Auto Glass Week 2022 Champions Crown in San Antonio as Competition Draws Top Technicians

The Auto Glass Week competition events in San Antonio drew a skilled field in September 2022, with more than $6,000 in cash and prizes distributed across competition categories.

The Windshield Repair Competition (WRC) tested technicians' ability to perform aesthetically and structurally sound chip repairs under judged conditions, with visible clarity and structural integrity assessed against industry standards. The Auto Glass Replacement competition evaluated full windshield removal and installation technique—including primer application, urethane bead placement and final retention testing.

The competition format had historically served two functions: recognizing excellence in craft and demonstrating to the broader industry what best-practice technique actually looks like. In 2022, a third function was emerging: calibrating what "complete" means in a replacement procedure, as judges and competitors debated whether ADAS calibration steps should be incorporated into the competition framework.

AGSC competition committee discussions in San Antonio touched on the question of whether the replacement competition should add a calibration component to reflect the industry's evolution. Adding a calibration step would require additional equipment at the competition site and an expanded judging rubric—logistically challenging but conceptually consistent with where professional standards were heading.

For shops considering whether to enter future competitions, the investment in preparation—practicing repairs and replacements to competition standard—invariably lifted the baseline quality of the shop's everyday work. Technicians who had competed consistently reported that the competitive experience changed how they approached even routine jobs, increasing attention to detail and customer-facing presentation of their work.

Auto Glass Week 2022 also produced a significant body of recorded educational content that was subsequently made available through AGSC channels. For technicians and shop owners who could not attend in person, the archived sessions on calibration procedures, AGRSS 005-2022 implementation, and workforce development provided a meaningful secondary return on the industry's investment in producing the event. Shops that distributed relevant recordings to their teams as part of structured training sessions were extending the conference's value beyond the attendees.