View From The Trenches

“You’re not getting older, you’re getting better” has been a phrase that has most likely reached cliché status. Those words have been used to attempt to comfort those people who moan and complain about the ravages of time. As one who can claim witness to shattering the five-decade mark, I would not try to lie as a kindness to another bemoaning the aging process. Trust me, it’s not a pretty thing and it is not for the faint of heart. In fact one of the few deep father-to-son conversations I remember from my dad was his uttering the rather crass statement of getting old “sucks!” I should mention that he was about 41 at the time he said that. He just turned 85 last month and has not changed his mind one iota.

What goes first: the body or the mind? Please don’t ask me, I just can’t remember. I know as an installer my back, neck, shoulders and hands have known far better days and most of those predate the 1990s. I reckon many of you don’t remember trying to cut out the first models of the Ford Escort or Taurus without benefit of power tools or even UltraWiz blades. Then again, only some of you pups have had the pleasure of slapping in Chevy 653s. I know far more about my trade and I bet my installs are of higher quality, but that’s balanced out by short-term memory loss and the inability for real speed.

I could easily tell you every windshield NAGS number when there were only a thousand or so. Right now I’m lucky to remember what model Ford the DW1505 fits into. Just this past Friday I confidently ordered a DW1142 for a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I learned the hard way at 4:45 p.m. that the 1999 takes a DW1346 instead. Trust me, a 42-mile roundtrip in weekend getaway traffic to get the correct windshield makes one vow not to be so self-assured on his mental prowess.

I don’t understand how as an industry that we have forgotten how hard a job auto glass installation has become. I really would like to see Mr. Lubner and Mr. Feeney get out here and just work a month in the field before they approve the paltry labor rates that their companies promote through their TPAs, much less their production bonuses.

Even though we have seen the invention of power tools that have made removals much easier, auto glass fitting is still a very demanding physical trade. The workman compensation rates that employers pay reflect that fact. What is distressing is the continuing erosion of labor recompense coming from the insurance and private sectors.

Is my generation of installers going to be the proverbial canaries of the coal mine when it comes to long-term exposure to urethane, primers and cleaners? What about the vapors that are emitted during the removal process when power tools are used to cut adhesive? Add to that our constant use of cell phones and we might as well pick out our rooms at the Shady Rest Nursing Home. Or will we make it that far?

I realize that my attitude toward my craft and those who affect it has easily made it possible for me to be labeled a curmudgeon. I welcome that title. I admit I love this business, but have little patience for the hordes that have invaded this industry that show little respect or care in something to which I have devoted so much time. Getting older does that to people. Being cranky comes with the times.

As for the effects of aging on this writer, I carry four cold knives in my top tool tray to facilitate windshield cutouts, each with a different length blade. Clients would marvel at the thought of such efficiencies. At this point in time I’m not admitting the real reason that has crept up over the past few years—the fact that I could easily leave one knife or any other tool on any single job. Now you know why my Snap-on Tool man has me on his Christmas card list.

The results of an AGRR survey on OE glass were just revealed last week and on the surface, it reveals our customers generally do not ask for any particular brands of auto glass. I question the wording of the survey. I will admit that the last time I asked for a fender, a radiator or even an artificial heart, I forgot to demand a certain brand simply because I didn’t know any. In many ways, our clients and potential customers generally believe that all auto glass is the same therefore price shopping is the best way to distinguish choice.

Ask anyone who has to quote prices or to schedule jobs about what concerns the caller, glass branding is hardly ever in the first few uttered sentences of the caller. However, if you ask that caller what grade of glass he wants, many stop and want to know more because they are simply unaware that there may be issues of quality involved in their choices. I wonder how many out there offer options to their callers.

As both an estimator and the installer, I have a strong opinion of what brands are generally good, what fits, and which are usually optically clear. To me at least, that has value. The challenge is trying to briefly educate your clients to correctly ascertain what their needs and desires actually are.

My client world is different than most so it is easier for me to open a potential can of worm of multiple choices. Many of my customers are dealer referred or repeat ones. Once I hear what make and year of car the caller has, I simply explain that they usually have four options in descending price ranges:

- Have me buy the glass from their dealer;
- Buy the same brand in the aftermarket, if available;
- Use a replacement brand that has had a fair history of quality; and
- Use the cheapest one available.

(I also add that, mouldings, if needed, are also subject to price and quality issues.)

People are generally concerned about getting value for their money. Many people don’t want to be looking out a distorted windshield for a $40 price difference or worse yet paying for another windshield six months down the road because the tiny glancing rock that hit the glass caused it to crack again.

I also try to explain to my callers not to have grand illusions about their auto glass. For example, I explain that buying an $1,100 Highlander windshield from the dealer does not guarantee invulnerability, and a rock hitting a windshield at 70 mph won’t care what brand it is impacting. I want them to take that into consideration as well.

