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.

March 2010 Issue

Full Version:
www.deltakits.com/wisecrack/

Delta Kits Home:
www.deltakits.com

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The ISO 9000 standard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ISO 9000 standard is one of the best known international standards; it is implemented by countless companies and other organizations in over 150 countries. ISO 9000 addresses "quality management". This means the organization fulfills:

• Their customers' quality requirements, plus any applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to enhance customer satisfaction, and achieve continual improvement of its performance.

Delta Kits resins are manufactured in an ISO 9000 facility for quality and consistency, and our low viscosity resins are formulated for a unique combination of bonding strength and elasticity.

When you are shopping on our site, keep an eye out for the above label, indicating that the product is manufactured in an ISO 9000 certified facility.

-Brent Deines

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Delta Kits Training and Certification Dates in Eugene, Oregon

Eugene windshield repair classes are FREE with a purchase of a Delta Kits windshield repair system, however space is limited and reservations are required.

March 19th, 2010

April 16th, 2010

May 21th, 2010

June 18th, 2010

July 16th, 2010

August 20th, 2010

September 17th, 2010

October 15th, 2010

November 12th, 2010

December 10th, 2010

**all dates are subject to change

Benefits of attending training

* Significantly reduce the learning curve in windshield repair.

* Set your expectations for what windshield repair looks like.

* Increase confidence.

* Great business start-up information and advice.

* Get a leg up on your competition by learning the marketing techniques of seasoned professionals.

* Learn correct windshield repair procedures first, before you make the mistake.

* Networking with your fellow technicians.

* Become factory certified by Delta Kits.

* Use of the Delta Kits brand recognition and certification to enhance credibility.

-Korey Gobin

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2010 Southwest Car Wash Association Recap

The Southwest Car Wash Association show in Arlington, TX was held February 21st-22nd. Delta Kits was there once again with a booth performing demonstrations of both windshield repair and headlight restoration. Korey, Bruce, and I were all in attendance. It was great to finally put some faces to the names of some of you that we work with on a daily basis. Delta Kits was the only windshield repair and headlight restoration manufacture doing live demonstrations at the show. This was a huge plus for us, as people flocked to our booth whenever a live demo was about to begin.

A great thing about the Southwest Car Wash Association show is that most attendees are always keeping an eye open for new ways to improve their current business, especially in the current economic environment. Sometimes, when everything is going well, we get complacent and we close our eyes and minds to new ideas. That was certainly not the case this year. You could tell that the attendees were hungry; they had the fire back that got them in the car wash business in the first place. It was really fun to see and talk to these folks when they are open to hearing about new ways to expand and/or improve their business.

Delta Kits held another on-the-road training course on Saturday before the show, which was again, very well attended. In fact, I believe it was the largest training class in the history of Delta Kits. Not only was it a large group, but it was also a wild bunch. We had several trainees who really knew how to have fun. Jokes were flying left and right. It wasn’t all play and no work, however. The trainees knew when it was time to focus on the task at hand. Everyone in attendance was certified after completing our factory training and certification course and passing the final exam. Great work everyone!

I am already looking forward to next year and hope to see even more of you there.

-Jonathan "JP" Powell

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Can you restore headlights that have been clear coated?

Recently a headlight restoration/windshield repair technician in Colorado was restoring the headlights on a 2006 Chevrolet Impala. The technician noted that it appeared as if a clear coat had been applied directly over the original protective coating without first removing the layer of oxidation. The coating was very difficult to remove, but with extra time and sanding discs the technician was able to remove the coating and oxidation. Next the technician completed the remainder of the Delta Kits recommended sanding and polishing steps and applied a fresh coat of Delta Kits Coat2Protect. As you can see from the photos below, the result was a stunning transformation.

After talking with several headlight restoration technicians who have had similar experiences with late model Impala’s and Malibu’s, it is unclear if an aftermarket coating had been applied or if a harder coating was applied to the headlights at the factory in these particular vehicles. Delta Kits is in the process of trying to obtain late model Impala and Malibu headlights in various stages of deterioration for testing. Watch for updates on this topic in future editions of The Wise Crack. Regardless of the type of factory or after market clear coat that has been applied, it is important that you take the time to remove the entire clear coat as well as all of the oxidation and contaminates on the surface of the lens. This requires a bit of patience, but the Delta Kits Professional Headlight Restoration System contains everything you need to make even these difficult to restore headlights look like new.

In most cases, the initial coating removal should be done with 320 grit discs, however in this case a courser grit may have reduced the number of discs and amount of time required to complete the restoration. Should you choose to use a courser grit of sandpaper to remove a particularly stubborn coating, please use extreme caution to avoid accidental damage.

Finer 600 and 1500 grits are then used to sand the lens smooth and a 3000 grit polishing disc is used for the final step prior to applying the Coat2Protect. No polish is needed.

Our thanks to Reese Atkinson of Roo’s windshield repair for sharing his story and photos with us. For more headlight restoration and windshield repair tips from Reese, visit www.windshield-repair-forum.com, search for Roo in the members list, and click on the number of posts he has made. This will give you a searchable list of every post he has made on the windshield repair and headlight restoration forums.

 

-Brent Deines

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What's New On The Forum

Delta Kits hosts the largest and most popular windshield repair forum in the world. This is the perfect place to ask questions, and share your thoughts with thousands of windshield repair business owners and windshield repair technicians all over the world. Be careful though, the windshield repair forum is addicting!

Below are some of the hot topics from February:

do i did it wrong?

letter or not letter

GM & Dodge Chrysler CAR DEALER???

