Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Today I saw a big scratch/crack in the windshield. No idea how it got there. It's about a foot long, deeper than a scratch. I presume I need a whole new windshield? Probably cost a fortune? What should I ask car dealership? Any advice at all would be welcome. I hate dealing with auto repairs! Btw, it's a Subaru Outback '08. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I wouldn't take it to a dealership. Not sure where you are, but I just had my windshield replaced by Safelite. The service was spectacular- and very affordable for an entire replacement- I paid less than $300. I would consult with them to see if the windshield can be repaired- they'll even do it in your own driveway for an added fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I'd check with your car insurance company to see if it's covered. Ours has a $250 deductible for replacement windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I'd check with your car insurance company to see if it's covered. Ours has a $250 deductible for replacement windows. Correct. You can likely get it replaced relatively cheaply under your comprehensive coverage if you carry it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 You need to check with your car insurance. I have one on my windshield too and they're going to pay for all of the replacement. This is considered no fault and is usually due to rocks from trucks etc... hitting your windshield when driving. BTW, I don't have full coverage either because my van is 10 years old. It doesn't count as a claim against you either. Most of the time these cracks just spread and get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Mine was $50 with my car insurance. They came right to my house to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 We've had several windshields replaced over the years. All fully covered by our car insurance. We usually use Safelite or a similar company that comes to our home or DH's work to do the replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 I wouldn't take it to a dealership. Not sure where you are, but I just had my windshield replaced by Safelite. The service was spectacular- and very affordable for an entire replacement- I paid less than $300. I would consult with them to see if the windshield can be repaired- they'll even do it in your own driveway for an added fee. There us a Safelite near us. So, is a car window a car window, not specific to a particular model? Providing it fits, if course. I mean, Safelite is good glass, not a cheap knockoff?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 I'd check with your car insurance company to see if it's covered. Ours has a $250 deductible for replacement windows. Correct. You can likely get it replaced relatively cheaply under your comprehensive coverage if you carry it. You need to check with your car insurance. I have one on my windshield too and they're going to pay for all of the replacement. This is considered no fault and is usually due to rocks from trucks etc... hitting your windshield when driving. BTW, I don't have full coverage either because my van is 10 years old. It doesn't count as a claim against you either. Most of the time these cracks just spread and get worse. We've had several windshields replaced over the years. All fully covered by our car insurance. We usually use Safelite or a similar company that comes to our home or DH's work to do the replacement. Thank you, I had not actually thought of using insurance, thinking it would count against me and my premiums would increase many times cost if window.... I will call insurance tomorrow. I have a good policy, although high deductible. And when I saw the crack, I thought I'd be out thousands of dollars. Keep posting. I love this advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Some states (I know this is true in Florida) the law mandates that insurance covers it at no cost and no penalty to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 We go through lots of windshields here. I have a subaru forester and just had to have mine replaced, it was just over $400. I have windshield insurance, but there is a $500 deductible so I had to pay out of pocket. I will say, I've noticed about every 5th car in VT has a cracked windshield at any given time - we just fix ours before inspection time. :laugh: Mine cracked the day before my inspection, so I had to replace it ASAP, but my mom's had a crack across her windshield for about 6 months now and will get it fixed in August when her inspection sticker is up. I used Safelite as well for my glass. They will also come out and fill any dings for you before they turn into cracks for less than $20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Some states (I know this is true in Florida) the law mandates that insurance covers it at no cost and no penalty to you. This is also true in SC, if you carry comprehensive coverage. There is no deductible for windshield replacement, and they cannot raise your premium because of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 We pay about $250 for a new windshield on our van. Call up several auto glass companies out of the phone book to get an estimate. You just tell them the year, make and model of your vehicle. I had several estimates from $250-400. We always go with the cheapest and have never had a problem. Our auto insurance doesn't cover it (high deductible) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 We have used Safelite as well as another local company over the years. They will usually come to your home & replace the windshield or you can take your car into them. We have never had a problem with the quality of the replacement windshield. As I understand it, the replacement windshield is one that is made as a replacement for your vehicles specific make & model. Our insurance covers the bulk of it & since our deductible is so low they typically waive the deductible portion and accept what the insurance company pays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 Some states (I know this is true in Florida) the law mandates that insurance covers it at no cost and no penalty to you. This is also true in SC, if you carry comprehensive coverage. There is no deductible for windshield replacement, and they cannot raise your premium because of it. Those are nice laws. I guess it helps prevent people from driving with unsafe windshields. I like the part about not raising premiums. Unfortunately, I am in NJ. Glass is covered by comp insurance. I have a $500 deductible, but that is much better than the thousands I was envisioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 We go through lots of windshields here. I have a subaru forester and just had to have mine replaced, it was just over $400. I have windshield insurance, but there is a $500 deductible so I had to pay out of pocket. I will say, I've noticed about every 5th car in VT has a cracked windshield at any given