I just believe in presenting choices to my customers. I believe that action alone sets the independents apart from the Belgium Boys and it gives us a distinct advantage over them with many vehicles with product quality issues. To my knowledge, I have lost very few in comparison. In short, if the caller wants very cheap in both product and installation quality, they are welcome to go elsewhere.

If you noticed, this blog did not promote any single brand. It is becoming a real shame on the declining quality of the glass that we have to install. I’ll just leave it at that. However, if I ever do need a new heart, I want OE. For that all one has to do is to contact H Lector LLC, a company that could be known for its commitment of removing fresh body parts.

I don’t usually write about two subjects in the weekly blog but I would like to break precedence and address this one subject briefly.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the auto glass replacement industry and the body repair industry have basic mutual interests. There are times it seems that we face across each other’s trench lines and engage in local battles over pricing and practices. It would behoove us to get together and stay together because we face a united adversary in the cost containment arm of casualty insurance. Mitchell/NAGS, for instance, already states in many quarter panel replacements that glass transfer takes less than an hour and insurers try to pay only that. Anybody in body repair business can look over to ours and see the damage that has been wreaked upon us by the divide and conquer tactics of insurers. DRNs are doing to them what TPAs have done to us.

Ironically the stakes are far higher for body shops. The capital investment to open and operate a single body shop is far higher than it is for glass. Deceptive referrals, assumptive repair estimates and short pays can cripple or close even the most established repair facility.

Insurers historically have pitted the two sectors against each other and there is a strong need to change that. There has to be a constant dialogue between glass and body repair simply because we should have the same interests; getting the job done right and making a reasonable profit at the same time.

I’ll admit I’m in the Olympic spirit these days. Last Friday on 8-8-08 I officially opened up the games by lighting my tiki torches with a cast of one (myself) and a quizzical witnessing crowd consisting of a spouse, two dogs and a useless cat.

I truly enjoy watching the summer games. I ran track in college, competed in basketball and owned a Red Ryder Daisy BB air rifle. I shiver when see a gymnast complete an Iron Cross because any good installer wishes he had shoulders that could endure that sort of abuse.

The opening pageant was an absolutely stunning event. Fifteen thousand performers over the course of four and half hours provided perhaps the most visually provocative entertainment ever conceived for the Olympics. Hundreds of hours of practice had to have been scheduled in order for the participants of this extravaganza to make it the success it was. A tip of the hat was certainly in order. Anyone watching had to admire both the artistry and the effort that went into it. (However, I will admit, I had to wonder what they paid the cast of thousands per hour after hearing that the opening ceremonies cost more than three hundred million dollars.)

Talking heads keep referring to the 2008 Olympics as a coming-out party for China. A culture that once invented paper and gunpowder and built an empire that lasted for almost a thousand years has slipped from colonialism into isolation over the past 300 years. Only recently has China opened up to the West, allowing economic development. No doubt the West has embraced a country that has low labor costs, little pollution controls and a “can do” work ethic. Those qualities are making the Middle Kingdom the manufacturing center of the world. Those in our industry have felt the effect of that change. After being enthralled by the Olympic opening ceremonies, I asked myself, why can’t they make a windshield that way?

I’ve checked and my aforementioned tiki lamps were made in China. The computer on which I wrote this essay came from China and even the Milwaukee tools I use came from (guess where?) China. Thankfully, Peabody, my Shih Tzu claims Salinas, Calif., as home.

No doubt, watching the summer games is captivating. Anytime one can gather world-class athletes, you will see records fall. This event is such a showcase of talent that it becomes a magnet for attention. After all, when was the last time one viewed a pommel horse being worked?

This brings me to a subject that brings a smile to my lips. The AGRR industry holds a few self-styled talent events and calls them Olympics. Some of the best technicans/installers (or fitters, as the Euros call them) come together and vie for bragging rights and, in some cases, some pretty nice cash awards. In some respects, I think it is a good thing to promote talent within our craft. On the other hand, how much of the competition has to deal with faulty and wrong parts, questionable working environments and geographically deficient schedulers? I’m quite aware of the craft demands that these installation Olympics impose upon the participants, but I sure would like to see a few more real-life categories, such as “Cowl Jumping,” “Applying Generic Mouldings ” and “ Glass Removal Sprints.” At my age, I think the only category I could quality for is the Suction Cup Climb or the Thane Toss.

Folks, I hope you get the chance to view the next few weeks of competition. So far, I’ve gotten a real joy of watching a 41-year-old mother kick butt in swimming. (Talk about shoulders!!) It’s a real treat of being able to witness world-class performances in so many sports. In many cases, one gets the chance to see how these athletes perform under great pressure and such universal exposure. Please don’t ignore the fact that it becomes very apparent that the performers themselves respect those against whom they compete and the countries they represent.

I have to close this. My tiki lamps are running low on fuel and I’ve just been informed that woman’s beach volleyball has just come on. I couldn’t take the pommel horse thing.