It’s kind of funny that after years in the windshield repair business some things never change; events are as predictable as night and day. The last 2 weeks has been a case in point.  Whenever the weather guys start predicting a winter storm hitting Oklahoma City, I know the party is about to start 2 days before the storm hits.

A week ago last Monday I saw an increase in calls about windshield repairs. With a storm due to hit Oklahoma City on Thursday the phone rang off the hook Tuesday and was incredible on Wednesday. Everybody was trying to get a windshield repair done before the cold front arrived. Never mind that the chip had been on their windshield for days or weeks before in many cases. Quite a few of these windshields could have been repaired the week earlier when work was slower.  Even if the person didn’t have the money for the repair we could have billed their insurance company in many instances.

Some calls highlighted before the ice storm arrival include:

The guy that called at 2:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday, his windshield had been chipped several weeks and he didn’t want the cold front to crack his windshield. According to him if the storm hit he wouldn’t drive it anyway as it would be parked in a garage. But yes, the repair had to be done that afternoon.

Another was a call at closing time on Wednesday in which the caller had decided that they ‘had to get’ the chip repaired on their windshield before the storm hit that evening.

The pre-storm event is followed by events that take place during the storm while the ice and snow is falling. The caller who is demanding a crack repair because they can see the crack moving across the windshield as they drive down the road. Then there’s the caller who is in an absolute panic because his windshield has cracked and he doesn’t want it to fall in on him.

Of course the crack calls are just half of the problems during the ice storm. Then I get calls asking for a price on almost any auto glass for their car. That’s because they have gotten creative in finding ways to remove ice; some of these include:

There was the guy that called me for a windshield replacement for his truck because it had a long crack in the windshield. It cracked because the chip ran out when he poured boiling water on the windshield to remove the ice. According to him the chip had been on his windshield for weeks. I could have billed his insurance company for the repair; but since he let it crack out, he would be paying for the windshield since it was going to cost about $200 for a replacement and he had a $500 insurance deductible.

Another story was the guy that had a rubber mallet and he knew that rubber wouldn’t break his windshield when he used it to remove ice. About a dozen huge stars later the ice had been removed and he was in need of a new windshield at a cost of over $600. Hard to believe that a car that is less than a year old needs a windshield replacement due to ice removal.

The back window of a Hyundai Elantra that was destroyed removing ice.

Then there was the lady that called because she needed her back glass repaired. It seems someone had cleaned the ice off for her and now the back window was in a million pieces. I had to explain to her that there was no repair option and why.

The worst call I took was from the lady that called and blasted me for not showing up at her home to put stretch wrap over the back of her auto. It seems somehow she had broken the back glass on her car. She had gotten a hold of a glass shop that had to order the window for her car; they had promised to come out and put stretch wrap over the opening. Since they didn’t show up, it was my fault. Never mind that she had called me in the morning and was told we only do windshield repair, no replacements of any glass. Never mind the address of the glass shop was north Oklahoma City and we are located on the south side. And of course I was told that she would never use my glass shop for a replacement again; something we have never done.

With that, Monday ushered in the post storm activity. There was the usual avalanche of calls concerning windshield replacement quotes and questions about crack repair. Let me tell you at times I was on the phone with one caller while other calls came in and left a voice message. A huge number went to our website and sadly, they just couldn’t take a few seconds to read that we repair windshields and that we don’t do replacements. Then there were some interesting calls; like the person that called for a windshield repair, they wanted a quote to repair their windshield--it seems a pole had gone through their windshield and they didn’t want to replace it.

One of my contacts told me of a guy needing a windshield replacement. He used an ice pick and hammer to remove ice from his windshield. And if that’s not enough, I was told of someone else using a baseball bat to clear the ice from their windshield; I think you can guess what they needed next.

Chopping at the ice with anything can crack a windshield like this.

Hard to believe it has been a year since I set up my first Walk MS Team, which was for the Oklahoma City Walk MS at the OKC Zoo.

With that in mind the Oklahoma City Walk MS is May 1, 2010 and again it’s at the OKC Zoo. I have made some changes in what I’m doing to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis. I started selling orange microfiber cloths with the profits going to the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. WipeOutMS.com is part of this project. Last year’s team was named Prevent Cracks 4 MS and has been changed to Wipe Out MS. A link to the team page this year is www.WipeOutMS.net.

For those that use a smart phone the mobile website is WipeOutMS.mobi and it has been expanded with more events highlighted besides more information in general.

For those that don’t know what multiple sclerosis (MS) is, it’s an autoimmune disease where for an unknown reason the immune system attacks the myelin coating that surrounds the optic nerves and nerves in both the spine and brain. Each person with MS is unique in that some will show little signs of the disease while others can be devastated. There is no cure; however there are some medications that can slow the progression and help manage the disease.

In 2009 as a result of funded research several advances were made. They included the first oral medication which is now in use in Oklahoma, advances in gene research, and another interferon beta drug was released for use.

Looking at 2010 advances already have been made this year and it looks like more advances will take place.

In closing this post I’ll leave with a video I found on You Tube that shows how MS can destroy a life and why a cure needs to be found. Please make a donation or join my walk team.

Surprisingly I get calls from potential customers asking if the damage on their windshield needs to be repaired or if it is repairable. Some have even looked at our website pictures and still couldn’t tell if the chip needed to be repaired. I can remember one guy calling to say he couldn’t tell if his windshield was chipped or had any cracks. He knew something had hit his windshield, but he couldn’t see what I later found was a star nearly the size of a quarter in diameter, with 9 cracks extending from a central point.

