The Wise Crack

Windshield Repair Newsletter

The Wise Crack, published monthly, is the most widely circulated windshield repair newsletter available! It includes windshield repair tips, news, & marketing advice.

April 2009 Issue

Full Version:
www.deltakits.com/wisecrack/

Delta Kits Home:
www.deltakits.com

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$100 Reward

Have a friend that is interested in the windshield repair business? Delta Kits will pay you $100 for any sales lead that results in the sale of a complete windshield repair system. Payment will be in the form of a credit to your account, and may be used toward the purchase of any Delta Kits product. 

 

-Korey Gobin

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Delta Kits Certfied Windshield Repair Technicians

Delta Kits Certified Windshield Repair Technicians!

Congratulations to all of the new Delta Kits Certified Windshield Repair Technicians!

 

March 2009

Jake Adams

Trevor Coalman

Ron Fleet

Susan Fleet

John Holloway

Bob Goodwin

Robert Trujillo

 

-Korey Gobin

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How to Double Your Profit per Customer!

Is the down economy hurting your business? Are you tired of the competition in your area eating into your profits? Do you need something to set yourself apart from the crowd?  Delta Kits, Inc. is excited to announce the release of a new product that will do exactly that.  The new HLPRO202 Professional Headlight Restoration System has everything you need to quickly and efficiently restore the clarity of weathered headlights. 

Start doubling your profit per customer! By adding headlight restoration to your current business model, you can double your profit and still see the same amount of customers you do today.  Or, make the same amount of profit and only see half the number of customers you do today. Either way you are better off. At this time, the average charge to restore a pair of headlights is between $50 and $75 wholesale and $80 to $120 retail! What could you do with extra cash in your wallet?

Headlight restoration is a very appealing, profitable, value added service. The Delta Kits professional headlight restoration system is easy to use; taking only 30 minutes or less per restoration for both headlights. The Delta Kits HLPRO202 contains everything you will need for restoring cloudy or discolored headlights, allowing you to restore the optical clarity of the discolored lenses. 

Headlight restoration increases safety, eliminates costly replacements, enhances the appearance of a vehicle, and increases the resale value of any vehicle. This process also prevents, old used, light assemblies from going into landfills. 

Delta Kits Professional Headlight Restoration Systems are constructed and designed with the same high quality standards Delta Kits users have come to expect. The contents of this system are packed inside a durable toolbox with custom fitted foam interior to keep all your tools and supplies organized. 

Visit www.windshield-repair-forum.com and click on Headlight Restoration under the additional services category to discuss all aspects of headlight restoration, including marketing, technical, and business advice. Technicians from all parts of the world come together and share their ideas for the benefit of others.  As always, feel free to call in or email us with any questions.

 

-Jonathan Powell

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Safety Tip! Remember, Safety First! Always wear Nitrile gloves when repairing windshields or restoring headlights.

Our hands have a protective layer of skin called the dermis. This protective layer can become irritated when using chemicals. To enhance our own natural protection use Nitrile gloves.

 

Nitrile gloves have low resistance to friction and are very easy to slide on. They are very durable and generally provide greater protection against a greater range of chemicals. Nitrile gloves also protect against the acrylic acids found in windshield repair resins, whereas latex or vinyl gloves do not.

 

Remember, Safety First! Always wear Nitrile gloves when repairing windshields or restoring headlights.

 

-Shawn Sparhawk and David Patterson

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What is New on the Windshield Repair Forum?

As many of you know, Delta Kits hosts the largest and most popular windshield repair forum in the world. This is the perfect place to ask questions, and get advice from thousands of windshield repair business owners and windshield repair technicians all over the world.

 

Below are some of the hot topics from the month of March:

 

Black Crack!

Honda repairs

Perfect repair gone bad

Rain X treated windshields

 

As of March 30, 2009 the world’s largest windshield repair forum included 34,227 posts on 4113 topics.   

 

If it’s happening in the windshield repair industry you will find out about it at www.windshield-repair-forum.com.  Membership is free, so join the windshield repair forum today.  You’ll be glad you did.

 

-Korey Gobin

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Tech Tips

Drilling and Burs

 

When do I drill? Which bur should I use? Are carbide burs really better than diamond burs? Those are three widely debated topics that we here at Delta Kits happen to know quite a bit about. By the end of this article, I hope to have cleared up any confusion still out there regarding any of these subjects.

