When to drill??

[mend master]

FREE???!!!! No freebie from me! I'm sorry if I gave that impression. The customer pays my regular rate or sometimes more depending on the difficulty and time involved.

[WindshieldScott]

lol. Thanks for the clarification. It was late and I was reading your post and trying to figure out how this could be a good business decision. Glad to find out that I'm not insane thinking that it was a ballsy move.

Thanks again for answering.

But getting back to drilling, I would say that drilling is considered the rule, but there are a few exceptions. Do you agree?

[mend master]

lol. Thanks for the clarification. It was late and I was reading your post and trying to figure out how this could be a good business decision. Glad to find out that I'm not insane thinking that it was a ballsy move.

Thanks again for answering.

But getting back to drilling, I would say that drilling is considered the rule, but there are a few exceptions. Do you agree?

Scott, as you can see from all the previous posts, there is MUCH room for discussion and disagreement on this issue. I use a premium injector, premium resins, have done hundreds of repairs, and am certified through another vendor. I say all that just to illustrate that I didn't start yesterday or even last week, not to indicate that I've "arrived" or am in any way, shape, or form the guru of windshield repair. I drill fairly often, though I would prefer not to drill at all. Drilling will typically leave a "tell", whereas if you can repair without drilling it can be much harder to find, depending on the size and scope of the original damage. In my experience, reworks demand drilling. Most "mustaches" or "eyebrows" will require drilling if you want to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time. Drill it, fill it, and move on. I'd rather drill and be sure the moisture is out, and the damage properly filled. Time is money when you're doing piece work like we do. Drilling is often a means to a quicker, and thorough repair, especially if your primary business are used cars like mine is at this point.

[shepardh1]

A properly repaired chip should last forever with only yellowing of the exterior resin. The $20 guys give it a nice 10-minute try, cure, leave and then brag that they never have to drill. When I am doing a new chip repair for a client and notice the old shoddy repair, I make it strong with no charge.

I DO do re-repairs of my competitor's poor work for FREE! It sucks when someone calls me to inspect a low-bidder's work and it is terrible and I have to drill a hole at the ends of 6 legs... but this does not happen often. It IS very frustrating when it does!

In my area, I figure each vehicle gets an average of 1 chip per year. I charge $60 for the first repair. So in 10 years, each loyal client is "worth" $600 to me. (plus their spouses and daughter's cars!) I will happily invest 30 to 60 minutes of my time to secure that client!

I only drill when necessary, not with bullseyes or some crescent breaks. I find that slight pressure from the inside out often opens them up ... but the windshield must be cool or it could split. What a sick feeling when a chip runs!!!

[puka pau]

Rather then the $20 price, it's more the 6.5 hours of training - or the thirty minute DVD - that results in substandard repairs. Walmart and Costco profit because they can sell the same brand name products for less than the mom and pop competition. In other words, they profit by selling volume. Just because you charge $60 and have passed a 40 question written exam doesn't necessarily make you more capable and consistent than someone who charges $20 and couldn't care less about being "certified". There was a guy who ran a WSR forum about ten or so years ago who used to attribute substandard work to "ten minute repairs". So I asked him how long he thought a repair should take to result in a cosmetically appealing and structurally adequate effort. I never got a response. Frankly, I'd be way more suspicious of someone who has to get $60 to make ends meet. To me, $60 means that person isn't working a whole lot. And not working a lot translates pretty directly to inexperience rather than competence.

Cheers;

Puka Pau

[paulrsf]

To say that "$60 means that person isn't working a whole lot. And not working a lot translates pretty directly to inexperience rather than competence" is quite a generalization. Its up to each of us to set what we feel is a fair price for our service. Different markets/locations can handle different rates. Also I don't see how setting a $60 rate has anything what so ever to do with not working a lot, incompetence or inexperience. In fact, as far as I am concerned, setting a rate that is too low is what translates to inexperience. The temptation is to charge too little hoping to get more business that way. From my own experience, charging too little leads to making too little.

[screenman]

I would rather do half as much work for twice as much money. Turnover for vanity profit for sanity.

[paulrsf]

Amen

[t4k]

I would rather do half as much work for twice as much money. Turnover for vanity profit for sanity.

I concur.

[puka pau]

We'd all like to do half the work for twice the money. How about doing 1/10th the work for ten times the money? If so, why don't you charge $600/repair instead of sixty? Then you'd really, really, really be sane. Reminds me of the old joke about the guy selling apples on the street corner. Customer asks him how much for an apple. $25,000 says the guy. Wow, says the customer. At that price I guess you don't sell a whole lot. Oh, about two or so a year says the guy. You call it profit for sanity, I call it terminal boredom sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. If all I was doing was three or four repairs a day and picking my nose the rest of the time I'd absolutely be doing something else because I would not be able to justify calling myself a business. But I guess that's just me. To each his own. Practice makes perfect. Lack of it is what causes those "$20 repairs".

Cheers;

Puka Pau