Questions, answered straight

Not usually — that's the point of the program. Glass repairs at approved facilities are handled per ICBC's Glass Repair Program, and the claim can be started and processed at the facility. Bring your driver's licence and vehicle registration; we validate your coverage on-site and confirm every detail with you before any work begins.

That's set by your own policy, so we won't quote a figure here — any number we guessed would be someone else's policy. When you arrive, we validate your coverage on-site and confirm exactly what applies to your situation, including any deductible, before work starts. You approve the full picture first; nothing is discovered at pickup.

The technician assesses the damage against ICBC's repair guidelines and the sightline standards in the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations. If it's past the repair threshold, we walk you through the replacement path instead. Either way the process is the same: we validate your coverage on-site and confirm what applies before anything is touched.

Yes. The process on your end stays simple: we confirm the details with your insurer, validate your coverage before any work begins, and where direct billing is available we handle that paperwork. Whatever your policy provides is confirmed with you up front — in writing, not as a surprise when you collect the car.

Absolutely. If you'd rather not open a claim, you get a firm written quote before any work starts, and the amount you approve is the amount you pay. Some drivers prefer this for older vehicles or particular situations — it's your call, and we're happy to walk through both paths before you decide.

Plan on roughly 90 minutes to two hours for the installation itself. Then comes the part that matters: safe drive-away time, set by the urethane adhesive and the day's temperature and humidity — commonly around an hour, sometimes longer in cold or damp conditions. We tell you the exact time for your vehicle and adhesive on the day, and we won't hand back the keys early.

OEM glass is made for the automaker, carries its logo, and matches the original pane exactly. OEE (original equipment equivalent) glass is built to the same dimensional and safety standards — often by the same manufacturers — without the branding, at a lower cost. For most vehicles both are excellent; for windshields with head-up displays, acoustic layers, or camera systems the details matter more, and we walk you through which option suits your car before you choose.

If your vehicle has a forward camera mounted at the windshield, yes. The camera aims through the glass, and its calibration is measured in fractions of a degree — replacement disturbs that geometry, and lane-keeping or emergency-braking systems can misjudge distances afterward even with no warning light showing. Manufacturers publish the required procedure (static targets, a road-drive calibration, or both), and the job isn't complete until it's done and verified.

Installations are backed by a workmanship warranty — leaks, wind noise, and moulding fit — for as long as you own the vehicle. New road damage is a different category (no one can warranty glass against the next rock), but if a repair or installation itself is ever at fault, it's ours to make right. You get the terms in writing with your invoice.

Leave the retention tape on for the first 24 hours; it protects the fresh moulding and keeps dust out of the curing adhesive, and peeling it early is the most common self-inflicted wound. Skip car washes — especially high-pressure and brush washes — for 24 to 48 hours, close doors gently with a window cracked on day one, and don't run the wipers until the glass has been rinsed clean of installation dust, so the blades don't drag grit across new glass.

Physics. Glass contracts in the cold, and any moisture sitting inside the chip freezes and expands, prying at the damage from within. Then comes the morning defroster: hot air on the inside face, freezing air outside — a steep temperature gradient across the glass, with stress concentrating exactly at the chip's edges. That's why a chip that survived all summer lets go in the first cold snap, and why repairing before winter is the cheap move.

Rain complicates it but rarely cancels it. Adhesives and repair resins have temperature, humidity, and cleanliness requirements — a chip repair needs dry glass, and a replacement needs a protected bonding surface. Covered parking, a garage, or a parkade usually solves it; where the work area can't be protected, we say so and reschedule or move you to the shop rather than gamble on the bond. The technician makes that call honestly, on-site.

Usually, with caveats. Parkades need enough ceiling clearance for the service vehicle and working room around yours; strata buildings sometimes want notice, which is worth arranging a day ahead; street work needs legal parking and a reasonably level, safe spot. Mention the location when you book and we confirm whether it works before the day.

Chip repairs are short appointments and quick to slot in — and if a chip is starting to spread, say so when you book, because those get triaged. Replacements depend on glass availability for your exact vehicle and options: common windshields are often available quickly, rarer panes take longer to source. Either way, we confirm a real window when you book rather than leaving you guessing.

Yes — there's a waiting area, and most chip repairs are done in about thirty minutes, so many customers simply wait. For longer jobs like replacements or same-day mechanical work, we give you a realistic completion time up front so you can plan around it instead of hovering.

Yes — glass and mechanical service under one roof suits fleets well: multi-vehicle scheduling, one point of contact, consolidated invoicing, and work sequenced so vehicles keep earning instead of sitting. Whether it's five vans or fifty pickups, reach out through the contact page with your vehicle count and typical routes, and we'll put a plan together.

That's the point of a dual-wing shop. An oil service alongside a chip assessment, a brake job alongside a windshield replacement, a seasonal changeover while wiper-scoured glass gets evaluated — one booking, one visit, with the vehicle moving between bays instead of you moving between shops. Mention both needs when you book so the schedule lines them up.

No. Manufacturers require that the maintenance schedule be followed on time and documented, with parts and fluids meeting their published specifications — they don't require the work to happen at a dealership. Keep itemized invoices showing dates, kilometres, and specs (ours are written for exactly that), and your position stays solid.

There's no requirement on Vancouver city streets. But from October 1 to April 30, designated BC highways require winter tires — mountain-snowflake or M+S marked, with at least 3.5 mm of tread — and most routes toward the mountains and ski country are designated. If even one winter mountain trip is likely, put the changeover in the calendar; beyond legality, winter compounds simply grip better once temperatures sit below about 7°C.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air by design, and water lowers its boiling point. On a long descent — the North Shore mountain roads are the local example — hot brakes can push old fluid past that point, and boiling fluid means a soft or sinking pedal. Many manufacturers suggest renewal every two to three years, but we test the moisture content with a meter and show you the percentage, so the decision rides on measurement rather than the calendar.