-Korey Gobin

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Delta Kits Certified Windshield Repair Technicians

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

-Korey Gobin

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Delta Kits Customer Speaks Out

Dear Delta Kits,

I would like to take this time to thank you for the great on the road training and certification class in Clearwater, FL. I went to the class as a pure novice in the windshield repair industry. The hands-on training was just great. There is no way you can put a price tag on this type of individual training, the information on the industry itself and with the equipment used in that industry. I researched the market for a whole year before I chose Delta Kits. One of the reasons I chose Delta Kits is because of its superior equipment, and the superiority of its resins. I also looked very closely at its training methods and left the Clearwater class a different person then when I came. In four weeks I have done 50 repairs in the 90 -92% range. I have had every scenario you can think of and my equipment and the technique's I was shown have never failed. Now my customers do the talking for me. I get calls on a regular basis. My advice to anyone out there who is considering the windshield repair industry.....GO DELTA !!!!!....

 

John M.

Robert, Louisiana

-John M.

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Tech Tip- Driver's Primary Viewing Area (DPVA)

If you are not familiar with the phrase Driver’s Primary Viewing Area, or the acronym DPVA, perhaps the phrase Acute Area rings a bell. The Acute Area of a windshield was originally defined as the area directly above and centered on the steering wheel. Insurance claim forms often showed a rectangular box to indicate where that area is on a windshield, and glass repair technicians were told to hold up a letter size sheet of paper, 8.5” x 11”, above the steering wheel to quickly and accurately identify the Acute Area. When the National Glass Association (NGA) and National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) got together to create a new ANSI standard called the Repair Of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS) for the windshield repair industry, the phrase Acute Area was replaced with DPVA. Is your head reeling from all the acronyms yet? I know mine is.

The ROLAGS committee more clearly defined the DPVA and added what sizes and types of breaks should and should not be repaired in that area. Keep in mind that the ROLAGS is not a law, but a voluntary standard developed in an effort to promote safe practices and consistent quality workmanship throughout the windshield repair industry.

Well now that I have bored you to tears, let’s get to the heart of the matter. The graphic below shows the current DPVA and recommendations for repairing damage in that area as defined by the ROLAGS.

So if the ROLAGS is voluntary, why should you care about it? Well, this is the part where I insert my humble opinion. Millions of windshield repairs have been performed over the past 30 years, and our industry still has an impeccable safety record, so for what it is worth I don’t think we need laws to govern our business. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me, so although not here yet, I believe there may come a day when the ROLAGS is the basis for a nationwide law, or at the very least the standard by which insurance companies create provisions for paying windshield repair claims. Therefore, I believe that it is in the best interest of windshield repair technicians to adhere to the ROLAGS. Now, that does not mean that you have to agree with everything in the standard, or that the standard cannot be changed. In fact, it almost certainly will be changed as more technicians provide feedback for the ROLAGS committee to consider.

Those of you who have attended a Delta Kits training and certification course have been trained to the ROLAGS and have received a copy of the ROLAGS document. For those of you who have not yet reviewed this important document, we are providing a link to the ROLAGS website at the end of this article. I hope you will familiarize yourself with the ROLAGS document and submit your opinions to the ROLAGS committee for consideration. It’s a good standard, but it can be better with the help of professional windshield repair technicians like you.

In a recent development, Belron has applied to become an ANSI accredited standards developer. This has a lot of windshield repair technicians up in arms and has been a hot topic on www.glassbytes.com and www.windshield-repair-forum.com. Visit www.rolags.com to download a current copy of the ROLAGS document.

-Brent Deines

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Safety Tip - Hands-free Cell Phone Usage

State legislators are increasingly mandating hands-free cell phone use for drivers. At the beginning of 2010, Oregon joined six other states that ban or severely limit using cell phones while driving. The traffic ticket for talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone in Oregon can cost a driver up to $142, similar to the fine for driving without a seat belt. Wireless devices give technicians the freedom to conduct business anytime, anywhere, and to stay connected with family, friends, and customers, but when it comes to using your wireless device behind the wheel, it's important to remember safety always comes first. Safety should be every driver's top priority. If it is necessary to use a wireless device while driving, the wireless industry encourages drivers to follow some basic rules to ensure that a wireless device doesn't become a distraction.

Below are several cell phone safety tips provided by traffic researchers and public safety groups. 

Keep calls short: Drivers increasingly lose focus during lengthy cell phone calls, research shows. If the conversation lasts more than 5 minutes, hang up and call back once you’ve parked.

Get to know your phone: Fumbling through a cell phone’s menus while on the road can be extremely dangerous. Practice voice dialing, speed-dialing, redialing and routing calls to voice mail.

Don’t look at caller ID: Most cell phones can be programmed to provide different ring tones for the people in your directory, such as family and friends.

Two things at a time: Many accidents are caused when cell-phoning drivers attempt to do other things — plugging in a power cord, fumbling for a pen, reading directions. Don’t compound the cell phone safety challenges.

Dial while stopped: If you must dial when the vehicle is in motion, hold the phone level with the windshield. Shift your eyes back and forth from the road to the cell phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says phones equipped with hands-free headsets and voice-activated dialing systems can sometimes require more time to dial, increasing distractions, however, using a hands-free voice activated device is excellent for receiving calls.

You’ve got voice mail: If a call comes in while you’re in an intersection, entering a freeway or engaged in similar activities, let the voice mail answer the cell phone.

 

-Korey Gobin

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"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.~ 1 Thes 5:16-18 "
Delta Kits Monthly Encouragement

-Korey Gobin

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