Technical Cracked Windscreen

[Oakley28]

So, I was driving home last night from the parents house and a stone (or something) hit the cold windscreen and cracked it, not chipped proper cracked in the left hand corner

Does anyone have any advice as to where to get it fixed (if possible) or replaced for the best price?

Thanks.

Stuart.

 

[bloodline_89]

I had this over a year ago, I live in essex and phoned all the locals for a replacement.

The cheapest i got was £169.99, i cant remember who the company was but all the quotes were around that price - towards £180

so not that cheap really

 

[vladof]

I'm just replacing it today because the last owner used the original wipers until 2008. Imagine the damage.

Got a quote of 150£ directly from Pilkington Romania, with Bosch AeroTwin wipers included.

Getting it back this afternoon, hope everything will turn alright.

 

[tomfoster]

I also had this recently on my Stilo, just after I got it. I tried to get one from a scrapyard, but apparently they're very difficult to get out on a Stilo (as they'e "bonded in"?!) as two places broke them trying to get them out. In the end, I got a new one from a local windscreen place for £150. They did make a bit of a mess of the plastic trim along the bottom (the one the windscreen wipers are bolted through) when doing it though

 

[Oakley28]

Just checked insurance documents and I have windscreen cover and it can be replaced with a £65 excess. Question is though does this affect my premium and or no claims bonuses?

 

[bloodline_89]

Just checked insurance documents and I have windscreen cover and it can be replaced with a £65 excess. Question is though does this affect my premium and or no claims bonuses?

prob best to ask your insurance company

 

[Argonought]

Just checked insurance documents and I have windscreen cover and it can be replaced with a £65 excess. Question is though does this affect my premium and or no claims bonuses?

I'd get it done through insurance as you can then kick up a stink, more easily, if done wrong.

Pretty sure it doesn't affect NCD as there's no blame involved

 

[jimboy]

Insurance is the only way to go & you won't loose any ncb. Simple.

 

[Oakley28]

I'd get it done through insurance as you can then kick up a stink, more easily, if done wrong.

Pretty sure it doesn't affect NCD as there's no blame involved

Just rang them and I dont lose any no claims, they will be froze at what they are for another year. I.e. I wont gain another one when this policy runs out. Which I guess is ok because I cant afford to pay the £614 I was quoted by them if i went outside the insurance.

Arg, would you still go through insurance if it meant NCB were froze for a year? I'm thinking yes, as like you said it covers my own ass if things go wrong.

 

[rattystilo]

i have always gone through insurance on windscreen cover. The excess of £65 is bang on the nail too. go for it

 

[Argonought]

Agreed

 

[Oakley28]

AutoWindscreen are the people they reccomened, however they cant do it for the next 2 weeks due to being booked up because of the weather. However AutoGlass can do it tomorrow.

In my documents it says "If you do not use our approved windscreen repairer the maximum we will pay will be limited to £100".

So with that said, I should be ok to find my own person to do the work, is that right?

 

[Argonought]

Is it too bad to drive then - as sound like it's on passenger side ?

I'd wait if I was you as you don't want a rush job.

 

[Suicide_Jockey]

AutoWindscreen are the people they reccomened, however they cant do it for the next 2 weeks due to being booked up because of the weather. However AutoGlass can do it tomorrow.

In my documents it says "If you do not use our approved windscreen repairer the maximum we will pay will be limited to £100".

So with that said, I should be ok to find my own person to do the work, is that right?

That sounds like a fairly unusual Ins. Policy/Company you're with, Stuart. :bang: :-

A) ... As a general guide, it is QUITE unusual for a company to penalise your NCB for a Windscreen Claim unless it's OBVIOUS self-inflicted damage (such as pouring hot water on a frozen screen, etc) ... and is what your company seems to be doing by "witholding" this years NCB for this windscreen. (IF I understand you correctly).

&

B) ... Autoglass is GENERALLY regarded as an "Approved Repairer" by most ins. companies ... So I suggest contacting your Company to see if Autoglass would be acceptable in THIS case due to the Two Week delay caused by their "preferred repairer" (you might perhaps point out that in this exceptionally arctic-type weather, an unrepaired cracked windscreen is MUCH more probe to complete failure or collapse ... which COULD lead to a much higher payout by the ins company as a direct consequence IF they insist upon the delay )

 

[Suicide_Jockey]

Just rang them and I dont lose any no claims, they will be froze at what they are for another year. I.e. I wont gain another one when this policy runs out. Which I guess is ok because I cant afford to pay the £614 I was quoted by them if i went outside the insurance.