Then there was the guy who claimed that kids had thrown stones in his apartment complex parking lot at his windshield chipping it. Usually that scenario involves drawing attention to a chip that was already there, not something that was caused by kids throwing stones. Well when I got out there I was shown the stones which ranged in size from softball size to the size of a brick. And the chips that the customer claimed could be covered with a quarter? Two stars one about 8” and one that was 10” in diameter. Both had broken not only the outside layer of glass, but the inside as well; totally not repairable. This was one reason I instituted, a $20 service call fee when the service call results in a waste of time.

Add to this all the calls about windshield pits or impact points, damage that only scuffs the windshield’s surface.

Twitpic.com and Yfrog.com offer a means to help customers out and get others answers as well about what is repairable. Both of these websites provide a means to load photos on Twitter. So what’s the deal? Well when someone has a question about a windshield chip they can take a picture of it and post it on Twitpic or Yfrog. Then direct reply a link to the image to us @GlassAid on Twitter.

When you take the picture use a coin (dime, quarter, etc.) for a reference size of the chip.

Now I’ll admit I’m not familiar with Yfrog but here is how you would do this with Twitpic. Naturally go to Twitpic.com, log in with your Twitter log in user name and password. Then down load your photo, once you’ve done that click on the link “View Photo”. When your photo appears copy the url in the address in your browser window. You can then log out from Twitpic.

Next log into Twitter and send us a direct message starting the message or tweet with @GlassAid.  Ask your question and paste the photo’s url in the message or Tweet. We’ll view it and send an answer back on Twitter.

Here’s an example using the above photo to show what I’m talking about and the direct reply format. @GlassAid Do I need to repair this chip on my windshield? Can it be repaired? http://twitpic.com/u1r24

By doing this you will save time and money if you have any questions. Likewise it saves us time so we can provide our service to those that need us while allowing us to keep prices low.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I would like to take the time to thank all my Glass Aid customers and wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As many know I work with those at the Oklahoma Chapter of the National MS Society and I would like to share with you this Christmas video.

For those that helped me by donating to either or both the Oklahoma City and Edmond Walk MS teams; Thank You, again. Your donation helped make 2009 better for those with multiple sclerosis.

A number of events took place in 2009 dealing with MS that are noteworthy.

The first oral medication was released and now is being used in Oklahoma. Thanks to past money used for research.

The first medication to treat the progressive form of MS came about because of funded research.

Extavia another interferon beta drug was release to manage multiple sclerosis.

In a show of how far we’ve come in treating MS Lori Schneider became the first person with MS to climb to the top of the world, the summit of Mount Everest. She was challenged by Wendy Booker who fell short only due to the weather.

May brought the first World MS Day, a day in which groups from around the globe came together to find a cure for MS.

For 2010 I look to improved service in the windshield repair business. Watch and follow my Twitter page twitter.com/GlassAid.

I recently went to Chesapeake Energy to see their light display. The news reported that the display is made up of 2.6 million lights.

To see more images I created a photo able and put them on my Wipe Out MS blog. You can view them by clicking on the album link. Christmas 2009 Photo Album

Here’s wishing you and your family the best for 2010.

With it now being fall in Oklahoma it's time to start thinking about winter and getting your car or truck ready for the cold. While most know they need to service the coolant and check the tires, not as many know they need to winterize their windshield. The best part is the cost to winterize your windshield is usually much less than other auto services. Here is a list of things you should do to get your windshield and auto glass ready for ice and snow.

Check The Windshield For Chips. Most cracked windshields started with a small chip (star). Turning on the defroster in the cold with a chipped windshield can cause a crack to quickly run across your windshield. Here are some examples of windshield damage that needs to be repaired.

Check Your Windshield Wiper Blades. Wiper blades that have gone through the heat of summer can be damaged. Inspect each wiper blade for cracks, tears or bent and broken frames. Don't forget to check the rear wiper blade if your vehicle is so equipped. If they appear in good condition check the wiper performance by turning them on and using the windshield washer. If they don't sweep the glass clean after a couple of sweeps or are damaged replace them. Most auto repair shops or auto part stores can help with this job. Naturally if your windshield washers don't work you should also get them repaired.

Treat Your Windshield. A dry fall day is a great time to treat your windshield. Products like Aquapel or RainX can help when your windshield has ice stuck to it. Likewise it can improve visibility in bad weather.

STOP: Never treat a windshield that has a chip. If the treatment gets into the chip, the damage may no longer be able to be repaired.

Fill Your Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. If over summer you added water to the reservoir you should empty the reservoir before adding  new fluid. If you can't easily remove the reservoir to dump the old fluid try siphoning it out. CAUTION: Never let washer fluid get in your mouth or swallow any it is a deadly poison. Use a washer fluid that won't freeze, many of these products will show the freeze point.

We don't like washer fluid that has a windshield treatment mixed with it. The reason is that if you get a chip and use the windshield washers to clean your windshield, the fluid with the treatment can get into the chip and render it unrepairable.

Finally make sure you have an ice scraper. We always get tons of calls about repairing windshields or auto glass that is badly scratched from using something besides an ice scraper to remove ice. Never use anything metal or glass to remove ice. Another words shovels, knives and screw drivers are a no-nos to remove ice. And never use hot water to remove ice.