june2023 - 18

Tips for selecting
a good glass
repair partner
Some fleets may conclude that partnering
with a good glass repair provider is
their best game plan for glass repair.
National companies like Glass Doctor
have service offerings tailored to commercial
fleets. Plus, with mobile technicians
and shops located throughout the
country, a national provider gives fleets
consistency and peace of mind wherever
their trucks may need attention.
" Fleets should also go back to the basics
[when evaluating a potential glass repair
vendor], " said Jonathan Freinkel, a fleet
operations leader at Cox Automotive, a
nationwide automotive services and technology
provider. " Make sure the vendor
is insured and has the right equipment.
For example, big trucks need something
like scaffolding to get in position. You
also want to ensure that sensors can
be recalibrated and that the vendor has
the inventory of glass pieces needed. "
Kyle Coltrain, another fleet operations
leader at Cox Automotive, said fleets
should also think about downtime. " With
every service provider we partner with,
we are continuously analyzing who has
the quickest time of arrival and service
completion, and who will provide
best-in-class service at a fair price to
our fleet clients. This is managed and
reviewed with every service we dispatch,
enabling us to have a constant, dynamic
vendor ranking program based on
speed, quality of service, and price. "
Speaking of downtime, fleets may also
want to consider other glass-related
services the company can provide. For
instance, Glass Doctor offers headlight
restoration as well as hydrophobic
coating on the outside of the windshield
to dissipate rain. Glass Doctor
technicians even offer wiper blade
replacement. " We want to be the complete
answer for a fleet when it comes
to glass, " said Thomas Patterson, director
of new product development and
technical training for Glass Doctor.
In today's commercial vehicle industry,
being a complete glass-repair solution
largely comes down to knowing when
to repair and when to replace, along
with how to perform the prescribed
procedures thoroughly and efficiently.
What might seem like an insignificant
crack or chip could end up sidelining a
vehicle just like a blown engine. By having
a good game plan for glass repair, fleets
can keep downtime to a minimum while
also maintaining a high degree of safety.
» Glass Doctor techs try to avoid repairs near windshield wiper heater grids, which can cause hot spots.
Glass Doctor
3. Factor in ADAS devices
ADAS features such as windshield cameras are
adding a layer of complexity to the glass repair
process. While still a relatively small share of
the overall commercial vehicle market, ADAS
has become more common on both medium and
heavy-duty trucks over the past few years.
" Nowadays, it's very important to know how
to identify the presence of ADAS in a mediumor
heavy-duty vehicle, " said Richard Zenteno,
national sales manager for ADAS at Autel North
America, a provider of ADAS diagnostic and calibration
solutions. " Look for exterior clues, such as
a camera mounted on a windshield or beneath
the side mirrors. You may also see lights on the
side mirrors designed to alert drivers. Then there
are interior clues, such as lights on the dashboard
showing safety features like lane departure. "
Then it's important to recognize when an ADAS
feature needs to be calibrated. There are a couple of
windshield-related instances where ADAS calibration
would need to be performed: when the windshield
is replaced and when any repairable damage
could interfere with a camera's ability to see.
" I would say that for damage within a few
inches of the camera, it's a good idea to do an
ADAS calibration once the repair is completed, "
said Fabio Mazzon, technical manager at TEXA
USA, a provider of ADAS diagnostic and calibration
solutions.
There are a couple of reasons why. First and foremost
is the safety of the vehicle, which leads to the
second reason. " Insurance companies typically
want proof that the ADAS calibration was done
properly after replacing or repairing a windshield, "
Mazzon said.
There are two ways a technician can go about
calibrating an ADAS windshield or side mirror.
Each has their pros and cons.
Mazzon said the most common method is what
is referred to as a dynamic calibration. This is
where the calibration takes place while the vehicle
is being test driven. In this scenario, the technician
may need a CDL if the type of vehicle being
serviced requires one.
The other method is known as static calibration.
This is where the technician
performs the calibration with the
» TEXA USA's RCCS 3 calibrates
ADAS system radars, lidars, cameras,
and sensors, some of which are
attached to vehicle windshields.
TEXA USA
18 Fleet Maintenance | June 2023

june2023

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