time - we just fix ours before inspection time. :laugh: Mine cracked the day before my inspection, so I had to replace it ASAP, but my mom's had a crack across her windshield for about 6 months now and will get it fixed in August when her inspection sticker is up. I used Safelite as well for my glass. They will also come out and fill any dings for you before they turn into cracks for less than $20. Really! This is my first windshield replacement in decades of driving. I had no idea it was so common. I was scared enough that I made dd sit in the back of the car. Do you have any idea how a long crack happens? The car was OK this morning -- I can't believe that I would not have noticed the damage -- and then, when I came back to the car in a quiet corner of a Boy Scout camp parking lot, the glass was damaged. But no big branch or rock nearby…. Do your Subaru windshields look like the ones that came with your car? I think mine has the standard light tinting at the top. And they seal the windshield, so there are no leaks? (I realize that I sound paranoid.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 We have used Safelite as well as another local company over the years. They will usually come to your home & replace the windshield or you can take your car into them. We have never had a problem with the quality of the replacement windshield. As I understand it, the replacement windshield is one that is made as a replacement for your vehicles specific make & model. Our insurance covers the bulk of it & since our deductible is so low they typically waive the deductible portion and accept what the insurance company pays. I will call Safelite tomorrow. Thank you for the bolded! My comp is $500, so I guess I will be paying myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 We pay about $250 for a new windshield on our van. Call up several auto glass companies out of the phone book to get an estimate. You just tell them the year, make and model of your vehicle. I had several estimates from $250-400. We always go with the cheapest and have never had a problem. Our auto insurance doesn't cover it (high deductible) I will call around. Thank you for the price info -- it is so helpful to have an idea of the range of process! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 The windshield of my minivan has had a crack in it for, oh, six years. I cannot feel it on the inside of the glass. It passes inspection every year. I have no plans to replace it as long as it stays like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I will call Safelite tomorrow. Thank you for the bolded! My comp is $500, so I guess I will be paying myself.You need to call your insurance agent first. We have a $500 deductible on our auto insurance but we don't have to pay that for the windshield. Any small chips or cracks are fixed for free and we can get the whole windshield replaced for $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Do you have any idea how a long crack happens? The car was OK this morning -- I can't believe that I would not have noticed the damage -- and then, when I came back to the car in a quiet corner of a Boy Scout camp parking lot, the glass was damaged. But no big branch or rock nearby…. You might already have had a knick in the glass or a small crack that expanded with a temperature change. I cracked a windshield once when I got a bit overzealous running the heater on it to melt some ice. Yeah . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 You might already have had a knick in the glass or a small crack that expanded with a temperature change. I cracked a windshield once when I got a bit overzealous running the heater on it to melt some ice. Yeah . . . This happened to me. One day a rock hit my windshield. A teeny tiny ding appeared. A week later, we were driving on a cold morning and had the heat going. We watched (and listened) as a huge crack appeared beginning from that little ding and spread from one end of the windshield to the other. I didn't realize that you have to pay for windshield replacement in other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 You need to call your insurance agent first. We have a $500 deductible on our auto insurance but we don't have to pay that for the windshield. Any small chips or cracks are fixed for free and we can get the whole windshield replaced for $100. I'll keep my fingers crossed. :driving: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 This happened to me. One day a rock hit my windshield. A teeny tiny ding appeared. A week later, we were driving on a cold morning and had the heat going. We watched (and listened) as a huge crack appeared beginning from that little ding and spread from one end of the windshield to the other. I didn't realize that you have to pay for windshield replacement in other places. Wow! That must have been frightening. I don't want to wait for something like that. :auto: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 The windshield of my minivan has had a crack in it for, oh, six years. I cannot feel it on the inside of the glass. It passes inspection every year. I have no plans to replace it as long as it stays like this. Ooooh, really? I never would have expected that, since you are so careful about Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Ours have always been fully covered by our insurance. They even come to the house to do it. We just recently had ours replaced, in fact, on one of our cars. It had a small chip (probably from a rock that bounced up and hit it at some point). But over the winter, it suddenly -- overnight -- formed a crack that spread across the entire windshield. Our insurance covered the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 You might already have had a knick in the glass or a small crack that expanded with a temperature change. I cracked a windshield once when I got a bit overzealous running the heater on it to melt some ice. Yeah . . . Yes. The last time we had a windshield replaced I asked the man about it because that particular crack appeared suddenly (most of our windshield replacements have been because of DH's interstate driving, and trucks throwing up rocks). The replacement man said that their busiest times are when it's really hot or really cold, because many cracks happen due to temperature changes. He said in the winter when you get in a cold car and turn on the heat (or defroster) or in the summer when you get in a hot car and turn on the AC, the temperature change is enough to cause a small, almost microscopic chip to cause a crack. I don't know if our state mandates free windshield replacement through insurance, or if our particular policy covers it. But ours have always been absolutely free to us, with no increase in insurance premiums. We just give Safelite (or whoever) our insurance info, sign a couple of forms and that's it. We've never had any trouble with a replacement windshield. They've all seemed to be as good as the original. I can't say