How to Choose an Auto Glass Shop You Can Actually Trust
Be sure to protect yourself. Your windshield isn’t just a piece of glass — it’s a critical safety component of your vehicle. It supports your roof in a rollover, helps your airbags deploy correctly, and keeps you and your passengers protected in a collision. Yet most drivers hand their car over to the first shop that offers a good price or quick appointment, without ever asking the questions that could mean the difference between a safe repair and a dangerous one.
Before you schedule your next windshield replacement or chip repair, arm yourself with these 5 essential questions to ask every auto glass shop you call. The answers will tell you everything you need to know.
Question 1: What Is My Minimum Airbag-Safe Drive-Away Time?
This is probably the most important question you can ask — and most people have never heard of it.
Drive-away time refers to the minimum amount of time the windshield urethane (the adhesive that bonds your new windshield to your vehicle’s frame) must cure before it is safe to drive. This isn’t just about the glass shifting around. If your airbags deploy before the urethane is fully cured, your windshield could blow out instead of staying in place— eliminating the structural support your airbags need to protect you. You are your own best advocate when it comes to protecting yourself.
Urethane products on the market typically come in 6-hour, 4-hour, 2-hour, and 1-hour formulations. A shop that uses a slow-curing glue but sends you on your way in 45 minutes isn’t just cutting corners — they’re putting your life at risk.
Fix-A-Crack uses 1-hour minimum drive-away urethane, and for customers who are truly in a hurry, we also have 30-minute express urethane available. Either way, we will never release your vehicle before it’s safe.
Question 2: Do You Accept My Insurance — and Will You Help Me File My Claim?
Dealing with insurance is stressful enough without adding a confusing claims process on top of a cracked windshield. A reputable auto glass shop should be well-versed in working with major carriers and should be willing to walk through the process with you — not just hand you a phone number and wish you luck. We help you protect yourself.
Fix-A-Crack proudly works with USAA, Farmers, Geico, Allstate, Nationwide, Ameriprise, Progressive, State Farm, and close to 70 other insurance companies across the U.S.A. In many cases, your comprehensive coverage means your windshield repair or replacement costs you nothing out of pocket.
Our expert team will get on the line with your insurance company alongside you, help you understand your coverage, and make sure your claim is handled quickly and correctly. You should never have to navigate that alone.
Question 3: Are You a Member — or Have You Been a Member — of the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC)?
The Auto Glass Safety Council is the industry’s leading organization dedicated to safe auto glass replacement practices. Membership isn’t automatic — shops must submit to a rigorous examination of their procedures, standards, and technician training, as well as unannounced audits to ensure compliance at every level.
Asking this question immediately separates shops that take safety seriously from those that simply say they do.
Fix-A-Crack was a fully approved and registered AGSC member shop through October 2020, and proudly held the only AGSC Master Certification in the entire Rio Grande Valley. That designation reflects a standard of excellence that most local shops have never even pursued.
Question 4: Are ALL Your Technicians Trained AND Manufacturer-Certified in Windshield Urethane?
Notice the word all in that question — it matters. A shop might have one highly trained technician and a crew of untrained helpers doing the actual work on your vehicle. You deserve to know exactly who is touching your car and what qualifications they hold.
Urethane certification means a technician has been trained directly by the adhesive manufacturer on proper mixing, application, curing conditions, and safety protocols. This training isn’t just a checkbox — it directly affects whether your windshield is installed correctly and whether it will hold in an accident.
Fix-A-Crack’s owners and technicians are trained and certified in three leading urethane systems: Sika, DOW, and Dinitrol. Ask to see our certification badges when you visit — we’re proud to show them.
Question 5: Are Your Technicians Trained and Certified in Chip Repair AND Full Replacements?
Windshield chip repair is a skill in its own right. Done correctly, a small chip can be stabilized and made nearly invisible, preserving your original factory seal and saving you the cost of a full replacement. Done incorrectly, it can crack further or leave a structural weak point.
The same applies to full replacements — precision cutting, cleaning, priming, and bonding all require proper technique and up-to-date training.
Fix-A-Crack has invested over 186 hours in windshield continuing education in 2017 alone, and our certifications come from some of the most respected names in the industry:
- Auto Glass University
- Auto Glass Academy
- Equalizer Certified Auto Glass Technicians
- National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) Certified Repair Technicians
- Delta Kits Windshield Repair Certified Technician
When you trust Fix-A-Crack with your vehicle, you’re trusting a team that has earned every one of those credentials.
The Bottom Line
Any shop can offer a low price. Not every shop can answer all five of these questions with confidence. The right auto glass shop will welcome your questions — because they know their answers demonstrate exactly why they’ve earned your trust.
Contact Fix-A-Crack today to schedule your repair or replacement. We’re here to protect you, your passengers, and your vehicle — every time.
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