24 ~ Friday, March 16, 1990 - North Shore News

A UT O0 M OT i

ASK THE
EXPERT

ASK THE Expert is a weekly column in the North Shere
News’ Automotives section. Each week a reader's question
will be answered by an expert from the British Columbia
Automobile Association (BCAA). This week’s question is:

I own a four-year-old Dodge 600.
Recently I noticed faint cracks on the
@ windshield. A mechanic, however,
told me that they are scratches. How can I erase
these scratches? Any auto-glass experts [| have
asked said nothing could be done to fix them.
Hamilton B. Timothy,
White Rock

A It is possible to remove light scratching to
e the surface of a windshield using Jeweller’s
Rouge, a soft cloth or a polishing pad. However,
if the scratches are too deep you will not be able
to erase them without damaging the windshield.
Shading or distortion of the glass will occur if too
much polishing is done.

The auto glass experts who looked at your
windshield obviously feel any attempt to repair it
would do more harm than good. Replacing the
windshield is, of course, the other option.

Bob McHugh,
BCAA’s Consumer and Technical Advisory Dept.

@ 3 @ @

tf you have an auto-related question, write to: ‘‘Ask the Ex-
pert,”’ North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North
Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4.

Zz...
STK. 90-5006

@ Electric rear window defroster
@ Rear window wipesiwasher

M Powertul 4 litre intine 6 cyl.
5 sod trans with overdrive
@ Cloth bucket seats @@ Root luggage rack
M@ Full carpeting @@ P205/75 AIS tires

/°20,882°

Guaranteed a ’S Lowest Prices

You Don’t Have To Cross The
Bridge To Get The Best!

*NET OF ALL PACGRAMS—PRICE INCLUDES FREIGHT & PDI. DL 7496 a

‘MOUNTVIEW

i) 1600 MARINE DR., N.VAN., 980-3431 OE

Oh what a feeling!

G

PAATICIPACTION BD.

yY E— S

Watch for ‘signs’ of
a good autobody shop

IN THE first part of
our look at body shops
last week, we checked
some of the major at-
tributes of a good
repair facility. It should
be clean, well-organiz-
ed and properly equip-
ped with the tools to do
the job on your vehicle.

But just as important as
the facility and its resources
are the qualifications of the
craftsmen who wil! actually
be doing the work. In this
case there are literally
‘‘signs’’ for which you
should look.

Body shop owners and
staff display their certificates
and other indicators of
technical qualifications with
pride. You can look for
journeymen apprentice pro-
gram certifications and
training diplomas from such
institutions as Vancouver
City College, Camosun Col-
lege on the Island, and
Okanagan College in
Kelowna. These signify the
completion of up to four
years’ training in body work

90 ESCO RT

Tinted glass, AM/FM cassetie.
air Condinoning

$10,440

Sth #ES 485

°90 GRAND
MARQUIS

5 0, auto, aw cond.,
windowsilacks, speed’ onirol

521,990

Stk ae 481

°90 RANGER

4 cyl, standard, rear buriper

and/or painting.

ICAR — the IJnter-In-
dustry Conference on
Automobile Collision Repair

Auto Topic

Ken Hardie

INSURANCE
CORPORATION

OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

has issued certificates to
those who have completed
training in unibody and
plastics repairs. In addition,
various equipment manufac-
turers or suppliers offer
training programs on new
equipment or repair tech-

niques.
These sessions are sorme-
times held at individual

shops or at the manufactur-
er’s facilities. Other times,
they are conducted at
ICBC's Training and
Research Centre in Burnaby.

Sth. *TP 233

Stk #L 438

59,860

6 cyl. 5 Spd, conv group,
AMIFM stereo, spor! whicovers

Stk -RA 300

"90 F250
$13,880

Sth #7 277

‘30 TO PAZ

Auto 4 DR, AM/FM stereo,
interval wipers.

11,770

°90 LINCOLN

Coritinental, Signature series.
Fully loaded

543,998

"90 F250 4X4

Super Cab. XLT, ar. cruise. lock, windows.
73 diesel, camper pkg. tu-tone

A shop may also have
specialists with experience
working on vehicles such as
yours. For instance, special
skills are needed to repair
unibody vehicles made of
high strength steel welded
into a single unit. Some
repair specialists may have
years of experience with par-
ticular makes of vehicles.

Guarantees

Nearly all body shops
guarantee their work to
some degree. You should
read the exact wording of
whatever guarantees apply to
your repairs. If you don’t
understand the wording, ask
the operator to explain.

Although many shops
advertise ‘ICBC Claims
Done Here,” this is not an
indication of any special
ICBC authorization or des-
ignation.

Be satisfied with the work
done

At ICBC, we want you to
be satisfied with repairs paid
for by your Autoplan in-
surance. Befcere you drive
away, check the following:
*the appearance of the
repaired area — from close

790 SABLE

cassette. power locks

517,990

Sth #SA 462

5.0. JBL sound

$41,888

Stk #t 491

90 BRONCO II

4X4. 6 cyl standard, mags

$17,990

Stk "BR 249

GS, 4 OR, air cond., power
windows, speed cont. AM/FM

90 LINCOLN

Town Car, Signature series

up anc ata distance
*the paint, for color,
urs and any overspray
* sepaired mechanical parts
to ensure proper operation
such as no sticking doors,
turn signals operating, etc.
* that the vehicle is clean.

Finally, you should not
sign the certification of
repair until you are satisfied
with the work that has been
done. The body shop will
ask you to pay any deducti-
ble that applies to the work
done, and will then bill
ICBC for the rest of the
repair costs.

AS we mentioned last
week, once your vehicle has
gone through ICBC’s claims
process the choice of a body
shop is yours to make. We
hope these tips will help you
find the facility that is best
able to perform your vehicle
sepairs.

If you would like a copy
of our brochure, Choosing a
Body Shop, ask at any ICBC
claims facility.

tex-

Next week, a new ‘‘candid
camera’ program you'll
definitely want to miss!

90 COUGAR LS

V-6. auto, aif cond.
power windows

18.344 of

Stk #CG 437

90 LINCOLN

Mark Vi, LSC
Fully loaded

540,988

Stk #L 542

90 F150

6 cyl, 5 spd, Dark Red

$41,990 «

Sth #T 257

"90 AEROSTAR

6 cyl.. auto, 7-pass. RR wiper washer, hght
group, AMIFM cass . speed control, tlt Fi

16,990 /