Car windshield fixers keep busy

February's snowstorm and March's 80-degree days have ended up being quite costly for some car owners, but profitable for local glass companies that replace windshields.

The dramatic weather changes brought with them high winds and storms, which sent tree limbs and hail crashing down on car windshields.

And the swings in temperature alone were enough to turn what might have started as a small nick in a windshield into a growing crack that stretches across the glass.

"January was not that busy," said Cindy Blevins, a sales representative with Guardian Auto Glass in Roanoke. "Once it snowed the end of February, that's when the big increase occurred."

Customers of the glass company usually have to wait about two to three days for a replacement. Now, customers are waiting a week or longer to have one of the company's roving installers fix their windshields.

At Glass America in Roanoke, office workers were fielding as many as 50 phone calls a day, and the office called in an additional installer from its Springfield office, said Angie Baker, a customer service representative.

"I was told that we'd never been that busy," Baker said.

The call volume has just recently returned to normal, she said.

Lois Hale, office manager at Danny's Auto Glass & Mirror in Roanoke, said they've been taking a steady stream of calls since the Feb. 19 snowstorm.

"We've been busy," she said.

She listed snow, wind and hail as the top reasons customers have been calling for new windshields.

Insurance companies also have noted an increase in claims for windshield damage.

Sarah Tilson-Miano, a State Farm agent in Radford, said claims for windshield damage have about doubled in the past two months. Her clients blamed road debris for the damage, she said.