As the winter driving season intensifies with storms and frigid temperatures, it is time to consider a winter tune-up for your car, and specifically, your windshield.
The winter driving conditions have already made their way across the U.S. with snow, ice, freezing rain, and kick-up from snow plows and other vehicles.
This is the season for drivers to stock their cars full of snow brushes and ice chippers, check their car batteries, put on a set of good snow tires, and hope for the best.
Auto safety is important this time of year, but windshields are another crucial and frequently overlooked potential safety hazard that affects each and every vehicle.
Often when drivers get a chip in their windshield during the winter season, they will say to themselves, “I’ll just wait to get this chip repaired. There are still a few months of bad weather ahead of me, with many more opportunities for rocks to fly up and hit the windshield. I’ll just wait to get it repaired in the spring.”
Many drivers do not know that if they repair a chipped windshield right away it can keep the damage from getting worse. “Many chips in the windshield can be repaired,” says David Rohlfing, president of Glass America, a national automobile glass replacement and repair company.
”Windshield repair is a fraction of the cost of replacement and the repair can be done in about 30 minutes. If you can catch a chipped windshield before it spreads, then you can actually prevent a tiny chip from expanding and contracting under freezing conditions and traveling across the windshield into a giant crack.
Chips that are fixed within days of the damage occurring generally repair better and are less likely to spread. Make sure that the windshield repair company you use guarantees their work.
In case the damage spreads after it is repaired or if you are not satisfied with the repair, Glass America will credit the cost of the repair towards the replacement cost of the windshield.
Although windshield repair can usually make the damaged area look better, its real purpose is to structurally restore the windshield and keep the damage from spreading,” Rohlfing adds.
If the chip is too large or cracks and the damage spreads, then the windshield needs to be replaced. A car’s windshield actually provides a significant amount of structural support to the roof of a vehicle and is a vital part of the vehicle’s occupant crash protection system.
The windshield also acts as a backboard when the passenger side air bag deploys at 200 MPH. It is vital that a windshield is replaced properly to make sure these critical safety systems perform properly in a crash.
Don’t trust your auto glass replacement to just any glass shop. Auto glass technicians must be properly trained and certified to make sure the glass in your vehicle is replaced properly.
Look for a quality glass shop that has registered and is compliant with the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard. AGRSS is an organization that is committed to quality and safety, so drivers should not trust a glass shop that is not AGRSS compliant.
Winter Windshield Check-Up Tips
* Check both sides of the windshield for chips or cracks.
* If you find a chip or crack call Glass America @ 1-800-634-5623 to schedule a repair or replacement.
* Make sure you keep your windshield clean inside and out.
* Inspect your windshield wipers. Make sure they are not worn out or brittle and replace them if necessary. Don’t forget to check and replace the rear wiper too.
Questions To Ask If You Need A Stone Chip Repair:
* Do I have to drive my car to a shop or is mobile service available?
* If I choose to make a claim, are you approved by my insurance company and can you take care of all of the paperwork for me?
* Do you guarantee your work?
* Do you follow ROLAGS, the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard?
* How long will the repair take and can I drive my car right away?
Questions To Ask If Your Windshield Needs To Be Replaced:
* Are you registered and compliant with the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards? (AGRSS)
* If I choose to make a claim, are you approved by my insurance company and can you take care of all of the paperwork for me?
* Do I have to drive my car to a shop or is mobile service available?
* If replacement is required, is the windshield that will be installed manufactured by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)? Using OEM quality glass means a perfect fit which greatly reduces post installation problems like water leaks, air noise and stress cracks.
* What kind of polyurethane adhesive does the company use and what is the Safe Drive Away time for that product? This is critical as some low priced sealants require the vehicle to sit for 10-12 hours (or longer in winter temperatures) before the windshield can properly deflect the airbag in a collision or support the roof in a roll over accident. Quality glass shops use more expensive fast curing adhesives that require only 1-2 hours to fully cure.
* Do you carry liability insurance and provide a written lifetime warranty for labor, materials and workmanship? (Good companies do.)
If a glass shop does not answer these questions to your satisfaction, and does not maintain safety standards in accordance to AGRSS, keep looking until you find a shop that you feel confident in. Remember that quality means safety, and safety means everything.
About Glass America
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Glass America is one of the largest independently-owned automobile glass replacement and repair companies in the country. Glass America has 94 service centers conducting business under the names Glass America and Auto Glass Service which are conveniently located in the states of Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Glass America offers a complete line of auto glass repair and replacement services for all years, makes and models, foreign and domestic, commercial or passenger vehicles. In contrast to many auto glass companies in the country, Glass America buys glass only from OEM (original equipment manufactured) suppliers. This means the proper windshield with the perfect fit.
As a leader in the auto-glass replacement industry, Glass America upholds the highest levels of quality craftsmanship, and consistently maintains a proven track record for excellent customer service. The company is a member of the Independent Glass Association and the National Glass Association, and all technicians are certified by Sika Adhesive Systems and LYNX Services. All auto glass installations and workmanship will meet or exceed the AGRSS Standards, and have a national lifetime warranty. Glass America’s direct billing procedures and pricing structures meet or exceed the requirements of all insurance companies and glass networks. All of the company’s national service areas offer both drive-in and mobile services, and always strive to make business as quick and as convenient as possible for their patrons. For more information on Glass America, or to place an order, please call 1-800-634-5623 to connect to the nearest location.
For more information, please visit www.glassusa.com.
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