How ROLAGS Impacts the Market
By Keith Beveridge
The Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS™) needs to be updated, and the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) and the National Windshield Repair Division have begun this process. Linda Rollinson, the usual author of this column, allowed me to take her spot in this issue to discuss the association’s efforts further.
The first meeting will be held during Auto Glass Week in Orlando in June 2021. This committee needs members, so if you are technician, manager, shop owner, mom and pop retailer, national chain, Third Party Administrator, auto glass manufacturer, auto glass wholesaler, windshield repair manufacturer, insurance agent, insurance company representative, vehicle owner or anyone interested in windshield repair, you are invited to join us. If you are interested or just want additional information, please reach out to Kathy Bimber at kbimber@glass.com. There is no cost involved and everyone’s input is sought and welcome.
The committee will be updating the ROLAGS Standard and incorporating applicable changes into it. We will address the impact of ADAS systems on windshield repair, and review any relevant technical data and discuss with all interested parties. One item of concern is Subaru’s position on ADAS and wind-shield repair in their “no repair” zone. Anecdotally, we know that ADAS systems continue to operate properly with dirty and even damaged windshields. Windshield repair restores the damaged area by closely matching the refractive index of the glass and the structural strength of the damaged area. The ROLAGS 2 Committee plans to investigate this issue.
What does this mean for the windshield repair and auto glass replacement shop? All of the competitive advantages of windshield repair are still valid if not enhanced.
Windshield repair technology is still the same whether on an ADAS or non-ADAS windshield. Your repair procedures are the same: just follow the current ROLAGS standard to ensure a proper repair.
For Subarus equipped with Eye-sight (and any other vehicle manufacturer), follow the vehicle manufacturers recommendation and replace the windshield if the damage is in the no repair zone—at least until the ROLAGS 2 Committee investigates ADAS impact on windshield repair and publishes an updated standard.
Review your windshield repair pricing in light of ADAS technology. While your repair technology may not have changed, the value to your customer is definitely greater as the ADAS windshield replacement and calibration are definitely more expensive than a traditional replacement.
Windshield repair is still one of the most ecologically-friendly processes there is. There are no old windshields that need to be dis-posed properly.
Save the original OE windshield —all vehicle manufacturers recommend the use of OEM parts purchased from the dealer for replacement. Repairing the windshield eliminates this need. Save the original OE bond from the factory as we know from recent TV ads, windshields are installed robotically at the vehicle assembly plant and this process is almost impossible to duplicate in the aftermarket (especially in the winter in a parking lot in the middle of a blizzard as I saw a couple of weeks ago).
Windshield repair is quick to perform and you will reduce your risk as you customers do not need to follow the minimum drive away time. Once your tech cures the res-in, the repair is complete.
Parts ordering is easy, as one size fits all with windshield repair. You do not need to figure out what windshield to order and as in the case of most OEM dealer parts, you also do not need to figure out where to purchase it.
Keith Beveridge operates Beveridge Consulting which specializes in strategy development, marketing and operational review. He is an authority on windshield repair and customer experience. He is a former member of the boards of directors of the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) and the National Windshield Repair Association (now NWRD) and a former chairperson of the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS) Committee. He is a former senior vice president of Novus.
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