Over the years I’ve seen and given reasons why you should repair your windshield instead of replacing it. The reasons have run from, it saves money to preventing leaks and even to prevent having your car damaged when your windshield is replaced.

Now add another reason, the glass shop leaves a mess behind that includes both pieces and splinters of glass along with the old urethane.

I was shown this Ford SUV that a major glass company had replaced the windshield. Virtually all of the lighter colored spots are bits of glass. The dark colored strip in the center is one of the pieces of old adhesive that was left behind. While it’s not shown, even the dash had pieces of glass on it.

A number of questions came to mind when I saw this mess. Was the windshield replaced properly? Did the tech that performed the replacement take the time to remove all of the old adhesive? Did they perform corrosion control on any rust they found on the pinch weld? Was primer applied to the pinch weld so the SUV wouldn’t rust out before it’s time? What about anything that went down the defrost ducts?

Part of the problem is, some glass companies pay a commission for each windshield installed. With no one checking the work when the windshield replacement is performed on-site, a problem can exist. After all the more windshields installed, the more money made, no matter if the windshield is installed properly or not.

So why doesn’t the insurance company care? It’s all about saving money. Only one insurance company has any requirement about a windshield being replaced, and there is no way to perform quality control. There is also no punishment for jobs being done improperly. So you think the insurance company guarantees the work -- only to the point that they can hold up paying the shop for the windshield replacement. When you consider that only 2 out of 100 people complain when they have a problem or take advantage of a guarantee, there is nothing stopping this situation of sloppy or low quality work.

Your best bet is to repair your windshield whenever possible and avoid replacement. Likewise if you need to replace your windshield, find the glass shop yourself. And before you call your insurance company, find out what it will cost to replace your windshield. There is no point of calling your insurance company and alerting them that you are replacing your windshield when you have, let’s say a $500 deductible and the replacement cost is less, maybe $2-300. By notifying your insurance company, you are risking a rate increase even if they pay nothing.

Before having a windshield repaired or replaced, doing your homework to find the right shop is a wise investment, along with preventing a lot of headaches. Generally a low price or a low price guarantee means you get what you pay for.