Esprit advises garages on how they can be improving their services through offering windscreen repairs, and the kits that could help garages achieve this.
Garage owners and managers should always be looking for ways to both improve the service that is given to customers and increase their profit margins. Adding windscreen repair could be a simple way to do just that. Those who haven’t carried out windscreen repairs before might think, I don’t know how it works, it’s too expensive, I might not get a good result.
So, let’s break down how windscreen repair works, then consider which system is right for your business, and finally, ways to sell a repair to your customer as an add on service.
How does it work?
Windscreen repair simply works by removing air and debris from the break, filling it with resin, and curing it with an LED lamp. Firstly, examine the break, then drill out the crater. Place the bridge over the break, and the injector into the bridge, over the damage. Inject the resin and the plunger pushes it through the tiny cracks all around the break.
The “pressure on, pressure off” cycle ensures that air is removed from the break and resin fills the damage. Once that is done, remove the bridge, add a little pit fill resin to the screen and the damage is cured in 75 seconds with the LED lamp. Remove the excess resin from the screen, polish it and you have a screen that is said to be as clear as a new one.
Which is the right kit?
Esprit windscreen repair equipment sell four kits – they all do the same quality job, but there are some differences in price, based on the number of repairs that they will carry out. The elite kit comes with an LED lamp, plus enough resin to carry out 40 repairs. It’s up to you what you charge for a repair, but the company recommends around £25-35. If you charge that amount, you’ll have made back the cost of the kit by the time you finish the resin provided, and after that, you just have to replace resin and other consumables. making each repair going forward cost around £1.50 to carry out, giving you a significant profit margin.
The compact kit is also available which contains the LED lamp but has enough resin for 20 repairs. This kit is better for the occasional repairer, but still contains all the same Esprit products as the elite kit.
Finally, the classic kit and the compact classic which come with the classic bridge and a UV lamp. This is the company’s lowcost option, but the kit still comes with all Esprit products, and the resin and can be upgraded to use the LED lamp.
Selling the repair
If your customer’s vehicle comes in for an MOT, a service or another repair, look at the screen for any chips or breaks. Repairing sooner is always better as if a break is left the car won’t pass its MOT, can turn into a large crack, normally necessitating a costly windscreen replacement.
Make sure your customer knows that when they come to MOT their car, windscreen damage will fail the MOT, but a repaired windscreen will pass. They don’t need to claim on their insurance, and possibly lose a no claims bonus. The cost benefits to the customer of repairing rather than replacing are easy to see.
Repairs only take around 20-30 minutes so they can be carried out as part of the service or MOT. If you charge around £25 for a repair, most customers who are having a service, MOT or other repairs to their car will agree that this is a low-cost way of preventing the need for a windscreen replacement.
