Auto Glass Experts Serves the Greater Lafayette Area and the Surrounding Region.

Our Mobile fleet will travel to your location, up to 65 miles from Lafayette to make the needed repairs to your vehicle.

ABOUT US:

After working independently in the auto glass industry for over 10 years each, Ron Whitaker and Tavis Barry got together and decided to open their own business. Born of that relationship was Auto Glass Experts, an auto glass shop opened at 3305 South St., in Lafayette just over one year ago.

Ron grew up in the Rensselaer area, and today resides in Delphi with his wife Mary Beth Johns, who works in the insurance industry, and their two sons. After a job change took Tavis to Michigan for several years, he became anxious to get back to the Lafayette area - and a partnership with Ron was begun. Tavis and his wife Amanda Farr, a veterinarian at Purdue University, now happily reside in Lafayette and have two young children.

Ron and Tavis have seen a successful first year for their business, primarily focused on auto glass repair and replacement. The company employs two technicians, in addition to Ron and Tavis, one of whom has over 25 years of experience and expertise in the industry.

As a locally owned and operated business, Ron and Tavis emphasize 'investing in our community.'

"With the state of the economy the way it is, I like to keep as much money as possible in the state of Indiana," said Tavis. "I want to support our local community and our local government."

Ron agreed. "Taxes are increasing because there is not enough tax revenue. The more money we can keep in the state of Indiana, the less of a tax burden there is for everyone."

"We also only support locally owned and operated businesses," Ron added. "We really search to buy our supplies from local Lafayette companies, or at least locally opened and operated companies in the state of Indiana. It's a really nice cycle, to return that money back into the local area."

Although each job is different, Tavis said Auto Glass Experts can "typically get windshields or door glass done on the same day." He receives two deliveries a day from vendors in Indianapolis, and keeps a large supply of stock in the shop.

He also takes into account his customers' needs. A car with a cracked out window door glass or windshield poses a security risk for the customer, and the car often can't be driven until it is fixed. Auto Glass Experts places a high priority on serving its customers and quickly repairing vehicles to their satisfaction.

"It's especially typical for door glass to be broken out, and we will really try to push to get those jobs done for our customers," said Tavis.

Auto Glass Experts also owns three mobile vans that allow technicians to repair vehicles for customers at home or business location. Their service area includes locations within a 65-mile radius of Lafayette.

After a year's emphasis on auto glass, Auto Glass Experts is also now expanding into several new areas, including the auto accessory aftermarket. "We do auto glass every day, and that's what we've been successful with," said Tavis. "But we also want to expand into some new areas to offer something extra to our customers."

Those extras include accessories such as running boards, bug deflectors and vent shades, which act like an awning for a door window, so that the window can be slightly opened, even in the rain, without allowing any moisture to enter.

Tavis explained that such accessories can increase the resale value of an automobile, and make the appearance more appealing. In addition, "accessories can really personalize a vehicle for the owner."

Auto Glass Experts also has started to offer window tinting, a job that typically takes around two hours for a full car, and specialty mirror and glass work, both for automobiles and in residential and commercial settings.

Auto Glass Experts is open five days a week!

SERVICES:

From Windshield replacement to sunroof repair. Auto Glass Experts provide the services you need to keep you car looking its best and operating in a safe manner. Here you will find a list of the services we offer. At Auto Glass Experts we do more than just glass!

• Windshield Replacement
• Auto Glass Repair Process
• Window Tinting
• Sun Roof Repair
• Convertible Top Repair
• Upholstery Repair
• Leaks....

WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT
Replacement process:

In the opinion of a customer with a BMW....

