A mobile-only installer and a shop with a glass bay do not present the same exposures. Say which one you are, and describe both if you are both.
Mobile-only versus shop-based glass work
A mobile-only installer has no fixed workplace for customer vehicles, so the review tends to centre on the service vehicle, the glass and tools it carries, and the many temporary locations where work happens. A shop-based business adds premises, a building or lease, stock held on site and vehicles that may stay overnight. Many glass businesses do both. The description given to the broker should say how much work happens in each setting.
- Mobile only, with no fixed location for customer vehicles
- Shop only, with customers dropping vehicles off
- Shop plus mobile units, with different staff or vehicles for each
- Work at fleet or commercial customer sites
Glass stock in transit and in storage
Windshields and other glass are fragile, costly and awkward to carry. Insurers may ask what stock is carried in the service vehicle, how it is racked and secured, where it is kept overnight and what the maximum value in one place could be. Confirm in writing how stock in transit and stock at customer sites is treated, because those conditions are often different from stock inside the building.
Installation and completed-operations liability
A leak, a cracked pane or an alleged poor bond can surface weeks after the vehicle has left. General liability and completed-operations wording therefore deserves as much attention as the automobile portion. Insurers may ask about technician training, adhesive and product practices, written installation procedures and how completed jobs are documented.
Calibration of driver-assistance systems
Many modern windshields carry cameras or sensors that may need calibration after replacement. Tell the broker whether calibration is done in-house, with what equipment, or sent to a third party, and how the vehicle moves between locations if it is sent out. Do not assume that calibration, or work that is subcontracted, is included just because glass replacement is.
Customer vehicles in your care, custody or control
Ontario’s garage automobile wording addresses liability for damage to a customer’s automobile while it is in the insured’s care, custody or control, subject to the certificate, limits, deductibles and exclusions. For glass work that raises practical questions: does a technician ever move or drive the vehicle, are keys collected, and do vehicles stay overnight at a shop or lot? Answer each one specifically.
Tools, service vehicles and premises
Cutting tools, suction equipment, calibration targets and diagnostic scanners can be expensive and portable. The service vehicle itself needs its own review, since it is not the same as the customer’s automobile. Shop-based glass businesses should also value tenant improvements, racks and stock realistically.
Prepare a glass-business submission
Useful information includes revenue and payroll, the share of mobile work, maximum stock values, a list of services including calibration, driver details for anyone operating service vehicles or customer vehicles, and current policies and loss history. Starting with partial information is fine; leaving out a material service is not.
Common questions
Can a mobile-only glass installer be insured?
Potentially, subject to insurer acceptance. Describe the service vehicles, the tools and glass they carry, where work happens and whether technicians ever drive customer vehicles.
Does a glass shop with a physical location need a different review?
A fixed location adds premises, stock on site, overnight vehicles and building or lease questions. A business with both a shop and mobile units should describe both operations.
Is calibration of driver-assistance systems covered automatically?
Do not assume so. Tell the broker whether it is performed in-house or subcontracted, and confirm in writing how the work is treated.
Is glass in the service van covered?
It depends on the property wording, the declared values and the conditions for stock in transit. Ask where it is shown and what limits apply.
Are installation problems found weeks later a different type of claim?
They may involve completed-operations wording rather than the automobile portion of the policy. The wording, exclusions and insurer approach all matter, so review them before a claim arises.
Primary sources
Use the current official wording and your own certificate when making a coverage decision.