The coalition with Glas Weld Systems, formed a year ago under a trial, has now been formalised with a signed agreement that sees the Glass Assist UK network offer Glas Weld Systems' repair kit, said to be able repair windscreens with levels of damage that are beyond the scope of most other repair systems.

The collaboration has been described by Keith Flowers, head of Glass Assist UK, as ‘a totally independent replacement company working with a totally independent repair company for the benefit of the customer’ and means that Glass Assist UK can secure potentially huge savings for all its customers with the option to repair rather than replace their windscreens.

Glass Assist UK now has the highest repair/replacement ratio in the industry at 45% repair versus 55% replacement but according to Flowers some other companies in the market place are working to a 75% “replace”, 25% “repair” ratio and that this weighting towards replacement is unacceptably high. He thinks it’s time drivers and fleet operators were told about the problem and the alternatives.

‘Some unscrupulous windscreen companies have been manipulating the repair versus replacement option for years. Insurance companies, fleets and the vehicle rental market have been misled by these operators who have been replacing glass when it could have been easily and cheaply repaired instead,’ said Flowers.

He described a typical scenario: ‘Imagine a driver with a chipped but repairable screen calls a windscreen service. The technician turns up with a repair kit and a new screen in the back of the van and tells the driver the screen cannot be repaired. The average cost of a repair is £40 whereas the cost of a typical replacement screen is about £500. The temptation to push replacement is there and I think there are too many operators giving in to that temptation.’

Glass Assist UK says it is made up of 200 of the most experienced local independent windscreen replacement companies in the country, with more than a thousand qualified technicians.