First, the ornamental strips that surround the windshield are carefully removed. Do this carefully as the strips cost a small fortune from BMW. Removal of the windscreen wipers (which was quite difficult). Clips and lower cover removed, and of course some clips were damaged doing that and later on, some mysteriously disappeared. Removal of several clips on the right and left side of the windscreen by prying them out sideways. The most interesting part, to cut the sealant, they used some sort of special tool. The blade cuts the adhesive caulking compound around the windscreen. At the bottom of the windshield that tool can't be used. So, they use some sort of special wire with two handles and sawed the windscreen loose by pulling the wire back and forth. Need two people for this job. Notice the third person holding the windscreen away from the body just slightly adding lift and pressure. And the windshield can be easily removed. Discard it. Remove the old sealant with some sort of chisel. ...and unfortunately .....uuuuggghhhhh! Rust! Notice that the factory spot-welds where rusting. I was not amused...at all. Also, the paint and primer were damaged during the sealant removal. That is almost inevitable. The factory manual says this: Touch up paint finish damage with zinc dust paint and enamel. The rust was sanded away (well, as good as possible), and the damaged paint was sanded. Apply the primer. While the primer dried, the new windshield arrived. My windshield was heated at the bottom, so the new wire cables came with the new windshield and the old terminal from the old windshield needed to be used. The inside mirror connection was glued on with some special glue. The ornamental clips were reused. First, the clips were added to the windshield and after that the strip was attached to the clips. In the meantime somebody else was applying a bead of sealant on the body opening. Ready for window installing. With two people the windshield was installed, carefully pushing the window into the sealant and making sure the ornamental strips align with the body. A very strong sort of tape was applied probably to prevent the window from slowly moving downwards while the sealant dried. They didn't remove it the same day, I was told that I should remove it one day later when the sealant fully hardened. Connect the lower heater-one on the left and one on the right. I bought a couple of wiper blades and the new sight is really amazing.

AUTO GLASS REPAIR PROCESS
Using industry-leading materials, a highly trained specialist will repair your windshield damage and prevent it from spreading. First, the damage is inspected, then to help insure quality repair, the chip is thoroughly cleaned of debris and moisture. Next is a resin that fills and seals the damaged area is applied using a high-pressure injector. A thin sheet of Mylar is placed over the liquid resin to temporarily keep it in place. A high-power ultra violet light is used to cure (harden) the resin. Next, the Mylar is removed, the excess resin is scraped off, and the repaired windshield polished.

WINDOW TINTING
We offer a lifetime warranty on our tinting work. This means that if your tint starts to blister, bubble, wrinkle, fold or fade...for the lifetime of your vehicle, give us a call or stop on by so we can take a look. Our tint guy, Allan Marchand, has been doing window tint for the last 19 and a half years. He has a huge following! You will not be disappointed with the results.

Oh, and by the way, no one has come back for a warranty job in over 3 years.....

Tinting shades are charcoal and come in 35%, 15%, and 5%.

2-DOOR CARS...................................$150.00

4-DOOR CARS.......................$170.00

2-DOOR TRUCKS.........$130.00

2-DOOR W/EXTRA CAB........$140.00

4-DOOR TRUCKS.............................$150.00

W/SLIDER ADD................$20.00

2 FRONT DOORS ONLY.............$80.00

MINI VAN OR SUV......................$185.00

FULL CARGO VAN OR CONVERSION VAN.......QUOTE

WINDSHIELD BANNER..........$30.00

ALL 5% LIMO TINT ADD............$35.00

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS ON ALL PRICES DEPENDING ON DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR TINTED WINDOWS:

*DO NOT ROLL DOWN WINDOWS FOR AT LEAST 3 (SUNNY) DAYS.
*DO NOT USE AMMONIA PRODUCTS TO CLEAN GLASS. EVER. (WINDEX)
*DO NOT WASH WINDOWS AT ALL FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST WEEK
*NO WINDOW TINT IS 100% FLAWLESS

SUN ROOF REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT
Sunroofs are one of the most confusing items if you've never worked on one before. With so much of the mechanism hidden away, it's difficult to figure out what is wrong with the roof. A hesitancy to disturb the headliner, combined with a lack of public knowledge has left many sunroofs inoperable. In reality the sunroof is quite simple and very easy to repair. The sunroof motor drives two cables that move the roof forwards and backwards in a track mounted to the car. The primary problems with a sunroof involve the cables breaking or the roof leaking. We will diagnose the problem, determine if a repair or replace is needed and call you up before we do anything.

CONVERTIBLE TOP REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT
The convertible top on a modern car is a complicated, sophisticated, high-tech system. Installation of replacement car convertible tops is always a many-step, detailed, sometimes tricky process. Not all top installers are the same. Any upholstery, body or mechanical shop can attempt to throw a convertible top on a car. We see the results of bad work all the time – tops that look terrible, tops not fitted properly, screws and bolts not installed, tops cut, etc. A low price can be offered when shortcuts and/or cheap quality tops are used. The buyer will only discover a problem later when their top does not last. In some cases, improper installation will foul up the top operation, resulting in expensive repairs down the road. We only use high-quality tops and properly install each top to manufacturer specifications.

