1. Aftermarket glass quoted as equivalent
The largest single line item. Cheap aftermarket glass on an older car with no camera is fine; on a car with a forward camera it causes calibration problems that no adjustment fixes. Ask what brand and whether it is OEM-equivalent.
2. The moulding reused
Some vehicles use encapsulated mouldings that are part of the glass and get replaced every time. Others use clip-in trim that stretches. A reused stretched moulding is a leak in slow motion.
3. No primer on the pinch weld
Cutting the old glass out scratches the paint. Exposed metal has to be primed or the urethane bonds to bare scratched paint, which is a bond with a shelf life. It takes minutes and it is invisible, which is exactly why it gets skipped.
4. No safe drive-away time given
A technician who hands the keys back and leaves without telling you a cure time has either not thought about it or does not want you waiting around. The number changes with the weather, so a real answer is specific to the day.
5. Calibration quietly omitted
On a car with a camera behind the mirror, calibration is part of doing the job. A quote that is cheaper because it does not mention calibration is not cheaper, it is incomplete.
The five questions
Ask any shop: Is the glass OEM or OEM-equivalent with the same features as mine? Do you replace the moulding or reuse it? What urethane, and what is the safe drive-away time today? What does the warranty cover and for how long? Is mobile service extra?
A shop that answers all five without hesitating is a shop that does the job properly.
Need this done rather than explained? There is no shop to drive to. We come to wherever your car already is — your driveway, your workplace car park, an apartment lot, or the side of the road it stopped on — anywhere in greater Sacramento, with no call-out fee and no mileage charge. Give us the year, make and model and you will have a firm price before the call ends.