 

“When do I need to drill a break?” The debate rages on. We at Delta Kits recommend drilling breaks only if you are unable to get the resin to flow into the break, or there are cracks longer than a couple of inches present. In most cases resin will be able to fill the break, even when there is very little glass missing from the impact point. Many technicians drill the break to create a large channel so the resin will flow more easily. This does speed up the repair, but it also affects the repair cosmetically. Each time you drill a break; there will be a visible drill hole. It is up to you to decide if the cosmetic difference is worth the extra couple minutes. To me it is definitely worth the wait. But, sometimes you have to drill. Every once in a while you come across a chip that doesn’t have enough glass missing from the impact point to inject the resin. In those instances, just drill through the center of the impact point or air pocket. You may also want to drill the end of long cracks. By drilling the end of a crack, using your slide hammer to pop a mini bull’s-eye, and filling it with resin, you will stop the crack from growing.  Remember; do not drill past the first layer of glass. About 1/16 of an inch is as deep as you should ever need to drill.

 

“What is the best drill bur for windshield repair?” Now here is something to argue about. You can go a couple different ways on this one. Many technicians stick to one all-purpose bur, and others carry several styles and use the one best suited for the situation. Let’s take a look at your choices.

 

FG701 (hole size .047in) - The FG701 is “Delta’s Choice” because we feel it is the best all around bur. It is a fast cutting, extremely durable tapered bur, and can be used in just about any situation that might come up. The FG701 is the perfect size for drilling the ends of cracks because the tip of the slide hammer fits neatly in the hole, and “pops” a perfect bull’s-eye nearly every time. Make no mistake, smaller probes often crush the glass inside the drill hole or worse yet, create tiny cracks at the end of the large crack you are trying to stop. Smaller holes will not accommodate the slide hammer, and too tight of a fit can also cause damage to the glass. 

 

FG2 (hole size .039in) - The FG2 is popular with many technicians because it the round head makes it less apt to skip or travel across the glass when you are starting to drill.  The FG2 also drills a smaller hole, which is preferable to many technicians. Although not as durable as the FG701, the FG2 still out performs most other burs on the market for most break types, but is not recommended for stopping long cracks. 

 

FG170L (hole size .039in) - The FG170L is great for the technician that desires the benefits of a tapered bur, but with a long narrow point that drills the same size hole as the FG2.

 

FG169L (hole size .031in) - The FG169L also features a long tapered point, but drills an even smaller hole.  The FG169L is a great bur for very small breaks where a larger drill hole may be very apparent.   

 

FG329 (hole size .024in) - The FG329 features a unique pear shaped head that drills the smallest hole of any Delta Kits bur. Many technicians feel the FG329 drills faster and lasts longer than the FG2, yet provides the skip free qualities that make the FG2 so popular. However testing by Delta Kits produced data suggesting the FG329 is less durable than the FG2.

 

Conclusion:  As a rule, the smaller the hole size, the less durable, and easier it is to break the bur. Delta Kits does not sell diamond burs as carbide burs are far superior in strength and speed. Carbide burs are also much less expensive, although that is not our main consideration. Size does matter…at least when you intend to “pop” a bull’s-eye at the end of a crack. My opinion is that if you only want to carry one bur in your tool box the FG701 should be that bur. That said it’s much like buying a car. Some people swear by a Chevy, and others buy only Fords. The only way you can know for sure which one will best suit your personal needs is to try them for yourself.

 

-Brent Deines

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Kind Words and Customer Service

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. 1Cor 4:12 NIV

 

In this field working with our hands is a given. Customer service is also a given. At times, we may need to provide customer service that may go against what we really feel.

 

So how do we do this? How do we step back and answer kindly when it is the furthest from our thoughts? It can be very difficult, and speaking from experience, I have not always handled a situation the way I should (or wish) I would have. I can tell you it is much easier to provide a kind word and a listening ear, than it is to repair a relationship after the fact.

 

At some point in time, we are likely to be the customer who is upset. Something to ask ourselves is “How would I want to be treated?” “What would I have the customer service representative say to fix the problem?” The same answers we come up with are likely to be the ones we should use with our customers. Staying calm is also a key factor. It is mighty difficult to stay angry when the customer service representative stays calm. Once the anger is diffused, then the situation can truly be handled.

 

-Mindy Beaver

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