Even motel, hotel and shopping center parking lots with cameras are no longer safe. Since the economy is suffering, people that would not normally steal have turned to crime just to eat and pay their family’s bills. It is best to keep you belongings in the trunk, locked glove compartment, rear floorboard, under the seats or other out-of-sight areas of your vehicle. These lessen the chance of a smash and grab opportunity. If all of this fails then make sure to rely on a glass professional such as Deals Glass Service which can provide a full mobile glass service. It is a good idea to place their mobile webpage in your favorite’s area of your smartphone just in case you do need a windshield or window replacement.

1.) Proper Analysis.  Is the company registered with AGRSS® Safety Standards Council?  Are they backed by PGW’s Prostar Certification? The key to proper analysis is having it done by the right people.  Seeing these logos will let you know that you are in the right place consulting with a qualified auto glass replacement provider.

2.)  Qualified Technician. The simplest way to tell if a technician is properly trained and experienced is to ask if they are NGA certified  or look for the NGA Patch on their uniform.  The National Glass Association hold each technician to high performance and customer service standards.

3.) The Best Auto Glass. Usually the safest and most stable windshield for your automobile is the one installed by the manufacturer, but once there is extensive damage that is no longer true.  In this case the best option is OEM Glass, or glass made by the Original Equipment Manufacturer.   OEM Glass was created with the same type of machines and instruments as the glass that was installed by the car maker, ensuring the best fit and form for each car.

4.)  Top Quality Adhesives.  Since the adhesives are all but invisible to the consumer, this product can seem to pale in comparison to the quality of the glass.  But in the case of a collision, adhesives are what holds the windshield in place to provide a barrier between you and the cold, hard world.   And the moment of impact is a terrible time to find out that you have inferior adhesive on your glass.  You can rest assured that as a general rule – Good, reputable shops use high quality adhesives.

5.) Safe Drive Away Time.  While this may seem like an unnecessary inconvenience, we all know that accidents can happen anytime, anywhere.  That also means it’s not unheard of for a car to be involved in an accident while pulling out of the auto glass shop.  Even the best adhesives wouldn’t hold up to collision safety standards without properly curing. The bottom line is: it’s for your own good.   If a shop is not insisting on allowing time for the windshield to cure, then you know that safety is not their top priority.

Keep these things in mind the next time you need a windshield replacement, to help keep you and your automobile safe from crooked repairmen.

But remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true – a saying that often applies to these situations.  These bold auto glass sales tactics vary from approaching drivers at car washes and gas stations, to aggressive telemarketing to actually damaging windshields, then approaching owners at home or work about replacement.  Their work practices also range from the completely above board to down and dirty – some lie to insurance companies about everything from the quality of glass to the location where the repair was done.  (They have even been known to spam perfectly good auto glass blogs!)

The worst of the worst work in teams: one repairman does the work, then another comes by and approaches the same driver, stating that the work is of inferior quality and needs to be re-replaced.   When these charlatans convince drivers to sign off on this work they are securing one’s complicity in defrauding their own insurance company.  And usually the car owners still find themselves with cheap glass and bad installation – and maybe slightly higher insurance premiums.

So drivers beware!  If you weren’t seeking out a service for you car, don’t trust a stranger who approaches you to tell you what they can do for your automobile.  An auto glass replacement company with a good reputation doesn’t need to be aggressive to make it in this business!

For more recent news about the problem with windshield bullies check out these articles at MSNBC’s Red Tape Chronicles and The Consumerist.

We hate to hear horror stories of customers who received substandard service on their home or auto glass, whether it be from a big chain or a fly-by-night mobile service.  Part of what many companies miss out on, is having hands on ownership with real commitment to the customer and to safety in their practices and product.

When that owner makes employee satisfaction a priority as well, it not only improves morale in the workplace, it creates a real pride in the company’s workmanship.   When employees enjoy their job and take pride in what they do, the benefits are passed on to the customer in every aspect of their experience with that company.   Happy staff teams make for even happier customers and better all around service experience.

All these points aside, the real difference between Deals and some of those other companies, is that we really enjoy doing a service for our community, and we are committed to doing it right!

