Windscreen Repair/replacement Advice?

[Stupidmia]

Anyone on here had experience of dealing with windscreen chip repairs through insurance?

I recently noticed a small spidery crack (not a chip out of the screen). It is @ 10mm at its widest point and 5mm width….so I called Admiral and was passed onto their windscreen line (in conjunction with National Windscreens). A guy came out today and because he was an hour earlier than arranged I was walking the dogs when he called my mobile. He said he would have a look whilst I headed back. Soon after, he called to say that because the crack went all the way through, they couldn’t repair it and the better option would be a new windscreen.

Does this sound correct? Or do these people try and scam you into going for the option that will bring in the bigger bucks?

I’m sure that advert on television shows then filling a crack…not just a chip???

I’m thinking of popping into another place and asking if they could do it…and if so…then calling my insurance and complaining.

If I have a chip repaired or a windscreen replaced (£70 excess, but does not affect NCB…which is protected anyhow!)…do you have to declare it as a claim when shopping around for insurance the next time around? I’ve googled this and saw many conflicting replies.

How can your insurer assure you it doesn’t count as a claim…yet some insurers (or maybe them all?) still expect you to put it as a claim? We all know what the greedy buggers do if you mention a claim…bump up the premiums for next few years and you lose a lot more than what the original claim cost!!

They make my blood boil :censor:.

[Jan&tone]

First of all sorry to hear of your plight! Been there, done that and worn the 'Autoglass' t-shirt!

If a chip has 'starred' slightly and is within the inner circlie of the repairers gadjet (I think about the size of a silver threepenny bit) then it can be repaired - it depends on whether it is only on the outside of the screen.

If it has gone right through however, tough! you need a new screen.

If it is a crack on the outside, tough, you need a new screen.....

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but screens these days are integral to the body strength of the vehicle and as such have to be perfect.

The above is my understanding of the situation and could well be slightly off beam....

Good luck

[airies67]

Hi

I've had 2 cracks ( not chips ) on the windscreen of my rav4 in the last 3 years fixed by autoglass, they have an advert on the radio all the time saying that if your insurance is fully comp then you shouldn't have to pay anything, and i haven't.

I'm with aviva and it hasn't affected my insurance or counted as a claim either.

The last autoglass guy that came out told me that some windscreens now cost over a £1000 to replace and that the insurance companies would rather pay for a small repair out of their own pocket than let it get worse and then have to replace it.

for example my windscreen excess is £75 and doesn't count as a claim, so if mine did go it would cost the insurance company at lot more than £75 to replace it, So what he said made sense.

Both times i just rang the number thats on the advert all the time.

Hope that helps.

[acetip]

Anyone on here had experience of dealing with windscreen chip repairs through insurance?

I recently noticed a small spidery crack (not a chip out of the screen). It is @ 10mm at its widest point and 5mm width….so I called Admiral and was passed onto their windscreen line (in conjunction with National Windscreens). A guy came out today and because he was an hour earlier than arranged I was walking the dogs when he called my mobile. He said he would have a look whilst I headed back. Soon after, he called to say that because the crack went all the way through, they couldn’t repair it and the better option would be a new windscreen.

Does this sound correct? Or do these people try and scam you into going for the option that will bring in the bigger bucks?

I’m sure that advert on television shows then filling a crack…not just a chip???

I’m thinking of popping into another place and asking if they could do it…and if so…then calling my insurance and complaining.

If I have a chip repaired or a windscreen replaced (£70 excess, but does not affect NCB…which is protected anyhow!)…do you have to declare it as a claim when shopping around for insurance the next time around? I’ve googled this and saw many conflicting replies.

How can your insurer assure you it doesn’t count as a claim…yet some insurers (or maybe them all?) still expect you to put it as a claim? We all know what the greedy buggers do if you mention a claim…bump up the premiums for next few years and you lose a lot more than what the original claim cost!!

They make my blood boil :censor:.

if i remember a chip of 10mm or more in an area i think of the windscreen of 40cm directly in front of te driver is a mot failure.also maybe illegal anyway if not a subject of a mot.

if you have it replaced at home then point out that there is no damage to the bodywork before he starts work on the car.if done at a depot,do the same thing there .there is a few horror stories of these fitters using body work as a fulcrum to lever the old screen out.(there stuck in)then claiming the damage was already there.this happend to my sons lexus.a cameraa would be handy for shots of bonnet and the A pillers.windscreen did not used to effect NCB.but things may have changed.

[Stupidmia]

If a chip has 'starred' slightly and is within the inner circlie of the repairers gadjet (I think about the size of a silver threepenny bit) then it can be repaired - it depends on whether it is only on the outside of the screen.

If it has gone right through however, tough! you need a new screen.

If it is a crack on the outside, tough, you need a new screen.....

So if the crack goes all the way through your knackered, or is on the outside your knackered?

I read this as you can only get a repair if the crack is on the inside but not the outside (the only connotation left)? Is that correct? Do they tend to crack on the inside but not the outside?

Irrespective of where the crack is, as long as it's clean and the resin has a path through...I wouldn't have thought it would have mattered? Obviously I'm wrong

Cheers for all the replies so far :)

[acetip]

found this up,knew i had it somewhere

[Karma Supra]

I had a crack on my m3 screen three years ago.

I'm with Admiral insurance. I called them up and a new screen was fitted to my car under 24 hours later.

£70 excess, and it didn't affect my renewal.

Geunine BMW parts too, I saw the bill, it was over £500! it made me feel better about my (then) £750 insurance premium.

Naturally, it's stone chipped to buggery again now.... but hey ho...

[Karma Supra]

Double post...

[bothwell_buyer]

Had the repair done by autoglass and it did work on an ountside chip/small crack.

Also has 4 or 5 windscreens replaced due to larger cracks and no bother with affecting no-claims bonus. Maybe differs depending on what insurer. I phoned my insurer for 1 of my cars and they had no record of a windscreen replacement 2 years earlier.

By the way, I had some problems with the quality of work done by National ......