by Bob Beranek

This week is the 2017 Auto Glass Week™ in West Palm Beach, Fla., at the Hilton West Palm Beach Resort. Most of the time, this is the venue where industry friends and colleagues meet to renew friendships, discuss business and learn new things impacting the industry. I have been going to these events since 1991, but this won’t be a typical year. This year the industry will learn much more about Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and get a gut check that may change the way we do business going forward.

Changes have occurred in our industry before. In the late 1940s, the issue was curved glass parts.  Cutting tables disappeared, NAGS patterns started to deteriorate, and shops got bigger to handle the room necessary to stock large numbers of curved glass parts. Distributors became more important as our warehouse and as a “just-in-time” inventory provider. New skill sets were needed and those who had the skills required to cut parts became “just” installers. Slowly, the skills and art of glass fabrication became lost. Auto glass shops had to completely change the way they did business.

Then came the first glued-in auto glass parts in the late 1950s. A whole new industry was born in auto glass removal tools. Innovation and adaptation were the words of the day. Tools were designed and technicians needed to learn adhesion and sealing skills. What the heck is butyl? Can I get Polysulfide?  Again, the industry had to change and learn new skills.

Then this new stuff came along in the 1970s called polyurethane. Boy, was that stuff strong. I remember the first time I inserted my cold knife into that stuff and tried to pull it. I swore somebody tried to install the glass with liquid concrete. New questions and concerns emerged. We heard “What do you mean the vehicle has to sit for 24 hours?”; “Are you nuts?”; “I can’t provide mobile service if it takes a day to cure.”; “What about shop jobs?”; “I don’t have that much parking to hold a vehicle overnight.”  However, just like before, the industry innovated, and, with the help of our adhesive manufacturers, we overcame another curveball thrown by technology.

I suspect that each one of the trade shows that introduced those game changing innovations for our industry gave off the same feel that this upcoming one is giving me. The innovation that is going to change our industry is going to be every bit as big as the ones before. We have had some previews the last couple of years but ADAS and the new technology it spawns is going to be huge. It will develop new sister industries, it will demand new skill development, it will teach us new ways of doing things, and it will design new tools for us to use.

This year’s Auto Glass Week™ may go down in auto glass history like the ones mentioned above. If you can still find a hotel room, it will be well worth the effort to attend. This is a milestone that our industry sees only occasionally. Don’t miss it.

We owe a thank you to John McGee, Kim Speer and Bob Farrell from Binswanger Glass for a heads up on the new 2013 Cadillac SRX Four-Door Utility. NAGS lists two windshields for the model, the DW01816 with solar and upper molding and the DW01817 with solar, molding and rain sensor bracket. Kim discovered that there was another option for that model which is a windshield with a lane departure system. Once Kim ordered the glass from the dealer she discovered that the dealer glass has a special window to the passenger side of the mirror/sensor bracket. This window allows the camera for the lane departure system to see the road.

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It looks like the glass has four mounting tabs attached to the glass where the camera is secured. The camera is removed for installation but Cadillac is clear that recalibration is not necessary when the windshield is replaced.  The following are instructions given by Cadillac for replacement and re-installation.

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. This process shall be completed within 3–5 minutes when the correct driving conditions are met. If conditions are not met correct, the front view camera module shall continuously run the service point calibration until successfully completed. This process shall work across ignition cycles and shall not be required to be re-initialized at start up. If the Lane Departure Warning Switch is pressed during calibration, the indictor will flash momentarily and then stay out — this is normal operation.

The calibration procedure will start automatically after SPS programming is complete. During this time the Lane Departure Warning amber indicator will illuminate.

To calibrate the front camera, operate the vehicle in the following conditions until the calibration is complete:

  • Clean windshield.
  • Avoid lane changes.
  • Maintain vehicle speeds between 56-90 km/h (35-56 MPH).
  • Ensure the road contains visible references (well-defined lane markings, curbs, etc.).

Once the procedure is complete, the amber indicator will turn off. Shortly after the green ready to assist light should turn on as long as all conditions are met for normal operation. The system is then ready to assist.

One or more of the following conditions may increase the length of time required to complete the self-calibration procedure:

  • Heavy traffic
  • Stop and go traffic
  • Mountain roads
  • Curves in roadway
  • Poor contrast lane markings
  • Botts’ Dots type lane markings
  • Operating the vehicle speed is greater than 90 km/h (56 MPH)
  • Driving through snow or fog, or driving directly into the sun
  • Camera not properly installed. Verify it is snapped into tabs and is secure.

Conditions that will prevent completion of the self-calibration procedure:

  • Dirty windshield glass or obstruction on windshield
  • Operating the vehicle with speed less than 56 km/h (35 MPH)
  • No visible lane markings
  • Severe weather where lane markings cannot be seen
  • Camera not properly installed. Verify it is snapped into tabs and is secure.

NAGS has been notified about the discrepancy in the numbers in this model and they will make adjustments to their catalogues and database. The instructions by Cadillac should be all you need to replace this glass successfully.