If you haven't already added glass repair to the list of services your shop or mobile business provides, it may be time to get cracking - or filling, as the case may be.
    The process for repairing bulls-eyes, star breaks, stone chips and small cracks has been around now for almost 30 years. Every day it seems car dealers, insurance companies and the general public take a little more notice of the benefits glass repair provides over windshield replacement. And as newer vehicle designs continue to move away from the classic boxy appearance, opportunities are expected to continue to increase.
     "I think the glass repair market will always be around because, as [the OEMs] develop rounder cars and larger SUVs with rounder windshields, they become more and more expensive to replace," says Jason Zimostrad, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Paint Bull in Saginaw Michigan. " The alternative is to repair the glass and stop the damage before you have to go out and replace it. That makes sense to a lot of people, so the market is going to be there forever."
     Repairing the glass involves a three step process of removing the air from the damaged area, filling it with a polymer resin and the curing it with ultra-violet light. The tools involved - including items to remove the air and inject the the resin, a lamp to cure it and miscellaneous picks, razor blades, ect. - easily fit into a standard size toolbox, making glass repair a perfect candidate for mobile service. "And the learning curve is fairly limited," notes Zimostrad. "It should be very easy for most people to pick up."
     When done correctly, the repair will reclaim the strength of the damaged glass and the sightlines for the driver. "When we repair glass we can restore the strength and improve the clarity," says David Beyerlein, a customer service representative with Glas-Weld Systems in Bend, Ore. "It will never be perfect, but it may be 80 percent to 98 percent better." The newer the break is, he notes, the better the result.
     The time involved isn't significant - usually 20-30 minutes for a windshield with one to three chips, and a little longer for cracks. The cost of materials for a standard repair is less than $1, and technicians can expect $45-$60 for a retail repair, plus $10 for the second and third chips. Even at the $35 price Beyerlein, who is also a part-time independent technician, charges his industrial and commercial accounts, "it can be very lucrative."
      Beyerlein and Zimostrad both say that the willingness of insurance companies to embrace the process and the quality of its results has contributed to the growth of the industry. Since glass repair is usually significantly cheaper than replacing a window, in most cases insurance companies are willing to waive the deductible charge on comprehensive insurance, making it a free repair for customers without raising their premiums. "The insurance company makes out like a bandit, the customer gets a freebie and the technician makes his money," Beyerlein explains. "The only person who loses is the window replacement guy... and a lot of them are getting into this, too."
     As in many corners of the automotive service world, there are those in the glass repair business who are committed to doing a professional job and advancing the industry as a whole, and then there are others who are willing to compromise quality to make a fast buck. To eliminate problems with the latter, the insurance companies approached the National Glass Association about creating a certification for technicians. The NGA turned to the National Windshield Repair Association, which just recently developed a program that is now available at Sylvan Learning Centers across the country, Beyerlein says.
     "The insurance companies are willing to pay good money for good work," he notes. "We in the industry feel that what will happen is the insurance companies will begin to use the certified guys, and the marginal players won't get the work. We would like to train new guys with the right attitude, abilities and techniques to do good work and profit from the insurance company market."
     Zimostrad says investment in a windshield repair system will average between $500- $1,500 for the installer, who can then use it as a stand alone business or as a service add-on to an existing shop or mobile company. Complimentary services that can be offered in conjunction with glass repair include interior work, paint chip repair and windshield wiper replacement, he notes.