about tinting, though. If we've had any of that on any of the windshields we've had replaced I've either forgotten or didn't notice. But no problems with quality of the glass or leaks or anything like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 The windshield of my minivan has had a crack in it for, oh, six years. I cannot feel it on the inside of the glass. It passes inspection every year. I have no plans to replace it as long as it stays like this. Same here. It does not obstruct the view at all, and our vehicle passed inspection with no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Really! This is my first windshield replacement in decades of driving. I had no idea it was so common. I was scared enough that I made dd sit in the back of the car. Do you have any idea how a long crack happens? The car was OK this morning -- I can't believe that I would not have noticed the damage -- and then, when I came back to the car in a quiet corner of a Boy Scout camp parking lot, the glass was damaged. But no big branch or rock nearby…. Do your Subaru windshields look like the ones that came with your car? I think mine has the standard light tinting at the top. And they seal the windshield, so there are no leaks? (I realize that I sound paranoid.) Mine cracked pretty much all at once. I had a little ding from a rock and I was going to call to have it filled when I got home. About 30 seconds after I noticed it, the car in front of me kicked up a rock and it hit right on the ding. Instant crack. My mom's however was partially due to heat. She had one crack from a rock, the on a hot day a second, larger one spidered across the windshield. Yes, I can't tell the difference between my original windshield and the new one. And yes, they seal the windshield up. You won't be able to tell the difference, except the new one will be clearer and be free of little dings, scratches, and wear and tear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 It doesn't cover window tinting. You will have to pay to get that redone. We always have a few inches tinted on our windshield to help keep out the heat and sun. I have always had to pay to get that redone myself. It isn't very much though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Normally the process is pretty easy. Ours cracked while parked outside in 100+ temperature for a couple of days while on vacation. I called the insurance company and they gave us Safelite's number. Safelite came to the hotel to replace. That's where things started to go wrong. First they brought the wrong size glass for our vehicle. Went back and got new piece, brought new piece went to install and discovered a flaw in the glass, back to shop for another piece of glass. On the drive home the rubber around the glass worked loose and beat on the window in the wind of insterstate driving. Scared us to death and were worried it would break the glass. Safelite said to just pull the rubber trim off and the glass would stay on. I wasn't sure I trusted that advice so moved all the kids to our other vehicle and then pinched the rubber in the side window and drove home. Safelite came to our house and fixed it for the 4th time. No further problems. I will say their customer service was great (I'm not just not so sure about the staff at the one particular branch), eery time I called they were very apologetic and asking if I was safe, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Thanks for this thread. I've had a crack in my windshield for at least a couple of months. At first, it freaked me out, but DH said it was fine so I stopped worrying about it. It didn't occur to me to call our insurance company. If they'll pay for it, why not have it done? We'll see what they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 THANK YOU, WTM!!!!! I called my insurance company (GEICO) today. The new window will only cost me $50. I can hardly believe it! My comprehensive has a $500 deductible, but I also have 'mechanical breakdown' insurance ($250 deductible), which somehow entitles me to the $50 glass. And it won't affect my premiums for next year. I am so glad I called GEICO first. If I had started the work, and the cost went up, and I had filed after the fact -- not covered. Also, Geico has a special arrangement with Safelite. They called and made an appointment for Safelite to come to the house on Thursday, no extra charge. The super nice rep said the name for what I have is a "surprise" crack, and that they are actually very common. (You all knew, but this was news to me.) So, yesterday, I was in a panic, thinking about how I would have to cut back to pay thousands in windshield repair, or have my premiums go up, or have the glass (passenger side) blow in and permanently disfigure dd. Today I am one happy camper. THANK YOU, WTM, the home of wise advice!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 Thanks for this thread. I've had a crack in my windshield for at least a couple of months. At first, it freaked me out, but DH said it was fine so I stopped worrying about it. It didn't occur to me to call our insurance company. If they'll pay for it, why not have it done? We'll see what they say. I hope it works out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Glad to hear that! SafeLite has replaced two windshields for me on two different vehicles. With my recent van, I noticed a small chip, but it passed inspection with that. A while later, the chip had expanded into a larger crack, but still not too big. A few months later, the crack had turned and was heading across the windshield, and when I finally replaced it, so it would pass inspection, the crack was almost across the entire thing. Our auto insurance, ERIE, handled the entire thing for me, setting up the SafeLite appointment and everything, and it only cost me $100. SafeLite was quick and fabulous and came to my house. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 :hurray: Glad it's all going to work out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Yay! That's great news!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Update: Safelite did the job today -- what a great company. -- The time frame was 8 am - 12 noon. They called at 8:30 to say they would be here at 10:30. Actually arrived 10 minutes early and called, no banging at door. -- Installer was well spoken, nice, knew his job. -- My new window has the tinting and the defrosting cables that were in original window. -- Installer even transferred my inspection sticker, EZ Pass and various nature center decals to my new windshield. -- Took less that an hour. Just in case anyone else needs a new windshield, the Safelite recommendation was absolutely right. Oh, insurance paid all but $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Thanks for the update -- I'm glad you got it replaced and that the insurance covered most of the cost. :hurray: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 Zombie thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts