Life is full of compromises. The big question is what are you willing to compromise? Will the compromise involve lowering your standards? Will the compromise involve "settling" for less than what you expected? In the case of your vehicle, will you unknowingly compromise? I'm sure the average Joe or Josephine out there has very little information about auto glass installation. The same can be said for the safety components designed in all of today's vehicles. So as not to create another item on the "list of chores" it's safe to say that the consumer will have to "trust" the company and certainly the glass technician to do the right thing. It's pretty much the case that auto glass installations are not recommended for the novice. OK so here's where it gets interesting: as a glass technician you work for one of the high volume "industry leaders" and you load up your day with 8 jobs to do. A very good tech can probably put out a job in roughly 1 hour.
Now, we're assuming that the "industry leader" has instructed and trained their glass techs on the AGRSS practices http://www.agrss.com/standard.php or some kind of self derived facsimile how so ever named. (Please feel free to take a look at the AGRSS standards before you have your windshield replaced.) You then put the tech in a truck, add travel time and other mitigating circumstances and what do you get?
Perhaps there is a compromise! Very simple steps such as using primer to coat metal surfaces where the adhesive holds the glass in place become an after thought. Of course this is in the of interest saving time. So, as you probably looked at the photos in this post, guess what didn't get done??? Whomever replaced the windshield in the Chevy Express van we did the other day didn't use primer!
WOW you say...what a mess! That's right!
Here's a little safety tid-bit for you: The glass in your vehicle is part of the safety design feature of your vehicle. No kidding folks.
Now we all know about gambling. We all know why it is the casinos stay in business too. The odds favor the house. What do you think the odds are that if the vehicle pictured above rolled over: Would the glass have been able to support the roof structure as it was intended to do?
You're probably asking the question: "What are the odds that this vehicle would be in an accident?"
Any one care to roll the dice?
By the way....before you roll.... we have already encountered 12 or more vehicles since Januuary whose glass was replaced prior to visiting Excel Auto Glass in Middletown that were flat out rusted due to shoddy workmanship. We have a book full of pictures too!
So go ahead...roll the dice!
