BenDavid's Glass Repair
(Not Replacement)
Tips
illustration by Ann Davis
Eric's Glass Tips - Have a good tip or comment you'd like to add here?
Please mention it at the "Contact Us" page. Thanks!
Please mention it at the "Contact Us" page. Thanks!
PREVENTING A ROCK CHIP FROM TAKING OFF BEFORE WE GET THERE
Avoid Temperature Shock.
Hot weather:
Park in the shade until the repair can be done. If you must park in the sun always leave the windows open at least half an inch and face the vehicle away from the sun. Hold off on washing the vehicle. Definitely not in a carwash. If you must wash your vehicle, get it into the shade to cool the glass down enough so you don't burn the back of your hand on it - that's a good temperature indicator. Spray your garden hose onto a hot windshield and you can kiss it goodbye.
Cold weather:
Sudden extreme heat in freezing weather will also cause a star to run. If the star is just above the hot air defroster vent on your dashboard - temporarily cover the vent in that area. This will shield the damaged area from extreme heat. Otherwise you'll soon have a long crack creeping across the base of the windshield.
WATER IN CHIP REPAIRS
Keep it dry.
It makes for a quicker repair. You can do this by covering it with a piece of tape before getting the windshield wet. If it’s just been rained on or washed let the repair technician know so it can be dried properly before the repair. Any moisture trapped inside the repair compromises the quality of the repair and could cause it to spread in freezing weather.
NEVER USE BLUE SCOTCHBRITE ON GLASS
NEVER USE GREEN SCOTCHBRITE ON GLASS
NEVER USE ANY COLOR SCOTCHBRITE ON GLASS
(even the finest grade, white scotchbrite, will scratch glass if you apply too much pressure)
GETTING STUFF OFF GLASS
To remove anything , especially tree sap or left over gum from old stickers and tape.
Just spray a little water on the area. Using a brand new one-edged razor blade, skim up a small area of stuff. Carefully wipe the blade clean onto a rag and continue. Only use a brand new blade, that one from yesterday that still looks good may scratch glass. Not worth the risk for 10 cents.
REMOVING WATER STAIN BUILD-UP FROM GLASS
If you’ve given up on products like Amaze, CLR, Nothin’s Better, Rain-X Glass Polish, SunnyBrite, etc. This is the best product I've found that doesn’t require wearing a HAZMAT suit, not even rubber gloves. Not a "miracle product" (if you find one that works please tell me), it requires some elbow grease but less than all the products mentioned above. Won't etch glass if left on for too long.
Works great on:
Glass
Porcelain
Tile
Stainless Steel
Chrome
Hard Vinyl
Boats
Corian
Anodized Brass & Aluminum
I sell this retail for $12 a bottle (plus $8 shipping) for doing it yourself. It goes a long way.
Testimonials
Have a testimonial or comment you'd like to add here?
Please mention it at the "Contact Us" page. Thanks!
Please mention it at the "Contact Us" page. Thanks!
"Eric - Thank you for your expert advice and willingness to help when I called about getting hard water spots off of my car windshield. I called about 20 places in the Sacramento Area, and you by far were the most helpful.
Thank you very much for sending the sample of Bio-Clean Water Stain Remover. I was blown away that it took the hard water spots off with little elbow grease. I've tried numerous products (CLR, LimeAway, Windex, Goof-Off, and Shower Power) and none of them worked. Tomorrow I am going to make a special trip out to Elk Grove to purchase the product."
Jeff Boldizar
"I want to thank you for your referral to Sacramento Auto Glass (for replacement). Just wanted to let you know that your webpage is very informative and highly detailed. I appreciate that as I'm the type of person who has a million and one questions.
Again, thanks for the referral, and I now know for future reference that if I ever see a star in my windshield, I won't wait for the weekend to get it taken care of."
Regards,
Ronald P. Glenn II
Corporate Sales Supervisor
JPSnet, a OneMain.com Company, now Earthlink
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. John Jones (Elk Grove, CA), Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your kind comments about Eric Davis from BenDavid's Glass Repair. It is always a pleasure to hear from our members, and I especially enjoy receiving compliments about my AAA colleagues. Please be assured that Eric's thoughtful service will be recognized..."
Sincerely,
James P. Molinelli
President, California State Automobile Association
"I just like to thank you and your company for a job well done in the repair of my Mercedes 300E windshield. Your expertise in chip repair helped me conclude that there is a difference in the quality of work when it comes to choosing a glass repair company.
As you very well know, my insurance referred me to a glass company, the job they did was very unsatisfactory. They didn't charge me or the insurance for the repair because of their customer satisfaction policy. I got the feeling that all they wanted to do was replace my windshield. They are not experts in windshield repair.
I asked the adjuster if I could get your company to do it properly, since you have done excellent work for me in the past. The adjuster said If I did use BenDavid's Glass Repair, I would have to pay you up front and then get reimbursed because you are not a "network shop" and they can't guarantee the quality of your work.
Thanks to you clarifying that BenDavid's is in the network, all I had to do was sign the paperwork and I didn't pay a thing. Again thank you, and more power to you and your company."
Sincerely,
Rene M. Dizon, Elk Grove, CA
Useful Links
Auto Glass Replacement
Tom's Auto Glass (replacement) Free mobile service (916) 223-8888 Tom Dinh
Architectural Glazing
306 Glass & Design, Inc. 916-231-3602 Stephen Schubauer
Commercial, Residential, Design, Build, Consult
Commercial, Residential, Design, Build, Consult
Moule's Elk Grove Glass 916-685-3909 Moule rhymes with "owl"
Fine Art Glass Sculpture, Repair and Restoration
Sacramento Glass Works 916-456-0367 Keith Sutherland
Hundreds of custom leaded glass, and beveled glass windows. Sandblasting. See website for gallery.
Bokrosh Studio Seattle, WA Original sculptures out of Optical Glass, the finest glass ever made. Specializing in glass repair and restoration of all kinds of glass art.
Ed Waddoups 916-786-2221 Glass Sculptor Gifts and collectibles
Fall season at High Hill Ranch in Apple Hill 530-644-1973
Window Cleaning
Awesome Window Cleaning 916-743-7001 Ray Rill Commercial & Residential.
Glass Tinting
Camellia City Sun Control (916) 391-1283 Commercial Residential Automotive Sacramento’s premier provider of commercial & residential glass tinting since 1978.
Automotive Paintless Dent Repair
D&D Dents Inc. (916) 548-0481 Daniel Cook
My Personal Favorites
Shani Ben-David Artist / Musician
Naturally, this one is dear to me - it's called Ultraviolet.
This Southern California artist's style is immediately recognizable.
Shani is my daughter and a talented singer / songwriter in the Santa Monica area.
Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society
(STJS) sponsors the annual Sacramento Jazz Festival & Jubilee and monthly Second Sunday concert / jam sessions. Traditional and Mainstream Jazz, Blues, Zydeco, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Western Swing, Gospel. Swing dancing!Every Memorial Day weekend since 1974.
Great stories, jokes, puzzles, telephone help line, books, and much more all about cars.
10:00am Saturday & Sunday
90.9FM KXJZ Sacramento NPR
Capitol Public Radio (NPR) KXJZ Talk and nightly Jazz , KXPR The Classical Station
California Fuel Cell Partnership (hydrogen powered vehicles)
3300 Industrial Boulevard
West Sacramento, CA 95691
Phone: (916) 371-2870
HybridCars.com The Honda Civic Hybrid is our service vehicle of choice.
(916) 392-4045
