Cold weather problems????

[glassdude]

Help!
What do you do or how do you do it. I mean doing repairs in cold weather. You know, 20 - 30 degrees outside. Is there a proper way or is the repair business pretty much a bust in the winter time? Please advise.

Thanks,
Jeff

[repare-brise]

Jeff

The cold doesn't stop me from repairing most defects. My technique is to warm the windshiend using the defroster, and keep it hot throughout the repair process. This also gives the technician the time to warm-up between cycles. Good clothing is also a must. One little note keep your injectors warm Before putting resin in them, warm resin in a cold injector will cause condensation which will reduce the effectivness of the repair by mixing in water with the resin. The injectors and resin should ideally be the same temp. If you do a repair in a garage make sure your resins and tolls are close to room temp before starting, once again the condensation bug.

Merci

Yvan Lacroix
http://www.repare-brise.net

[screenman]

Jeff

I go along with everything Yvan has said but as I have stated in previous posts it is very important to be warm and comfortable yourself, If you are not you will find yourself under achieving because you want to get home quicker.

Cold is an obstacle but with a little determination we can still do a lot of good quality work.

[StarQuest]

I have to be honest. At 20-30 degrees you'd still find me walking my lots minus a coat with just a pair of gloves on. I really don't consider it cold here until temps drop below 10 degrees. Heck, I still install windshields outside at 5-10 degrees.

Like Screenman stated you have to dress comfortable. If your not comfortable you'll rush repairs and end up with less than desirable finished results. Winter repairs do require additional patience and planning. I personally layer all my clothing during the winter. I don't like bulky, so have invested in some really effecient thin thermal undergarments found at most ski wear departments. If I can keep my hands, feet, and head warm, I'm good to go for most of the day.

Also wanted to mention 75% of winter repairs for me are on fleet trucks and I don't have access to keys or starting them. This is when I'll utilize a plumbers torch to slowly heat shield starting 12"-18" from damaged area until it's luke warm to the touch. I'll then pull out my butane heat pen or dry star to dry out impact area and will always wait 45-60 seconds before setting up equipment. Need to let glass settle and relax some before applying injector stem pressure. I guess the most important thing to remember during cold weather repairs is everything needs to be done gradually. In other words don't shock the glass!

[GlassStarz]

Myself my solution for cold is simple today was -12f with a breeze i stayed home problem solved
+10f I might work +20f I definatly work - anything and frig it I dont need the money that bad BRRRR

[glassdoctor]

dittos... below 10 degrees is when I usually hang it up. But it does depend on wind and sunshine too.

Today here it was in the upper 20s but overcast and steady 20-30 mph winds.. it was almost worse than single digit "nice" weather.

I have only worked 1-2 days a week the last 2 weeks due to 0 degrees and lots of iced and snow. But that's probably the worst we will see for the year. I don't usually miss that much especially two weeks in a row...

[magicogar]

When you guys turn on the defroster, do you guys leave the engine running throughout the repair process? I tried letting the engine running for at least 5 min. and the windshield is still cold. And when the windshield is finally warmed up, I turned off the engine but the windshield quickly became cold again within I say 5 min or less. What do the customers think if you're running their engine for a long period of time? I would myself definitely don't like that plus with the gas prices as high as it is right now.

[StarQuest]

Magicogar,

When I do have access to starting vehicles I'll leave them running through the entire repair. At the dealerships I often have 4-5 vehicles running at the same time before setting up and have never had one manager complain or challenge me. Just make sure beforehand your courteous enough to explain why your doing this and they'll never have a problem.

If it's a mobile insurance job I'll always call 15-20 minutes ahead and tell customer to heat up vehicle prior to my arrival. It's also very important to tell customer how you want them to adjust heater controls. Manual control settings should always be at mid level or lower. If they have electronic controls I'll tell them not to run in defrost mode at all and to only use vent settings until I get there. Why? Simply because with electronic systems set on defrost even at 60 degrees they'll still blast the windshield with to much heat to fast. Dealership car porters are notorious for making these mistakes in winter with cars that have windshield damage. Just last week I had to replace 5 shields that could've been repaired.

[glassdoctor]

I always start the vehcile and set the controls to high/hot/defrost. All systems 100%... The air will gradually warm as the engine warms up. I don' tfind any problem doing this... no cracked glass yet.

Well, I had one car crack out in about 1992 that had +1/4" solid ice on the w/s. I don't recall how I ran the heater etc.... but it cracked before I could work on it.

For retail customers, I don't think they will mind letting their car idle for 15-20 minutes... explain that the evenly warmed glass allows for the best quality repair. They won't care...

The amount of time to warm the w/s depends on outside temp, wind, etc... 5-10 minutes usually gets at least the lower areas warm. I usually use a torch also to warm the repair area from the outside. The heat inside the car helps keep the repair area warm even if the defrost has not got that far yet. (like at the top or edge...)

Sorry if I had typos.. my 2 year old is on my lap buggin me

[GlassStarz]

I dont always warm before the repair on stars starting the defrost while the injector is on. If its not filling well turn it off again sometimes this works on the nasty leg that wont fill. With the warming and cooling you are working the legs and sometimes the old match on the inside works well. My point is that there is no set way each break is different and thats where the experience comes in.