These have been getting more and more common of late: the pop-up windshield and auto glass repair technicians who seem to just show up at various places on highways and well-travelled roads, most especially at petrol stations. Consumers are confused as to whether or not these companies are legitimate, especially because they often operate out of mobile “shops”, or trucks equipped with the materials for windshield repair. Should they be trusted, or should you still prefer your average, stationary-location auto glass shop?

While some of these mobile auto repair stores may in fact be legitimate, the stark majority are not. It is far better to go for your trusted auto glass shop (the brick-and-mortar one) over these because the mobile nature of their business may make it difficult to contact them for concerns or complaints later on. The usual modus operandi is for these roving auto glass repair workers to sidle up to you while you refill your petrol tank at the station and offer to repair chips on your glass by sending your insurance company the bill. This is dangerous because it opens the doors for so many potential scams, including insurance fraud schemes where insurers are sent bills far in excess of the actual worth of the service provided.

If you are approached by one of these pop-ups, decline them politely. A good windshield repair is done with very specific tools anyway that the roving repair technicians may not have at their disposal. Furthermore, most repair experts shall tell you that repairing a windshield out of doors and in daylight (which some of these roving glass technicians shall offer to do for you) is ill-advised for at least two reasons: the resins involved in auto glass repair cure or dry in UV light, which is found in sunlight, and may thus cure too fast for the repair technician to work them properly into the cracks of the glass; and heat can contribute to the likelihood of crack-outs, or sudden breaks in auto glass during a standard glass repair procedure. This is why most windshield repair experts have actual garages where they do their repairs, in order to control conditions like heat and light and prevent those from adversely affecting the quality of their repairs.

The best thing to do, if you do feel concerned about the chip on your vehicle’s windshield, is to bring the car as soon as possible to the nearest auto glass repair shop and ask a certified and trained technician to have a look at it there. Put your vehicle only in the hands of licensed companies and be sure that whatever windshield repair shop you choose has a good reputation, as may be attested to by its past customers.

For more information please visit Windshield Replacement AZ and Windshield Replacement Phoenix.

A good number of insurance companies, State Farm included, are now offering glass insurance policies with extremely low deductibles of around $50 (yes, fifty dollars—there is no missing zero there). Quite a lot of consumers are also opting for such policies, and it is quite obvious why. However, there may be a dark side to this low deductible policy that is not immediately apparent, at least not until something happens to a consumer’s vehicle bringing up the question of choosing between a windshield replacement or a windshield repair.

Now in certain cases, insurance companies shall be willing to waive deductibles with windshield repair because it is clearly far cheaper for them to pay for a client’s repair as opposed to his windshield replacement. However, there are also a few companies where this is not the regular procedure. For insurance companies where such is the case, a low deductible may influence a customer to go for a replacement instead of an auto glass repair. It comes down to simple mathematics: if you have a $50 deductible on your glass coverage and your glass technician tells you the repair shall cost $40, you would naturally find it cheaper (at least on your part, and not the insurance company’s) to have your entire windshield taken out and replaced instead of paying the money for the specialist to repair those chips in the shield.

However, there are certain costs that need to be considered here. They are not readily apparent, but they can be perilous. First of all, a windshield replacement is not something you should go for blindly, because it is a labour-intensive procedure that may very easily go wrong. Faulty windshield installations are worse safety hazards than a regular glass chip, and most consumers, quite unfortunately, have neither the repair education nor experience to tell whether a windshield installation has been executed properly. To choose a replacement even when your specialist tells you that you do not actually need it would be to put your car and your family’s road safety in the hands of the glass installer, and you cannot make a decision that weighty just out of a misplaced sense of thriftiness.

Furthermore, windshield replacement can be detrimental to the environment. While there are now companies that are trying to figure out ways to reuse and recycle windshield glass, thousands upon thousands of windshields are still finding their way to the dumpsites each year. It is not encouraged to contribute to this pollution, especially when you can go for the more environment-friendly option of windshield repair. Just remember that windshield replacement is a very serious procedure on your vehicle, comparable to major surgery on the human body: you do not want to subject your automobile to it unless you absolutely have to.

For more auto glass repair information please visit Windshield Replacement Phoenix.