[Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Discuss all aspects of windshield replacement, including techniques, billing, etc.
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[Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by cousinit99 »

Please take a look at these photos, and tell me if you, as an industry professional, would be satisfied with this workmanship. Thanks


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Brent Deines
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by Brent Deines »

Nope!
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by cousinit99 »

Sorry, I shouldn't have asked inverse forms of the same question. Do you mean nope as in nope, you wouldn't expect a customer/warranty complaint, or nope, you wouldn't be satisfied with this workmanship?
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by ghost rider »

Brent, please clarify which question you are saying " nope! " to.
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by Brent Deines »

No I would not be satisfied if I was the customer and if I were the technician I would fully expect an unhappy customer. I certainly would never release a vehicle to a customer looking like that and would be very disappointed with myself and/or my technicians if a customer brought a vehicle back to me in the condition after my shop had replaced the windshield at an earlier date.

To be fair however, I am only going by the photos you posted and assuming this was the way the car was delivered to you or something that happened after you had your windshield replaced with no ill intent on your part. I have not heard the story from both sides so it is not my intention to pass judgement, only to offer my opinion based on the evidence you presented.

Have you taken the car back to the glass shop and given them a chance to make it right? If so, what was the result?
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by cousinit99 »

I promise you, there is absolutely no ill intent or funny business going on. The vehicle's original windshield was still installed just 4 hours prior to those pictures being taken, and the original windshield was most certainly not butchering the moulding like that prior to the windshield being replaced.

I just wanted to seek the professional, but otherwise unbiased opinions of some folks in the industry prior to complaining to the company that replaced the windshield, so I sincerely appreciate your input. I like to be fair and give people the benefit of my doubts when possible.
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by Brent Deines »

Ideally, after your windshield has been replaced it and all associated moldings should look look just like it did when it came from the factory. Realistically not every replacement will look as good as it did from the factory but the differences should be extremely minimal and not noticalble to the customer. Sometimes things go wrong. Maybe an employee makes a mistake, maybe an aftermarket part does not fit quite right, maybe the ARG glass does not fit quite right, etc. These are not excuses for poor workmanship just a reality of the imperfect world we live in.

Judging from your photos the molding may never have come in contact with the Urethane so although the design of the molding will sometimes hold it in place temporarily there was nothing to hold it in place permanently. If it looked okay when it left the shop the installer may not have even known the moldiing was not properly held in place by the Urethane. I really can't imagine anyone allowing it to leave the shop looking like it did in the photos. This is why I asked if you gave the Glass company a chance to make it right. As long as the windshield was installed properly it may or may not be a simple matter to re-install the molding and secure it properly.

I always like to give installers the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance to correct any mistakes that may have been made while installing a windshield before getting too upset about it. If a shop owner refuses to make it right that is unexceptable.
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by cousinit99 »

After getting some feedback from you earlier today, I went ahead and initiated contact with the company that performed the installation. I did not mention you or your company by name, or even that I had already sought advice from a third party. I simply mentioned that I'm fairly certain there's an issue with the work quality of the installation. I sent the gentleman some of the pictures above and called him back a few minutes later as I said I would. However, he didn't pick up for some reason when I did, so I left him a message and asked him to return my call. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet. I'll probably have to try again tomorrow. :(
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by cousinit99 »

Brent Deines wrote:If it looked okay when it left the shop the installer may not have even known the moldiing was not properly held in place by the Urethane. I really can't imagine anyone allowing it to leave the shop looking like it did in the photos.
Unfortunately, this was an on-site replacement. They came to where the vehicle was, replaced the windshield, and that was that. Those pictures were taken about 3 hours after the installation had been completed, and the vehicle had not been moved in between the time the installers left and when the pictures were taken three hours later.
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Re: [Moulding Fail] If this was your workmanship, would you expect a customer/warranty complaint?

Post by Brent Deines »

Hopefully the company that did the installation will call you back and will make it right with you. If they don't and it was a cash job you may have to take them to small claims court to get your money back. If it was an insurance job you can report it to your insurance company and let them deal with it. They will likely tell you to go to a reputable glass shop for evaluation and repair or replacement. If you do take it to another shop ask them to test for water and air leaks, wind noise, and proper glass fitment. If they don't know how to do any of those things you are in the wrong shop.

Impossible to tell for sure from the photos but it's quite possible that it is just a cosmetic issue and quite easy to fix. Less likely but still possible is that the glass will need to be removed and reset. A bit more of a job but still not all that difficult for a qualified technician in most cases. It's doubtful anyone else will guarantee the glass will not break if it has to be removed however. I've done quite a few R&R jobs without breaking the glass but I would never guarantee it if I did not do the original installation.

Not sure why you chose the company you did but in this industry the lowest price is not always the best choice. On the other hand, paying more doesn't necessarily guarantee you will get a better job so it's difficult for consumers to choose a reputable shop. Although I've done plenty of mobile installations myself my preference is an in shop installation but that is not a guarantee of quality either.

Just out of curiosity, how long did the installation take?

Good job taking photos and documenting your experience. That will be helpful if you end up going to court or reporting it to your insurance company. Before photos would be helpful as well but not necessary.
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