It’s the end of the year and most of us have already dealt with Christmas wish lists from our friends and family. I thought I would make a New Year’s wish list for our industry.

• I wish that all the confusion over Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) would disappear.  Not completely—the technology will make us safer. Just make it easier for technicians in the aftermarket to understand. How about making it all self-calibrating so we don’t have to worry about it. I would love to see this on all vehicles equipped with ADAS.

“The calibration process for the front view camera system is necessary when a front view camera module is replaced by a new one. This process shall not be required when only replacing the windshield and the front view camera module has been mounted again properly.” -2014 Cadillac CTS Sedan AWD V6-3.6L Service Manual.

• I wish all technicians were adequately trained. Make the hackers disappear and the rookies gain experience quickly. We are all sick of fixing other people’s screw-ups and repairing the vehicles they damage.
• I wish that the insurance industry and the consumers would realize we are replacing a safety device and not a seat cover or molding. This is serious stuff. Why are we arguing about price when peoples’ lives and well-being are at stake?
• I wish mobile installations would go away. I started in the auto glass industry when mobile service was young. I admit I liked the idea of riding around without my boss looking over my shoulder. However, the shop job is objectively better than a mobile one. Less cost, more productivity, better working conditions and a more comfortable work environment translates into better, more profitable installations.
• I wish for two-man trucks. Realizing I can’t have everything, if mobile work is inevitable, then I wish for some company to share the work load. I’ll get better sets and be better off health-wise with some help. I’ll also have an added benefit to have someone to talk to during long trips and heavy traffic.
• I wish that the glass companies will up their game in quality control. Crooked mirror pads, upside down camera brackets, PVB oozing out the edges, mirror pads falling off are all little annoyances the techs must fix before they can do their job.
• Lastly, and more importantly, I wish all my friends, colleagues, competitors, suppliers, customers, clients and readers a happy New Year. From my family to yours, we wish that your 2018 and all the coming years are successful and profitable.

Happy New Year!