UPHOLSTERY REPAIR
Our highly skilled trimmers can accomplish every type of seat repair. Auto Glass Experts performs warranty seat repairs for all the dealerships in town. We provide the same quality of workmanship for our retail customers as the workmanship demanded by our dealership customers. Seat repairs break down into upholstery problems and mechanical problems. Upholstery problems generally are variations of torn, worn, soiled or damaged upholstery. If you have any of these, you can: repair the damaged areas; install a replacement factory upholstery cover; replace several “panels” with the same or similar materials; reupholster the seat completely in a new material. We can use leather, vinyl or cloth. The majority of the seat repairs we do involve partial replacement of leather or vinyl. Therefore, we've developed considerable knowledge in matching these materials by color and grain. Mercedes leather is different from BMW leather, Lexus leather is different from Jaguar leather. We maintain a large selection of leather and vinyl from different manufacturers. If we don't have it in stock, we usually can get it quickly from sources all over the U.S. usually within a day or two.

WINDOW, TRUNK AND DOOR SEAL LEAKS
INFO SOON!

LOCATION:
Located just off South Earl Avenue in the heart of Lafayette, Auto Glass Experts is positioned conveniently for all of your Auto Glass, Sunroof, Convertable top and Window Tinting Needs.

Can't make it to the shop? Our Mobile Service will come to you. Just give us a call and we'll take care of the rest.

OUR STAFF:

Dedicated, Hard-Working and Honest. Three values we pride ourselves on at Auto Glass Experts of Lafayette. We employ EXPERTS in our field. Below you will find our employees and their main role with Auto Glass Experts.

RON WHITAKER, OWNER:
You’ll find me mostly inside the office area, paying bills, finances, windshield estimates, paperwork, answering phones.

TAVIS BARRY, OWNER:
Shop Foreman. I take care of the technicians’ questions, organize their route schedule each day, and communicate with the office personnel. I spend my days running to and from the local body shops “R&R.ing” (Remove and Replace) any automotive glass they need in order to do body work without getting paint on the glass or inadvertently breaking it while they do the body work.


DEAN LITTLE, INSTALLER:
There isn’t anything I can’t do pertaining to glass installation. Door glass regulators, switches, back glass defrosters, those funny triangle glass pieces (they are called either a quarter glass or a vent glass depending on their function on the vehicle), and of course, windshield installation.


JIM CONNELL, INSTALLER:
I am the “shop guy.” Stop by the shop and I will be there for any questions you may have about whether your windshield can be repaired or does it need replaced? I’ll look at your seat and see what I can do to add padding or sew on a panel to cover that tear. I specialize in convertible tops and back glasses. I can cut glass for mirrors in your sun visors, side view mirrors, or other odd jobs….just give me time. I also can figure out what or where a leak may be located in your sunroof or windshield. They call me the “Water Doctor.” If your headliner is sagging or ripped, I can take it out of your car, strip it down to the original board and seamlessly glue on a new fabric to match the interior.


ALLEN MARCHAND, WINDOW TINT:
I have been doing window tinting for about 19.5 years. I will take my time and do it right, or I won’t do it at all. I make all my edges contour the edge of the glass; none of that spacing. Just to tell you how picky I am…lets say there is a brake light blocking the bottom part of the back glass, I will remove the light then tint the window and reinstall the light. That is the only way to make it look right instead of cutting around it.


FRED HOLIAT, INSTALLER:
I am the “give it to Fred and he will do it” guy. I run vehicles, keep the work vans tidy, sweep the shop, go look at strange or difficult jobs and call the office to let them know what glass or moulding or part is required.
ALBERT SCOTT, INSTALLER: I am the newest addition to the AGE staff. I am learning to be very thorough in every job that I am sent to. I have done glass work before and I really enjoy my job.

ANDREA EASTBURN, CSR:
I am the ornery gal in the front office. I answer phones, invoice the work orders, order glass and in general I am here to keep the place in communication. If you find yourself frustrated with the customer service all over town, call us or stop on by for some relief.