibility, and the second is easier snow/ice removal. The first time the customer has to scrape his/her windows they will be on the phone to you to treat the rest of there glass. I charge $30 for the windshield alone, or $60 for the complete car, and $75 for a wagon/suv/minivan. For fleets glass treatment is also a valuable add on. The inceased visibility that a good treatment gives can help reduce accidents. The day a driver with a treated WS sais to the dispatcher that the treatment helped his avoid an accident, they are life long repeat customers. For fleets(of large trucks) I charge (WS only) $40 for 1-9 trucks, $30 for 10-24, and $25 for 25 or more. The treatment takes about 10-15mins to apply, lasts 2-3 months, and costs less that $1 per application. While you are there you can inspect and repair any breaks. I have many fleets that are now hooked on the treatments(and the trucker have me do there personal vehicules(I charge corperate rates, not retail). Treatments alone are not enough for a living,but combined with scratch removal and WSR, you wont have time to take a ski vacation this winter.

Merci