Arg, would you still go through insurance if it meant NCB were froze for a year? I'm thinking yes, as like you said it covers my own ass if things go wrong.

In those circumstances, I would tend to FULLY check the small print in the "Windscreen Cover" section of the Original Policy Docs (as that sounds quite unusual), and IF the Policy doesn't say EXACTLY that ... I would tend to strongly dispute it with the company.

 

[Oakley28]

IF I understand you correctly).

Yes - this is what they told me when I rang, that my NCB would be frozen at the end of year i.e. I will not get the the magic number of 5 and will stay at 4

B) ... Autoglass is GENERALLY regarded as an "Approved Repairer" by most ins. companies ... So I suggest contacting your Company to see if Autoglass would be acceptable in THIS case due to the Two Week delay caused by their "preferred repairer"

Thanks for that - they have confirmed I can use AutoGlass

Is it too bad to drive then - as sound like it's on passenger side ?

I'd wait if I was you as you don't want a rush job.

Yes its on the passenger side, from the bottom right corner (head on) and up towards the center. Hairline crack but you can feel its jaggedness if you run your finger over it.

In those circumstances, I would tend to FULLY check the small print in the "Windscreen Cover" section of the Original Policy Docs (as that sounds quite unusual), and IF the Policy doesn't say EXACTLY that ... I would tend to strongly dispute it with the company.

As mentioned above the have orally confirmed earlier over the phone that I would not receive a 5th NCB for this year

Insurer is swiftcover.com if anyone is interested.

 

[Suicide_Jockey]

Originally Posted by Suicide_Jockey
In those circumstances, I would tend to FULLY check the small print in the "Windscreen Cover" section of the Original Policy Docs (as that sounds quite unusual), and IF the Policy doesn't say EXACTLY that ... I would tend to strongly dispute it with the company

As mentioned above the have orally confirmed earlier over the phone that I would not receive a 5th NCB for this year

Insurer is swiftcover.com if anyone is interested.

Swiftcover.com = Cheapskates :-

http://www.swiftcover.com/carinsurance/policy/windscreen-window-damage/
Section D - Windscreen and Window Damage

We will pay:
To repair or replace broken glass in your car's windscreen or windows, and any scratching to the bodywork caused by broken glass, as long as there has not been any other loss or damage. We may choose to repair your car with parts that may not have been made by the car's manufacturer but are of a similar standard. Any payment for replacement of glass under this section will not reduce your No Claims Discount, (though at your next renewal you will no longer be eligible for any increase in your No Claims Discount according to our declared scale). However, in order to obtain the full benefit under this section the work must only be undertaken by our approved windscreen repairer contactable via Swift Glass Claims on 0871 231 2310*.

I've just had a quick rip through Swiftcover's General Policy T&C, Stuart (Not just relating to glass-cover) ... Let's say I'm not impressed, and they will definitely never make it to any ins-shortlist for me or my family personally.

 

[Suicide_Jockey]

Yes - this is what they told me when I rang, that my NCB would be frozen at the end of year i.e. I will not get the the magic number of 5 and will stay at 4

As an "off-the-wall" thought .... How much would the "extra/5th year" NCB be worth to you personally, Stuart ?

IIRC, you are liable to pay out £65 excess anyway, and "tomfoster" suggested in an earlier post that it MAY only be circa £150 for a new replacement.

IF so, then if the 5th years NCB is worth circa £85 or more to you, you MIGHT be better off overall to pay the total out of your pocket rather than making a claim. .... Just a thought.

I note Argo's comments about "more comeback IF problems" when work done via ins ... but that is considerably less relevant in relation to simple windscreen repair/replacement, and Autoglass guarantees their work for the life of your ownership of the car :-

http://www.autoglass.co.uk/Our-quality-guarantee.193.0.html

Regards
Bob

 

[mzhussein]

autoglass want near £600 to do this job on a stilo....my mate had it happen to him, he didnt have windscreen cover...ended up finding a cheap small company that did it for £250

 

[Argonought]

Windscreen replacement on a Stilo can sometimes be a tricky job as complaints are often found on the Forum.

For example - some reports of auto lights/auto windscreen wipers not working properly afterwards (not such an issue if you don't have them of course)