N.J. winter storms mean cracked windshields, big business for auto shops

on January 30, 2011 at 7:43 AM, updated January 31, 2011 at 8:20 AM

It’s been a pretty lousy winter so far, but not for the folks who replace cracked and smashed windshields.

"This is our Black Friday, yes," said Kevin Moroney, a manager at Auto Glass Specialists in Morristown. "We wait all year for the weather to start."

The cold and snow creates a variety of windshield hazards: chunks of ice fly off trucks and smash them. Loose gravel dug up by plows flies up and cracks them. And drivers themselves break windshields with well-intentioned but ill-conceived efforts to clear them using boiling water or a shovel.

Moroney said half of the company’s business comes from repairing the damage done in December, January and February.

One common culprit in windshield damage is car owners who inadvertently scratch or crack glass trying to clear off snow and ice, said Dominic Kalli, manager of EZ Auto Glass in Edison.

"Self-inflicted is what it usually is, trying to get the ice off," Kalli said. "But this year we’re getting a lot of ice blowing off other cars."

In Sparta last week, a piece of ice flew off the roof of a truck and plunged through a windshield, showering glass on a woman’s face, and leading to a fine for the truck driver.

A new state law designed to protect motorists went into effect last October, making it illegal to drive a snow or ice-covered vehicle.

Fines from the law were meant to fund a public awareness campaign against the danger, but so far not enough money has been collected yet for the campaign, state officials said Thursday.

AAA New Jersey, which has a windshield repair center in Springfield, said it typically sees a substantial increase in calls about cracked windshields after a snowstorm.

Spokeswoman Cathleen Lewis said drivers should check windshields for small dings and cracks in your windshield ahead of a storm. Even small crevices can become large cracks because water settles into the fissure and expands when it is frozen, she said.

"You could coat it with resin before the storm and save yourself a lot of time, hassle and money at the end of the day," Lewis said.

The cost of getting a windshield replaced often falls directly on consumers, who may not want to file an insurance claim for a job that generally costs between $250 and $350, based on the car model, Moroney said. Many drivers are also trending towards insurance plans with higher deductibles, such as $500, which means they have to shoulder the full cost of repairs that fall under that amount.

In some cases, windshield replacements for high-end Lexus or Mercedes models can cost as much as $1,500, Moroney added, though such jobs are rare.

It’s not money easily earned, since most of the replacement jobs are done where the car is located, not in the auto glass shop.

"It’s a love-hate relationship," Moroney said. "We love it when it’s like this, but we hate it because once the work is there, it’s harder to get it done."

Staff writer Leslie Kwoh contributed to this report. Eliot Caroom: (973) 392-7919 or