View From The Trenches

There was a successful book published a few years ago by Robert Fulghum, titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” In it, the author lists several tenets that he learned at the most elementary level that formed the basis of his approach toward life. I did not read the book. I didn’t have to, because my mother was a kindergarten teacher for more than 20 years and I was indoctrinated since birth with homespun maxims that had the same effect.

There are two rules that may have appeared in that book that many in this trade (much less the world) that, if followed and embraced on a daily basis, would vastly improve not only the quality of our work but also of our world. I can tell you with certainty as a child that I heard them daily (and needed to). Those two rules are:

 1) Put things back where and how you found them; and

2) Clean up your messes.

In any given week, I come across auto glass that has been replaced and, for the most part, it is becoming a stressful situation simply due to the fact that I wonder what sort of past injury has been inflicted on the vehicle and how can I properly respond to it.

I recently came across a 1998 Acura Integra (2-door) that needed a windshield (an FW 751). What should have been a simple 45- to 60-minute job became a toil due to the fact that the side mouldings were glued on because it lacked underside clips. The cowl was faster to remove because it only had three functioning expansion clips out of eight and it lacked all of the arrowhead fasteners that are by the engine compartment. Somebody lacked the basic knowledge of moulding and cowl removal and certainly came to this job completely unprepared or, worse yet, unprofessionally negligent by not having proper replacement parts. Why? How can anyone call themselves a professional and act in such an amateur fashion? How many times a week do we come across such abominations? More than we care to, I surmise.

I get the opportunity to replace literally hundreds of Acura windshields in a year. Acura engineers place a sound-deadening piece of foam along the bottom of many older model MDX windshields. I have never ever seen a replacement windshield in those models that an installer either replaced or reused that foam strip or even tried to substitute something else. Why? Is it laziness or greed or both?

What is happening to this country and to its values? Have we sacrificed our integrity for the almighty dollar? Are we so enamored with making money or saving time that we are forgetting about doing our jobs properly?

One of the great attributes of American worker is our ability to be ingenious. Historically we have taken a problem and solved it. Most of the time, our inventiveness has given this country the ability to leapfrog the competition. That “Yankee Ingenuity” in saving time or materials can be a huge asset, but lately it seems all we are doing is cutting corners at the expense of quality—a route certain to lead to overall failure.

Look at the catastrophic disasters in the mining and oil business that have taken place just in this year—these were caused by companies trying to save money. Lives were lost and in the case of the offshore oil well in the Gulf, billions of dollars will be spent in trying to clean up a mess that will impact lives, industries and nature. Both of these industries would be far better served if they followed the two aforementioned rules of kindergarten. Also, the mining and drilling accidents were proof of how much the regulatory process is being compromised by insidious political influence applied by corporate interests.

We in the auto glass industry are not acting much better. Overall product quality has dropped precipitously along with the effort to install the glass properly. Just view our own AGRR Message Forum and read the complaints concerning aftermarket glass. On the negative side, one can also be advised on what generic moulding best will be substituted for an OE one. There is a constant effort to cut corners at the expense of our customers’ cars and that attitude is having a deleterious effect on the reputation of our craft.

Insurers promise to return their clients’ vehicles to “pre-loss condition,” yet hire third-party glass administrators who have a large aftermarket glass production presence. Independent glass shops who participate in those programs are offered low payment rates that discourage and most likely eliminate OE glass and moulding purchases. In the cash sector, I’m sad to say, it is indeed a “Buyer Beware” atmosphere. Anything goes and usually does. A shopper has no guarantee that he/she will be receiving any sort of value if he/she makes his/her choice based on price. 

If there is a genuine desire to raise the level of professionalism, it starts with us, the technicians, who are closest to the customer. We have to demand better parts. We have to come prepared for every job and most of all we have to be the advocate for our client. Try acting like we own the car and that our children’s lives are dependent upon our skills. We tell those same little ones to put their toys back how they found them. We need to do the same. Our industry and our world would be in far better condition if the adults observed the same rules we hold our children to. At least, I hope we do.