With mobile repair available and insurance footing most of the bills, we hope to see more Charlotte area drivers coming in for replacement immediately.   Since the windshield is essential to the structural integrity of the vehicle, driving around with a severely damaged auto glass is equivalent to ignoring frame damage.

Not only does the windshield hold up the roof of the car, preventing collapse, it is also integral to the Safety Restraint System.  In the event of a collision, the airbag deflects off the windshield in order to hold it’s proper position in front of the driver or front passenger.  When the windshield is weakened by a crack, the glass can fold like a hinge upon impact, displacing the airbags and further weakening the surface that supports the roof and provides a barrier that keeps people inside the vehicle.

Once drivers resolve to get immediate attention for their damaged windshield, their safety is still determined by the quality of the replacement products and the procedure of the glass technicians.   When a shop is using inferior products, it can compromise the safety of the work they are doing.  Aftermarket (non-OEM) windshields don’t always have the proper fit or proportion and cheap urethane doesn’t dry properly – when these factors are paired with improper training in procedure it can spell disaster for the car owner.

We want anyone who has a severe crack in their windshield to remember that the windshield is essentially a safety component.  So please, get your OEM replacement at a qualified shop as soon as the damage pops up – before your windshield pops out!

Chip repair won’t cost as much or take as much time as replacement, but it should still be repaired as soon as possible.  Over just a short period of time moisture and dirt tend to accumulate in the damaged area, making it harder to repair without any visible evidence of the damage.   And without the proper attention things can quickly go from bad to worse.

Even after the initial impact the chip can quickly turn to a crack with the strain of every day driving, especially if there is more than one point of damage. Not only do road bumps and wind pressure act upon the glass while driving, air temperature can destroy a windshield just as easily.   Many times we have had customers come in to replace and windshield that had been chipped and cracked overnight.   Once a chip has spread to a crack longer than an inch or so, it can’t be safely repaired.

One must also remember that the windshield is critical to the structural integrity of the car.   Most of us wouldn’t want to drive ourselves and our families around in a car with frame damage.   So why do we drive around with damaged windshields?

The shop is trying to talk you into OEM auto glass, which of course, costs a little more than an aftermarket windshield.  Why should you pay more for a piece of glass than you absolutely have to?  There are a couple of very legitimate reasons that OEM glass is a better choice, and when considered, often overshadow the small difference in price.

From the shop’s point of view, the main difference between OEM and aftermarket glass is quality.  While all windshield manufacturers are required to follow the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,  OEM glass is made with the same tooling and has identical fit and form as the factory installed windshield.  Consumers often notice a difference as well, in the clarity or coloration of the aftermarket glass as opposed to their original auto glass.

And for those hoping to someday trade in their car – dealerships know the difference.  They often refuse to accept cars with aftermarket glass, or subtract the cost of re-replacing the glass from the trade in value.

But the number one reason to choose OEM glass, and paramount to all the others is – Safety.  The windshield is critical in supporting the roof of the automobile in rollover accidents as well as being a component in the personal safety restraint system.  Airbags are meant be be used in conjunction with seat belts and are built to be supported by the windshield, which keeps the airbag in front of the passenger An ill fitting windshield can actually dislodge upon impact, leaving the roof unsupported and the passenger cabin open in those crucial seconds immediately afterwards.

So while it’s up to the customer to decide what is best for them, we think the difference in the value of an OEM windshield greatly outweighs the difference in cost.

If the windshield is repaired or replaced improperly, or not fully cured, it compromises the safety and structural integrity of the vehicle.  This is why is is essential that shops adhere strictly to Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS) and have technicians certified by the National Glass Association (NGA).  These associations provide the standards for auto glass shops and ensure that shops and technicians keep safety and proper procedure their first priorities in every job.

When a windshield repair technician isn’t certified the consumer can’t even be sure that he or she is up to date on safety standards, or trained in the proper auto glass procedures.  Ensuring safety in windshield replacement requires an experienced and certified technician in a clean and safe environment.

Check out this Q & A page for more information about selecting an auto glass professional.

Deals Glass Services would like to congratulate Brian Hagee who recently acheived his NGA certification and John Webb who recently renewed his own NGA certification.