Windshield Repair Forum

Aloha from Hawaii!

I just ordered my Delta Kit and will be flying out to Eugene for the training/certification in the next couple months. I obviously live on an island and there isn't much competition. There are two places that repair star chips and cracks, but they won't fix a crack if its in the drivers line of vision. One place told me it was a 'liability' issue, and the other told me its because the car won't meet safety inspection standards. I need to know if there is anything to these claims or if I should be worried about this. Has anyone come across issues with repairs on the drivers side?

Krysta

Drivers view fails most state inspections

I stay away from drivers view unless I know that I can make it vanish or I should I say look like a bug.! There is a liability issue because drivers can say that the glare off the old repair distracted them and that caused them to wreck. Our DOT does not allow chips to be repaired in drivers view. Just remember that lawyers can twist things a lot of different ways!

I have repaired chips in front of the driver but don't recommend it. The customer will say he just wants it stopped, and then will complain about a little spot on the glass that he still has to look through, No long crack or large chip repairs in the drivers viewing area.

Thanks! Is there a waiver I could write up that exempts me from liability in the case that I advise a customer of the risks of a repair within their line of vision and they still want the work done?

Repairing a chip which is directly in the drivers line of vision can be a pain, because the customer wants the chip to disappear and you cant make it disappear, you can only make it less visible and prevent it from cracking out further.
I wouldn't plan on doing any crack repairs immediately after receiving training.
Stick to chips for a while.
Repairing a chip which you created on a practice piece of glass, which is not installed in a car, is not quite the same as repairing a chip on a car in a parking lot.
Chips vary greatly. No two are ever the same.
Weather conditions can vary too. Air and glass temp makes a difference, and can create tensions on the glass.

Chips in front of.the driver is different than cracks properly repaired chips.shouldn't present a problem.

in california chips or cracks in the drivers view can not be legally repaired for commercial vehicles, i know that. if there is either in the drivers view the glass must be replaces. gotta love good old CA!!

You are wrong about that in California. A large portion of my business is Truck Fleets and as long as it's not deemed a unsafe condition or obstructive to the drivers view. Fix a chip make it go away fix a crack make sure it's not in the direct 8x8 inch are in front of the driver.

Why restrict your business by selecting what you repair and what you do not?

Most repairers we know of repair only damage within the limits of their systems or skill level. Personally, I don't see how this benefits your business. Sure, if the damage is outside the limits of your system then what more can you do? However, we would not turn down a repair if it was in a certain zone on the windscreen. After all we are in the business of chip repair.

As long as you have made your customer fully aware and agree on the expected outcome, then there should not be a problem.

Most repairers again make up their own standard based on the limits of their system/skill level. If you are in the business then you should be repairing chips to the standards of you country/state. Get a actual copy of your states safety rules and find out what the standard is, don't listen to others here as the advice will be mixed.

In Australia your vehicle has to pass a safety inspection each year, depending on the State. We call this a "Road Worthy Certificate". Local mechanics inspect the vehicle to insure in meets the requirements. They have to be reading a document to know what the standards are. They get this from the from "Road Traffic Authority". Call up or go to your RTA or like in your country and obtain this document. Here are the ones that apply to us in Australia. Notice we have two documents based on the rules of the two states we service, our business in based on a border.

http://service8.com.au/pdf_docs/qld_win ... worthy.pdf
http://service8.com.au/pdf_docs/windscr ... tralia.pdf

We strictly repair to this standard. We absolutely do not turn away customers based on a guessing. We require this business to insure we will be around next year.

If you are not skilled enough to perform a certain kind of repair then practice. After all this is the business you have chosen to be in.