Fraser Canyon Glass is now offering their customers better safety thanks to their new Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibration systems.
As technology improves, auto repair stores are finding it more important to do repairs that don’t affect a vehicle’s ADAS. Fraser Canyon Glass is currently the only shop in Hope, thanks to their new systems, able to replace a car’s windshield without having to worry about mis-aligning it with a car’s DAS camera.
“When we replace a windshield in your car, in newer vehicles there’s a little triangle, up near the windshield wiper near the rear view mirrors, that’s actually a camera,” said Glen Saamanen, the manager at Fraser Canyon Glass. “And that camera is what sees the lines on the road and allows the systems to work. For most imports, Hyundai through Mercedes, they all have static calibration. So, you got to take all these measurements and you got to have a base setup with some targets so the cameras can see the certain targets at certain angles. And certain heights.
“So, the system we’ve brought in now, it makes that process a whole lot easier. And because it became more affordable, we can now run the system. So, we can do all the import stuff.”
Before getting the new system earlier this year, Saamanen said that the only cars with ADAS that the store could work on were domestic cars. This, he said, was because they used the road lines as their targets for calibrations. Because of this, any import car that came into the store for repairs could not be guaranteed that the windshield would be in the exact spot that the factory put it in. Which makes a big difference when it comes to the camera.
As such, before, Saamanen said these customers had to be outsourced to places that could do these installations. Which would cost extra money and, because the places were usually in Chilliwack or beyond, be an inconvenience to customers.
“Now I know they can be taken care of locally (by us),” Saamanen said. “And it’s all covered in your insurance. It’s all part of the job. So, if you have comprehensive insurance, that covers your windshield, then that includes a coverage fee.
This, Saamanen said, is important because most if not all cars will eventually use the ADAS functions — functions like blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning (to name a few). And since most of these functions are connected to the camera, he said its important that Fraser Canyon Glass is able to offer this level of safety and guarantee to drivers.
At their location on Corbett Street for over 25 years, Fraser Canyon Glass is owned by Gayle Young and is a full glass repair service shop in Hope. Her team includes Saamanen and Bernie Shepard, who is the store’s receptionist. They do all kinds of glass repairs which includes, automotive, household, and commercial glass repairs.
The business has been doing glass repairs in Hope for 42 years. For the first 36 years, Young ran the shop with her late-husband, David Young, before he got sick and eventually passed away three years ago. He is described by those who knew him as a “loving, kind, hardworking man who took pride in his work.”
“I miss his smile and his soft voice,” Gayle said. “He was born here (Hope) and he grew up here. So, he was part of the community.
“My father trained David. So, I’ve grown up in the glass business. My father had (a glass shop) in Chilliwack. And so David was very good at what he did here. And he worked very hard.”
The couple would have celebrated their 49th anniversary on April 5.
“We were never apart in all those years. We worked together. We did everything together. And that’s quite something.”