Windscreen / windshield replacement

Transportation, Travel and Trips
21
It is very tough to achieve a good result on metallic body to match original paintwork as the layers of paint never blend exactly same. On the other hand it is not always worth to have the whole bonnet resprayed because of few tiny spots. I guess it is always worth it to wait until a car picks a few more scratches and stone chips and then have it all resprayed. Next time will go for less problematic coulour and get snow white version.

22
It depends on your insurance. Many offer no deductible coverage for glass but I never did that because it wasn't worth it, since the cost of replacement was so low (relative to the increase in premium).

23
Do you know when they increase your premium? I thought that was only if more than 1 claim was made every 3 years? I was concerned that I was paying about the same every year. In Australia it goes down with the age of the car. Here they said the risk was the same, since repairs cost the same whether your car is new or old. Replacement value is a lot less with an old car, but it would have to be decent crash to write off a Volvo :-) I guess this is why people get new cars every few years here, because you pay the same insurance amount as the value goes down.

24
It is a "bitch" to spray any colour. I do actually have BMW titanium silver spray cans (paint and laquer) in my cellar - I had to replace the headlight washer on the Alpina Roadster. Bought the part and paint and did it myself.

Anyway back on topic:

2000chf for the windscreen of a Volvo V70 - including rain-sensor.

The claim will count towards the number they allow you before they go to cancel your contract.

25
Thanks DK for your offer...

I have already bought colour coded paint and lacquer Stift (so they call it auf Deutsch) in two plastic tubes from Bimmer garage for CHF30?and applied in the past in several places already. It works well on minor bumper scratches and etc. but never good enough on stone chips.

Btw: The stone chip on bonnet is so tiny and hardly visible that when mentioned once at the garage they laughed. But I am perfectionist and obsessed with this kind of stuff. Like my car baby's ass smooth...

Back on topic, tiny stone chips also affect the windscreen but I was adviced to have it only replaced when it is really bad. Then you pay an excess of CHf300 or so...

26
The guideline they had when they replaced my windshield was "is the chip bigger as a 10rp coin?". Yes = replace, No = repair. No excess, no premium increase. Allianz24.

27
Marie,

I was talking about the US. Here, I would not have a deductible on glass, especially if a windshield replacement costs that much, but again, it depends on how much the premium would go up.

I'm not sure about the premium increase according to number of claims, etc. We've had one minor accident (no repair) and a windshield replacement. So far I believe we haven't had an increase.

Dan

28
I help a guy who changes windshields every once in awhile and the rubber contact adhesive here is fairly high priced, then his wages are not like in the U.S. next some windshields are a real bear to take out. He has to cut alone the whole windshield and take car not to scratch the paint, then all the old rubber removed, cleaned, test fitted, then new contact rubber put on, put the windshield in, vacuum and left in where it's warm overnight. But I did have my windshield change back in the U.S complete for 199 glass and installed two years ago.

29
Had mine replaced by Carglass last month (December), what made me laugh was the fact that they replaced my 2012 Vignette for another 2012 one, even though the 2013 was already available

30
Are you sure they didn't transfer the old one? They transferred mine.

31
my car goes in on monday to have a small chip(size of half franc coin at bottom of passenger side windscreen)

the whole process is laughable, in the uk, call them, they send a man in a van to ur house, 15mins later its done, costs to insurance company(and thus u in the long term) very little.

here, call the insurance com[any, they give me a garage address, goto the garage, fill in forms, take copies of proof of ownership of car, take milage reading (???) take several photos of said chip. Then advise they will get in contact with me and i may need a new screen!

A week later get a call to make an appointment, arrange for3 weeks time(ok, christmas is in the middle) and ask what size courtesy car i require!! COURTESY CAR FOR A CHIP REPAIR! they advise WHEN they replace the screen it may take 2 days to get another!!

I explain i expect a chip repair only not a screen replacement unless absolutely necessary.

they say 'of course, what size car would you like?'

even if they do repair the chip, how on earth does it take all day to sort out!!!???

sorry, Swiss efficiency, i dont think so!

Worst of all, we are all paying for this in our premiums. Will see how they go, but will send a mail to my insurance company suggesting a cheaper route to repairing windscreen!

32
Switch insurance company?

But anyway, whenever offered a new windshield take it. My MFK is coming up and for I probably wouldn't have passed with the old (original) windshield, because of all the tiny spec chips on it. Not to mention the comfort of driving with a new windshield

33
I wonder why so many EFers have their windscreens broken? Do you drive close behind big trucks without mudguards or park under avalanche? Do you go to areas where kids throw stones or hooligans baseball bat your cars? You use diamond to cut off your old vignette? I drive everyday for past 2.5 years everywhere and no serious crack. Just wonder.

Yet I don't wanna push my luck because maybe one day I might become a victim (touch wood) and report back ...

34
Maybe it is because mud flaps aren't on all cars like they used to be.

35
Chips are not a MFK issue, only cracks.

Even mist due to delamination is a failure if outside the area swept by the wipers.

36
Got to agree with Satans Worm reply, the car went into the garage for it's annual service (I would point out that I have been more than happy with the garage since I arrived here), went to collect it and there was a note on the worksheet about a chip on the screen. Workshop foreman came out and did his normal walk round the car to check all was ok. Can't find the chip, there was one that occurred 3 weeks after I got the car new and I was in the UK, so just went into Autoglass and they repaired it for a drink and forgot about it. Foreman called the mechanic and asked where the chip was and he pointed it out after a while, about the size of a fly poo. Don't worry he said, we have contacted your insurance and the screen will be replaced free, just make an appointment with the screen people. Can't you repair it, it's so small you can hardly see it and I haven't a clue how long it's been there. No it must be a new screen, I then pointed out the old chip that had been repaired which was partly covered by the vignette, Oh that's far to big to repair, look closer, it was repaired 2 years ago in the UK. We couldn't possibly do that here, far to big.

Insurance company then chased me because I hadn't bothered to get the screen changed, so I made an appointment with the screen people, they wanted the car for 2 days, fair enough, it was freezing cold and snow everywhere and the screen is a glued in one, so temperature is important for a good job. What car do you want to borrow whilst we do it, I don't I said, I have another car so no problem, but you may as well have one the insurance is paying, no I don't need one thank you. But the insurance will pay. I do not need one, thank you. So a 15 minute job in the UK ends up costing CHF1500 plus here, no wonder insurance is so high.