It’s winter, and at my house in New Hampshire I received about eight inches of snow yesterday. Today I’m watching it come down hard outside the windows at TeleGlass National headquarters, so I am a little concerned about what I’ll find when I get home tonight. At a minimum, I’m looking at slogging up the driveway on foot to get out the snow thrower to clear everything off. Bad news, too. I left my snow boots at home, and am wearing leather dress shoes.
Before I can even consider the drive home, I wanted to turn my attention to the number one thing I want to advise you to keep in your car if you live in a part of the country that sees snow accumulation even once a year. The windshield broom/scraper is mandatory equipment. Do not get caught without one!
I snapped this photo of one of my coworkers cleaning her truck off midway through the day yesterday. She’s very responsible, and she made it a point to knock as much snow and ice off her truck as possible.
Take a look at her roof – notice how there’s no snow up there? Pam didn’t just clean off her windshield… she cleaned all the horizontal surfaces of her vehicle as well. Pam understands that if you don’t take this step, snow and ice can fly off your car and break the windshield of someone following behind you.
Do your part to keep it from happening to others. In most states, there is legislation on the books that discusses creating a hazard for other drivers. Even though it is rarely enforced, it’s good karma. Do the right thing.
The bottom photo is my windshield broom/scraper. It boasts a squeegee and broom on one end, and an ice chipper and scraper on the other. The pole is telescoping, so I can reach all the way across my car to push snow off the top. I spent less than $20 on this heavy duty unit at Costco, and have seen them retail for much less. Any Target, Wal*Mart, or auto parts store should be able to hook you up as well.
If doing the right thing for others isn’t enough to motivate you, consider this. I saw someone with four inches of snow on the roof come to a sudden stop a few days ago, and all the snow slid forward, completely covering the windshield and obstructing his view. He had to get out of the car to clear it away with his bare hands. The snow was so heavy his windshield wipers didn’t work. He looked cold, wet, and miserable. He took his life into his own hands when he didn’t clear his car of snow, and was lucky he didn’t cause an accident by being at a complete stop on a busy street in icy conditions for almost a minute while he cleared his car of snow.
Be safe out there!
Read more from James Lee.
In 2009 he joined TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @jronaldlee.
Here I thought that I was the original… no, the only windshield monkey out there, but take a look at what you can buy from Southern Agriculture!
Now before anyone gets any ideas, I do not want this handsome figurine as a Christmas gift.
A bunch of bananas. Some new windshield wipers. Heck, a do-it-yourself windshield repair kit would be better. I don’t need a resin monkey with glasses, thank you!
Need a windshield appointment? We can help with that. If you’re confused and you think you need this figurine – well, visit Southern Agriculture’s web site.
Read more from Gomez.
Gomez is more than just a pretty face. You'll find him in the TeleGlass Ninja cartoons, but he wants you to know it's just "acting." Gomez thinks he can fix anything with a roll of duct tape, well, anything but autoglass.
Okay, this is for the six people on the planet who haven’t seen this video yet…
Read more from Gomez.
Gomez is more than just a pretty face. You'll find him in the TeleGlass Ninja cartoons, but he wants you to know it's just "acting." Gomez thinks he can fix anything with a roll of duct tape, well, anything but autoglass.
Today a photo from Naples takes its place on our Florida auto glass page.
Many thanks to William Lucas for sharing this photo with us. Looking at it, I wish I had been there.
Thanks again, William, for helping us update our Florida windshield page. While we lost the ocean in the crop, it still looks great!
Read more from Blog Admin.
The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
Today’s question comes from Denise, who asked us if infrared reflecting auto glass has a distinctive color or tint, or if it’s the same color as a regular windshield.
The answer is that it depends.
Most people don’t think about it, but in almost all cases your car’s windshield or windscreen has tint to it already. While usually blue or green, it can sometimes be bronze in color as well. If you want to verify that your windshield is tinted, just take a piece of white paper and press it against the windshield. When viewed from the other side, you’ll be able to see the tint that was added when the glass was made. This tint cuts down on glare, and helps prevent your vehicle from overheating.
Infrared reflecting auto glass is getting more and more attention thanks to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which recently set some new guidelines on the reflective properties of auto glass. IR reflecting glass can cut down on the interior temperature of your car by five to ten degrees, and that means in the summer you run your air conditioner less. If you run your AC less, you burn less fuel, and thereby reduce smog causing emissions.
