Crack repair - where do u draw the line?

[splitpit]

Crack repair, which obviously has a higher risk of failure, is something that some shops avoid entirely. Others do a lot of it. But where do you draw the line? How long is too long? Do you warranty all of your crack repairs or only up to a certain length? Most insurance carriers don't want them done beyond 6 inches. What do you do if it's an insurance job and it's 7 inches? How do you cover your cost on crack repair if it's an insurance job? Do you bill it as only a single repair or as multiples?

I'm sure that in this topic there are many variables from shop to shop, as to how you handle crack repairs.

[splitpit]

My above question also pertains to non insurance cash jobs. Where do you draw the line and what are you willing to give a full warranty on?

[SGT]

Straight, New, Non Acute up to 12"

[MJDShield]

Even tho I am new to the field , I tend to agree with SGT in his response. Mike

[Daveycrewcut]

According to ROLAGS section 6.3, long cracks over 14 inches should not be repaired. Insurance companies oftentimes will cover cracks longer than 6" but it has to be at the customer's insistance. Since there is no EDI "part number" for a long crack, you should notify the claim center that you will be billing for 2 or 3 chips due to the length of the crack. If it is an insurance job, they will expect the usual warranty. If it is a cash job, decide whether the warranty applies based on the age of the crack and how much it may have been contaminated. Make sure the customer knows the warranty before you do the repair.

[SGT]

Yeah it would be nice to make 100.00 to 125.00 for a crack repair. My market will not bear that price though. It should as I live on the east coast PA/NJ/NY. All my crack repairs are under 100.00. I do not do many as most are to long by the time I get the call. Others are jagged, hookturn and zig zagging . I cherry pick what I want to do and try to referr the rest to my local shop for the 50.00 referral fee.

[screenman]

I feel there are too many variables to answer this question, whilst I agree sometimes with a low price screen replacement may be an option. Some of the windshields we repair cots in excess of $2,500 and a lot of this glass due to its size is well away from the drivers vision, in this case long crack repair is a very good alternative to expensive replacement. Now if resin is sold and tested to be stronger than the glass when it is fully cured why should we not do long crack repair in areas that cause no distraction. Using the methods we do most long cracks 18 inches plus should only take a couple of minutes to fill, with the long UV lamps about 15 minutes to cure. The longest part is drying out but again this is something I feel we have mastered and most cracks this lenght will take about 10 minutes. All in all about 40 minutes finished, now there are guys out there that cannot do a bullseye properly in that time so add on skill as another variable. I judge each job as I come to them and have nothing set in stone. We have BS standards over here that are exactly that BS. Using Magnibond has in my mind made long crack repair failure a thing of the past, since changing over we have not had 1 failure.

[splitpit]

That brings to mind another question. Is the bonding strength of standard vicosity repair resin any different than that of thicker viscosity specialized crack repair resins? In other words, do you use the same resin for crack repair that you also use for chip repair?

[splitpit]

Heck SGT, for a $50 referal fee I would send ALL of my crack repairs to a replacement shop! Talk about no nonsense easy money! With the margins so low now on replacement in my area, there's no way in the world that the glass shops I work with would pay me $50 to send them a customer!!!!!!
They do send me repair customers and I send them replacement customers.
None of the replacement shops in my local area do repair anymore so the trade-off with them works great!

[Glassdoc]

Although I (for the record) (due to past litigation) do not do crack repair.. I cut them off at 10-12 inches unless it goes straight across the top or bottom.. I've done them on the bottom from side to side. Pricing- 6 inches $65, 8 inches - $85, 10-12 inches- $95.. If they exceed 10-12 inches its an additional $5 per inch up to 16inches.. I normally will try to talk the customer into a replacement if its over 10 inches.. But, it is their money.. Any crack 10 inches and under i will stand behind for up to one year.. As for the "myth" that thicker viscosity resins hold better.. Myth is the key word there.. Won't mention the company name, but will say its based out of NZ and their resin is thin yet super strong. They actually endorse repair on air craft windscreens.. So.... But, i do ask all the particulars.. How long is the crack, how long has it been on the windshield, what caused it, how often do you wash your car, do you use rain-x type products.. etc. etc.. And I will analyze the answers and let them know if i am interested in doing the repair.. Longest crack I ever filled took 3 hours, was just shy of 6 feet long total length on a custom made bus, that a replacement would have cost $4500 and would have had to come from S.America.. I billed the job at $500 + tax... Had a check in my hand when I left and that bus still passes state inspection every year and I did that job 7 years ago..