Windshield fixer: Customers never even see my work

If you’re like most travelers on Highway 82, your vehicle probably didn’t survive the winter without a rock or two causing a nick, crack or pit in the windshield.

Now that spring is just around the corner and chances for additional damage are diminished, don’t forget about the damage that’s already occurred, advises Scott Vold, owner of Fas-Break Windshield Repair, a new business in Aspen.

About 90 percent of all windshields that are "cracked out" and require replacement ran into problems from just one ignored pit, according to Vold. "All minor damage eventually spreads," he said.

Fas-Break repairs windshield damage before it leads to bigger cracks. The company repairs damage up to 6-inch cracks and guarantees cracks won’t spread and the area repaired won’t discolor for the life of the vehicle.

But the best part of the service, Vold claimed, is that many insurance companies will pay for all the work without making the owner pay the deductible – as long as the owner has coverage for that type of work.

"I bill the insurance company directly. It doesn’t cost anything out of pocket," he said. "The insurance company would rather pay for a $40 repair than the cost of windshield replacement.

"It doesn’t affect the premiums because it actually saves the insurance company money."

Windshield repair companies aren’t new to the roaring Fork Valley. Novus, for example, has operated in the valley for years. Vold said he believes there are enough potential customers for both businesses, considering all the commuters on Highway 82.

Fas-Break fixes windshields from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. Vold repairs windshields wherever it is convenient for the owners rather than making them come to a shop. The process only takes about one hour.

He repairs stone damage by injecting a clear resin into break and displacing trapped air. Ultraviolet light hardens the resin and the repair is flush with the rest of the windshield so it doesn’t trap water.

Vold said the Phoenix-based Fas-Break chain’s motto is, "our customers never see our best work."