DIYer

[Guest thetintshop]

had a guy call yesterday needing a back glass for a 95 chevy truck with the privacy glass. I told him it would be cheaper to put a aftermarket slider in instead. those OEM glasses are high. he asked how much and I told him it was $225 installed.

he asks if I think he can find a used one in a wrecking yard. I told him probably since they made about a million of those trucks. so he hangs up.

today, he calls and said he found one in a wrecking yard for $75. and wants to know how much to put it in. I said $55 labor and $25 for the urethane kit.

there's about 5 seconds of silence. then he YELLS "$80?????"

I said "yeah".

he said "I'll do it myself for that" and hangs up.

an hour later, he calls me asking if I can still do it for him.

this guy spent $155 on a piece of crap used glass, with purple, scratched up tint on it, and gets no warranty what so ever. but hey, saved $70.

here's a pic of the nice purple tint. anybody wanna bet he's got a complaint when he comes to pick it up??

[TintWizard]

learning the hard way

[tint bandit]

TTS you do windshield replacement,if so there's a shop in my town called Kimble's auto glass and everyday there's cars lined up 10 deep,do you do all the tinting and glass replacement or do you have help.Would think this would be a great business to be in,just would hate to take the big glass like the 97 caravan out to replace

[oldtinter]

Glass replacement business is about as cutthroat as tinting, probably worse. Plus you have insurance companies telling YOU how much YOU can charge.

[Guest thetintshop]

those caravan windshields are good money. especially if it's the heated ones.

yeah, I do anything that has to do with auto glass. replace it, repair it, tint it, get water spots out, whatever. and no, no one here but me.

the only windshields I ever have to have help with is the dodge 4X4. I'm 6'1", and can't reach the middle of the hood from the side. there's no way I could set a windshield in it without somebody helping me.

[oldtinter]

I helped my glass guy with a BMW x5 this afternoon...Over engineered POS. Took 15 minutes to get the damned cowl off. It's a good biz I guess, but damn, the crap that goes on in that biz is just like tinting. Hack boys throwing cheap aftermarket crap on with freakin silicone, short cutting everything, not priming the pinchweld. If you ever get a windshield replaced, don't assume your insurance co. will lead you down the right path. You will get rust up there quick if it'sm not primed, and then it'll leak forever. Right TTS?

[Guest thetintshop]

Glass replacement business is about as cutthroat as tinting, probably worse. Plus you have insurance companies telling YOU how much YOU can charge.

:ot insurance used to pay really good money. but here in the last few years, it's barely more than I charge for cash jobs.

all the jackoffs putting in the cheapass tiawanese glass have really fvcked it up for everyone.

a couple months ago, I replaced a back glass in a mustang. it was tinted before, so the insurance paid to have it retinted. they would only pay $50.

I called them and pleaded my case, but they wouldn't budge. so I charged them the $50, then made the customer pay me an extra $50. which she did without any complaint.

[oldtinter]

A guy called the shop with a newer Mercedes the other day, after my buddy explained all this to him, he said "I don't care if you put it in with bubble gum, it's a leased car, I want the cheapest price" Idiot Jackass.

[Guest thetintshop]

I helped my glass guy with a BMW x5 this afternoon...Over engineered POS.  Took 15 minutes to get the damned cowl off. It's a good biz I guess, but damn, the crap that goes on in that biz is just like tinting. Hack boys throwing cheap aftermarket crap on with freakin silicone, short cutting everything, not priming the pinchweld.    If you ever get a windshield replaced, don't assume your insurance co. will lead you down the right path.      You will get rust up there quick if it'sm not primed, and then it'll leak forever.  Right TTS? 

once again, :ot

I had a guy wanting a windshield the other day for a truck. I told him it was $325 installed. he said he could have a guy drive to house and do it for $115. I told him the truth, I said "sir, my COST is more than $115."

if you're having a windshield replaced, DON'T go with the cheapest guy around. just like tinting, THERE'S A REASON WHY HE'S CHEAP.

these guys use aftermarket glass, which is not very good. they use silicone or some crappy urethane and never use primer. hell, a small 2 oz bottle of pinchweld primer is like $20. there's no way they're gonna spend money on that.

[Guest thetintshop]

A guy called the shop with a newer Mercedes the other day, after my buddy explained all this to him, he said "I don't care if you put it in with bubble gum, it's a leased car, I want the cheapest price"    Idiot Jackass.

to most people, a windshield is a windshield. doesn't matter if it says pilkington, ppg, fyg, northstar, fuyao, ect. in the corner, if they can see through it, then it's all the same.

and they definately don't care about the stuff they can't see, like primer or urethane. unless it leaks of course.

I use essex products. one of the most expensive primers and urethanes there are. been using them since 95, and never had a problem with them.

to give you an idea, my urethane costs about $8.15 a tube. there's some stuff out there that costs about $1.85 a tube.

which one you want holding your glass in when the airbag hits it?