AGRR’s Editor Recounts Her Experience Learning The Auto Glass Fundamentals
By Abby Bowman
Editor’s note: AGRR’s editor, Abby Bowman, recently had the opportunity to get hands-on with the industry. This is her account of her experience learning windshield replacement, repair and recalibration.
Of the four commonly recognized learning styles (visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic), I lean heavily toward visual and kinesthetic. This is why I was ecstatic when I heard that Jacques Navant, the technical director of Modesto, California-based Don’s Mobile Glass and the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) President, was willing to teach me the auto glass trade essentials.
With the help of others at Don’s Mobile in Modesto, Jacques taught me how to replace a windshield, perform dynamic and static recalibration and repair a rock chip.
Don’s Mobile Glass was kind enough to host me in Modesto, California. I got a small taste of the comprehensive auto glass training Don’s Mobile provides prospective technicians.
Out With The Old, in With The New
1 Before doing anything to the vehicle, Jacques had technician Jacob Smith help me perform a pre-inspection and a pre-scan on the Honda we worked on.
2 Jacques and technician Kevin Farrera walked me through pulling the clips and removing the cowling and windshield wipers. Removing them helped me think about just how many parts of a vehicle are associated with the windshield.
3 Pulling the moulding (top photo) was more straightforward than I expected. I had fun pulling the rest once Kevin started one end for me.
4 Jacques is also the technical director of FrogItOut tools. I used that company’s “Frog” tool to cut the windshield. Jacques rigged the line to break as if it was caught on the pinchweld, which would total the car. Obviously, he didn’t actually damage the customer’s vehicle, but told me to remember the noise the line made as it snapped. I haven’t forgotten the sound… or the anxiety spike I had when the line broke.
5 I used a wire tool to finish cutting the windshield after the Frog line snapped. I liked feeling the contrast between how the tools handled.
6 Once the windshield was out, it was time to prepare the car for a new one. Removing the old urethane gave me a good sense of how creative technicians must be with their stance and arm placement to get the right angle.
7 Jacques stressed the importance of clean glass for the urethane to stick.
8, 9 I practiced running a bead on the windshield we removed. The first beads I laid down were awful. I experimented with how to hold my body and the urethane gun’s trigger sensitivity. By the time I moved to running a bead on the car (over some tape Jacques and Kevin had laid down), my bead was slightly less horrible, but not good.
10 Kevin and Jacques guided me through a dry set. I insisted on picking the windshield up by myself so I could feel how heavy it was, but they helped me situate the setting tool and balance the windshield as we put it into place.
Getting Aligned
1, 2, 3 In Don’s Mobile’s dedicated recalibration space, Jacob walked me through the information on the calibration system’s tablet. Then, we set up the wheel-alignment equipment and targets to the proper specs. I already knew the importance of precision when recalibrating, but setting the targets to the correct measurements, down to the millimeter, helped me understand the practical definition of “precise.”
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