Windshield Repair Forum

I've found various sources that indicate that there are approximately 30,000 w/s replacements per day in the US.

Sounds high, doesn't it?

Until you consider that translates to only 600 replaced windshields per day, per state.

It is further stated that 80% of those windshields could have been repaired instead of being replaced.

And, that translates to 480 repair jobs that are lost on average in each state evey day due to questionable replacements.

Shovel those repair possibilities through an honest network divided among 200 qualified and network-connected repair techs in a state comes to 2.4 jobs per day.

That puts about $150 per day into your company without considering seven days per week.

Or @ $1050 per week if you want to hustle.

(Check my math. It's not one of my best points.)

While we pursue ways to increase our business, we ought to also seriously consider the strangle-hold that the replacement business has on the marketplace.

That industry STILL considers us upstarts and back-country cousins and denigrate us every chance they get.

It's time that we attack them also for the many incompetent installers in their business whose half-assed glue-ins pose much more of a dangerous threat to safety than a repair "tech" trained by them whose main impetus is to convert a repair to a replacement.

This forum is a terrific opportunity for all of us to tweak our repair techniques and effect professional, esthetic repairs as a result.

In general, that is not the purpose of the replacement marketeers. Most of them could care less about taking the time to perform a decent repair.

In fact, it is to their future advantage to leave a customer scratching his head and vowing that if that is the best they can hope for, they will just have the w/s replaced next time around.

Assumimg that incompetent "tech" hadn't already converted them to a replacement in the first place by telling them the damage couldn't be repaired.

At least, by him.

It could be that I am beating a dead horse with my constant attacks directed toward the present networks.

And, it could be that the same replacement companies who laughed at me 16 years ago as a passing fancy not worth consideration are now taking our industry as a threat to be stomped on and eradicated through whatever means.

If not, why have they "trained" hilariously and laughable "repair technicians" who always manage to show up at the repair site with a proper windshield stacked within the confines of their Toyota truck-bed?

If that isn't enough to boil my blood.

I just don't feel that I should be forced to funnel my company's private invoicing, personal business information, and repair vs replacement volumn through the computers of a competitor.

Let's not kid ourselves.

Safelite, Lynx and any company in the w/s replacement business is our competitor and are far more dangerous than the dedicated repair technicians we pass advice on to in this forum.

Jim,
Good post, you are right networks especialy safelite does use the information that is given to them to further their cause not ours. In another post it was mentioned that we are starting a grass roots movement in the windshield repair industry and in the future years we all hope to either do away with the networks or at least change them. At least we hope, I do see it being a fight like trying to push water uphill with a fork. As for your other comment about the quality in the trainning of auto glass installers that is soooo....true. I have seen many tech's trained in replacements and there are lots of techniques.

Most installers used a techniques called a quickset. Basicly what that is, is when an installer simply cuts the windshield out without removing the cowling, or in some cases not even removing the windshield wiperblades. They don't bother to clean out the pinchweld from old urethane. They don't trim any flaps. They simply lay a quick round bead of erethane on the pinchweld and slap the windshield in place. Put some tape on it so it doesn't fly off when you hit the brakes (Urethane takes 24 hours to 1 week to cure). Then they tell the customer not to go through a carwash or slam their door shut for 3 weeks. This is the wrong way to install a windshield, but that is how most companies do it. The other problem is OEM glass vs. aftermarket glass or glass from overseas. I hate to say this but lynx is owned by PPG who is a glass manufacturer. Very few windshields now days are OEM glass either PPG, Safeguard, Guardian, LOF, or Carlite Glass. Most companies at least in the south use like Citsa glass or Crenemex, or safelite glass.

One of the problems with using aftermarket glass is its cheap, it doesn't fit right or it has lots of flaws which cause distortions in the glass. I know lots of companies nowdays who stockpile glass which they order by the container from china or mexico or south africa for less then $25 dollars a windshield. When they buy glass from PPG or OEM manufacturers they pay more like $80 to $240 for a windshield. How can they compete, especialy when insurance companies go for the lowest bider to set their rates on replacements.

Because of this most people don't know this but over 8,000 people are injured every year in auto accidents because a windshield was put in incorrectly. Let me give you an example. A person is driving down the road who just had a windshield replaced a week ago and the windshield was quickset or installed in a hurry by an installer who had a route to complete the day he did it. It starts to rain and water leaks into the car and hits the dash board. It works it way into or under the dash and the water hits the electrical system in the car.....Boom you whole electrical system goes down. Your car locks up, turns off and now go your brakes. If you are going 5 mph you are fine, what about 60 mph. You are in real trouble. Crash its lawsuit time......if you live. We havn't even got into talking about rollovers or stuff like that. Thousands of glass companies are put out of business every year because of lawsuites do to improperly installed windshields. Insurance for glass companies is insain, trust me, I used to own a replacement company. Never doing that again. With the example you see above you would think most companies would care about doing it the right way but belive it or not.

Most glass companies are owned by people who don't even know how to install a windshield. Most people get involved into the glass industry because they see people waiving all these deductables and they think there's so much money in it. Don't they realize that by waiving the deductables the insurance companies think, well there is just to much profit in the glass business. Which in turn cause glass companies to cut costs. This is one of the reason's the repair industry is so vital to Auto Glass.

People don't for a second that you are just saving people money. This is a minor point. You might not belive this but you really could be saving lives. Breaking the factory seal on a windshield is the worst thing you can do. When you explain to people this stuff, trust me you will get their attention. Next time some tells you that repair is too good to be true, or a glass company says you are just a second hand business and you are causing them problems have the faith and conviction to be able to come back and stand tall knowing that you are providing a vital service. BTW if you go into talking to a customer with this kind of conviction you double and triple your sales. I found that out. Hope this explanation helps answer some questions or educate you.
David Coit
Coitster

Great post!!!

If anyone is intrested I am trying to put together a list to say 10 reasons you don't want your windshield repalced..
I just happened to have a camara with me the other day and took a few photos of this installer/ hacker hacking up a new suburban. it's great he didn't even primer the scratches put a nice scratch in the fender the guy was nuts even after watching me do the pictures he didn't try to cover up anything I went back the next day and all the scratches are still there great example. pictures while he was hacking it up and his completed job...

let me know

Brian

Thanks, David. I'm well-aware of the quality of work of some of the installers. Or rather, lack of same.

I ALWAYS tell a prospective repair customer that it is important not to break the factory seal unless absolutely necessary because of the reasons you enunciated in your post. Add to that a potential failure of the airbag since the w/s serves as a backstop.

That gets their attention.