Winter Repairs

The best advice I have ever been given regarding winter repairs is to do repairs under cover whenever possible. Of course this isn’t always possible, but if a shop is available, use it. Doing repairs in a controlled environment will lead to more consistent results.

I recommend warming the glass to between 70 and 90 degrees for best results. Make sure you warm the glass slowly. When glass is cold, it doesn’t respond well to sudden temperature changes, so be careful. Instead of using the defroster on high, try turning the heat down or better yet, use the heater and warm the entire interior of the car. If you are using some sort of heating device, make sure to warm the entire area around the break slowly and evenly. One thing that many technicians overlook is their equipment and resin. Make sure your resin and injector are not too cold. Many windshields have cracked out from the application of cold resin on a warm windshield.

Now that the glass is warm enough, make sure to check for moisture. Carefully flex the break with your probe and look for moisture movement. Often a repair that has a lot of moisture or liquid contamination will appear partly filled. Your best weapon in the fight against moisture is common sense. If it has been raining recently or if there is dew present on the windshield, odds are there is moisture present. If you aren’t sure, then you need to treat the break as if it has moisture in it. The most effective tool I have used to get rid of moisture is a moisture evaporator. It is a tool designed specifically for the windshield repair technician and is far less likely to crack out a windshield than heat guns or mini torches. One thing I would caution technicians about is dry out solution. I know that a lot of technicians use it, but most of those solutions are either alcohol or acetone based, which will destroy the windshield laminate. I wouldn’t recommend using them under any circumstances.

Many technicians forget about those pesky UV rays during the winter. Just because it is cold out, doesn’t mean that your repairs won’t cure prematurely. Make sure that even in winter, you are using some sort of UV shield.

The one thing that a technician must have if he hopes to do repairs all winter is patience. You must take the time to do things the right way, and in the winter, the right way takes a little longer. Don’t let Mother Nature tell you when you are done working on a break. An improper repair not only reflects on you and your business, but more importantly, on the entire windshield repair industry. If it doesn’t fill in 15 minutes take 20. If you don’t have as much work this winter, make sure you treat each customer as if they are your only customer. I recommend taking the time to clean the entire windshield when you are done with a repair. Many technicians think it is a waste of time, but I totally disagree. I look at it as an investment in my repeat business. I believe giving the customer more than they expect is the only way to go. If you did just enough to get my money, but no more, why would I ever tell my friends and family about you?

Remember that many customers will only give you one shot to convince them that windshield repair is a viable alternative to replacement. I know many people that have had their windshield “repaired” by some hack that would never let another technician near their windshield again. You have a responsibility to your customer, your business, and our industry to do things the right way. So, this winter, make sure you have your customers telling others about you for the right reasons. Don’t be tempted to take those shortcuts that will lead to less than great repairs, even though your cold fingers might be telling you to.
 

-Matt Larson