Estimates vary, with some suggesting that this requirement will add about $250 to the price of a new vehicle. Like many things, this cost is expected to come down as production goes up. The fact of the matter is this: The auto glass with IR film does pay for itself over time through reduced gasoline usage.
Back to Denise’s question. The chemicals used to reflect the IR wavelength of light should not alter the appearance of your car’s glass. If added as an after-market film, the manufacturer may add more than just IR reflecting capabilities, so you can end up with a film that is polarized, UV reflecting, IR reflecting, and tinted bronze or gray in color.
Read more from James Lee.
In 2009 he joined TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @jronaldlee.
Click the photo to view walknboston’s pictures on Flickr. This one is of Mount Abraham, and we found it a perfect fit for our Vermont auto glass page. We really had very little to do to make this great panoramic shot work for the web site; here’s what it looks like post-crop:
Thanks very much, walknboston!
Read more from Rachel Letourneau.
System Process Manager, Rachel has been with Teleglass for six years. In addition to making a mean birthday cake, Rachel has an extensive grasp of the auto glass business. Find her on Twitter: @rachelcrocker.
Back in 1903, a woman named Mary Anderson patented the first successful cleaning device for windshields.
On a fateful visit to New York City, she noticed that cable car operator was leaving his front window open in order to see during a sleet storm. As she sat in the trolley watching this scene unfold, a light bulb came on. She soon designed a device that swung an arm comprised of wood, metal and rubber that we recognize today as a wiper blade. Her device was capable of clearing rain, sleet, or snow. The driver controlled the windshield wiper with a lever on the inside of the car. This invention has prevented a plethora of auto glass repair, replacement glass, windshield repair, and even bodily harm. Though one of the greatest inventions in automobile glass safety and the automotive industry overall, Anderson’s patent expired in 1920. Prior to that she rarely received any royalties; perhaps because her patent specified that it was intended for use in “electric motor cars.”
As a father to two girls, I admit to a bit of a thrill when I found her patent application on the US Patent Office’s web site, which begins as follows:
To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MARY ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Window-Cleaning Devices, of which the following is a specification.
The drawings above are from Mary’s patent application, which was issued patent number 743,801. She died at the age of 87 in Tennessee. Her contributions in vehicle glass repair prevention were substantial.
Read more from James Lee.
In 2009 he joined TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @jronaldlee.
It’s pretty cold in Washington, DC, but when we went looking for a new photo for our Washington, DC auto glass page, we found this:
Doesn’t that look like a nice warm day? Once we’ve done our usual cropping, our Washington DC windshield page looks like this:
Big thanks to timomcd from Flickr for use of his photo.
Read more from Sheila O'Toole.
Managing Director for TeleGlass National. Having spent almost two decades in Auto Glass, I truly enjoy the dynamic, fast-paced culture the industry provides. Every day I get to help people out which is truly fulfilling.
Who knew there was a trick in BMX called the “windshield wiper?” James Foster, that’s who. Check him out:
Read more from Gomez.
Gomez is more than just a pretty face. You'll find him in the TeleGlass Ninja cartoons, but he wants you to know it's just "acting." Gomez thinks he can fix anything with a roll of duct tape, well, anything but autoglass.
Continuing the grand tour around these 50 United States of America, we find ourselves in the Lone Star State. Need a windshield in Texas? Jared (that’s jaredten to those of you on Flickr) shared this photo with us:
As usual, we couldn’t use the entire image, but when we were done, we still have a beautiful sunset of Austin, Texas:
We’re pleased to have this image for our Texas auto glass page. Thanks again, Jared!
Read more from Michelle Chalmers.
As the Director of Member Relations, I find the "best of the best" auto glass companies to become members of TeleGlass.com. Our goal is to provide swift, quality service for all windshield replacements or repairs and it takes a keen eye to find the best.
It’s winter, and at my house in New Hampshire I received about eight inches of snow yesterday. Today I’m watching it come down hard outside the windows at TeleGlass National headquarters, so I am a little concerned about what I’ll find when I get home tonight. At a minimum, I’m looking at slogging up the driveway on foot to get out the snow thrower to clear everything off. Bad news, too. I left my snow boots at home, and am wearing leather dress shoes.
Read more from James Lee.
In 2009 he joined TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @jronaldlee.
Perish the thought!
Read more from 
Read more from 
Read more from 
Back in 1903, a woman named Mary Anderson patented the first successful cleaning device for windshields.
Read more from 
Read more from 
