Windshield Repair Forum

Ahhhh, that oxygen feels good, thanks jeff....

To answer in reverse order of posting here goes.

Dave M. In Quebec there are no reguklarly schedualed inspections for cars, but a yearly for transport trucks. So far the WS's we have fixed have all passed inspection(it is part of our warrenty), and yes controling multiple injectors while in a rush is when I broke the WS(it was about 100 in the shade, the black van was in the sun)

Bob, you omitted one thing(which may not apply for you but it does in the north), a cold WS with sudden blast from a hot defroster makes my crack repair stats go up. People have those nifty remote car starters, and the habit of leaving the heat controls on defrost with the fan on high, combine that with 3 inches of show on the WS, 0 deg temps, a star in the lower third of the WS, and you have a recepie for a crack. Also on a cold day(under 5f) a WS in the wind will cool down rapidly, but the engine does not, return to the car in 30 mins and the WS is down to ambient temp, but the coolent in the block is still aroud 150, start car with defrost on high(like you left it) and watch the star turn into a crack.

Starquest What you describe I would consider a break, and give the customer the option before repairing further. Yes I have broken a WS but thanks to my (bad)experiance my tech's have not repeated my error. I don't provide stat's for my ego(considering the bad stat is mine not my tech's), but as a reference for others. IE: a new tech reading here can know what to expect, if he/she is breaking one in 500, well it,s time to post a question, on the other hand if they have done 2000 and no breaks, well they are doing somethig right. As I said before the broken WS isn't a money problem but a work related problem(as Bob so aptly described possible contributing factors) I have learned from my mistake and so have my tech's, we always open the windows and let the vehicule cool down(or now it's more start the car and let the WS heat up ) And I can confirm that my techs have not broken any WS's( we do a random call back of customers to see how they liked the service, the tech's know this and also know that if I get a negative comment, they are vunnerable to corrective action) and if they did I would be the first to know. We are all here to share and profit from everyone's success and failure(it's much better to learn form you older brothers mistakes than to have to repeat them yourself. and finally merci means thanks my name is Yvan .


Merci

Yvan sorry I am a bitlate joining this one. I have personaly cracked out beyond repair 4 windscreens since I started all down to my own lack of attention.

I sometimes see a leg run a bit but of course when they are nice and clean they are a real treat to fill.

I always sell the fact that we are trying to repair something that is already broken and there is a chance of the damage getting worse. I do not pay for a replacement screen and have not lost a customer becuase of this .

CPR
Re crack repair stronger than original repairs.

We have a BS standard over here that tests windscreen repair resins and equipment and 2 of the resins I know of have passed this test at over 127% of the strenght of the original glass when tested on cracks.

Why the fear on crack repairs they are easy to do and work well with the right techniques all the techs I have trained have no problem at all. I personaly do cracks up to and above 12 inches in coach and lorry screens nearly every day, If I did not then someone else would.

Screenman

Thanks for the reply, 4 in 31,000+ is a good track record, even though 3 were caused due to a repeat error(if you never make mistakes it's because you never do anything, but if you repaet a mistake it,s because you never learn anything(an old french proverb translated, it doesn't sound so offensive in french, but it's worth a ponder). As far as crack repair it doesn't scare me at all, I quite enjoy them. On my business card my slogan is 'yes we can fix it"(Once again a translation), due to the repeat question"can you fix this, the other glass replacement shops told me that larger than a dime is too big to fix" It's fun showing the customer that the replacement shops were less than honest with them, it gives me great word-of-mouth references.

Merci

In the cases where the Dealership is a main source of revenue I agree with offering to pay the $100 deductable. Most dealers will waive it if they know ahead of time the risk involved with doing repairs. But like the man said....Don't bite the hands that feed you!
NXQX

I dont do cracks because of the Florida glass coverage, free replacement with comp insurance. If you can see the repair=unhappy customer.

CPR with the law being what itis in Fla. How do you approach potential customers? My sister lives in Panama City and has had 5 replacements in as many years due to the # of miles she drives. She is in real estate and moves between Ohio and Fla often. They wrecked her install at least once. Screwed up the pinchweld, rust, leaks, etc... My mother who lived there untill she passed away a few years back utilized repair frequently and was a very vocal advocate for whom ever was doing her work!! So my question is what adjustment for the sales pitch (we talk about free with most customers here) would a person need to consider in the Fla market.