I had to get my windshield replaced this week, and so once again ran into this quirk of insurance policies. I have a $0 deductible on the safety glass part of my comprehensive insurance. I don’t think it was an option when I got the insurance – otherwise I would have turned it down. So I assume it is mandatory with comp, at least in this state (CT). Which leads to the question:
Does anyone know why the safety glass is split out on the comprehensive insurance, and why the deductible is $0? Is it always $0, or am I just lucky?
Most damage to windsheilds start out with small cracks or chips that can be repaired without replacing the entire pane. Paying a small amout to repair the glass at this stage is preferable to paying the cost to replace the entire windsheild after the crack spreads. $0 deductable is an incentive to do the repair at the earliest opportunity.
Since the windsheild is an important safety feature, Insurance companies want it to be in good condition. A higher deductable would encourage the driver to delay repair or replacement until it became absolutely neccesary. This could expose the insurance carrier to higher damage payments and/or lawsuits.
In Texas, glass companies have figured out a way to charge the insurance company back for your deductible so you don’t have to pay it. When I worked at State Farm (many, many years ago), we were told NOT to recommend our clients to any of these companies. Of course if you went to one of them anyway, we ended up eating the $50 or whatever the deductible.
I’m in California, and my policy waives the deductible when I get a windshield repaired, but not if I get one replaced altogether - probably for the reason pmh cited.
Which sucks for me right now. A couple of weeks ago I caught a small flying rock and a little crack started down on the lower right corner. As quickly as I could, I got myself in on an insurance claim to a glass repair shop, where it would be repaired for free (i.e., fully covered w/ no deductible).
Problem is, the repair attempt didn’t succeed - the guy was a little shady on details, but he told me that stresses are higher near the corners, and that repair attempts frequently don’t work in those areas.
Now the damned thing is growing, and I’m worried that I’m going to have to replace the whole stupid windshield eventually. Ranger front windshields are comparatively cheap (~$160 installed), but that’s less than my deductible, so I’m on the hook for it all.
Huh. I’m reasonably certain that under my insurance (MI), glass repair is NOT split out of the comprehensive. I guess I’m not really sure, since I have $0 comprehensive deductible, so either way it’s invisible to me.
BTW, brad, you might consider looking into $0 comprehensive deductible. Last I checked, under my insurance, the premium difference was small (<$10 per six months), and I’ve had six new windshields, plus one deer accident, in twelve years, so I’m way ahead.
I had to have the back window replaced (we live next to a golf course) and I can assure you that our deductible was noticibly higher than $0. In fact, I had to cough up $200 for the job. Still, the total repair was over $1000, so I came out ahead.
Now, the cars live in the garage instead of the driveway.
I own a glass shop in Colorado and since we are in a heavy tourist area we get a lot of claims from out of state. There are some states that require insurance companies to provide full glass coverage to their policies. The states I am aware of are Connecticut, Massachussets, South Carolina, and Florida. There may be other states but that is what we have run into here.
Total WAG here, but the windshield is a necessary part of the car whose lack doesn’t actually impede the car from functioning. It’s difficult to see and dangerous to yourself if you drive without a windshield, but you can still drive a windshieldless car on the highway if you’re stupid enough. A $0 deductible for a windshield is a small price to pay to avoid dealing with an accident later on.
The windshield, along with being an important safety item, is structurally important to the car. That’s why convertibles have to be designed differently.
I’m not convinced that insurance companies would cover something because it’s a factor in the safety of the car. For example, a car’s front suspension is also an important safety component, and you can continue to drive after it’s no longer safe to do so, but when the suspension on my in-laws’ CRV went out, the insurance company wouldn’t cover a dime, even though it was taken out by rocks on the lousy dirt road up to their house.
Similarly, the bumpers on a modern car are complex systems designed to protect its occupants in a collision, but your insurance company isn’t going to waive your deductible just so you’re more likely to get a bumper fixed after a minor wreck that doesn’t affect the overall driveability of the car.
Actually, it is generally state law that requires insurance companies to cover windshields with no deductible (for the same safety reasons given here). Also, an unrepaired windshield can obscure vision and increase the risk of an accident involving other cars, which is a cost to the state. The insurance companies don’t care; they don’t do this in other states where it’s not required.