Is there a way to stop a windshield crack from spreading? Or at least slow it down?
In PA, if I’m not mistaken, it is still legal to drive with a cracked windshield as long as (1) the crack is out of the field of vision (defined as 3 or 4 inches from the edges of the windshield, top, bottom, left side, and center, as viewed from the drivers seat) and (2) the crack has not completed an arc, regardless of location. I’m not due for inspection until June, and I’d rather replace it later than sooner, if I can, funds being the factor.
Go to your local auto glass shop. If the crack is not too big, they can fill it with some kind of compound that will stop the spread and make it nearly invisible.
It’s only maybe 2.5 inches long, and straight (which seems like a good thing, to me). $70 beats what I expect will be closer to $200 to replace it. I just noticed the crack today, so I haven’t had a chance to get estimates.
I’m going in to have the windshield on my vehicle replaced–again, mind you–and when I called Safelite, I was asked if the the crack could be covered with a dollar bill. If I had answered in the affirmative, they would have repaired it, or at least attempted to.
Many, if not most, places will come to your home or place of work (assuming, of course, your car is there with you–not in the office but in the parking lot–oh, you know what I mean!) and repair it for you, barring inclement weather, of course.
Do you not have insurance? My experience is that when you go to have a windsheild replaced the first question they ask is: “Do you have insurance”. What is charged is determined by your answer. If the answer is “yes” the cost will include your deductible. I don’t know why insurance companies put up with this, but at least up until I replaced my last windshield, this was the practice. Why pay $40-$50 to repair something that you will have to replace within the next year (and possibily the replacement will be free). Go find out what it will cost to get a new windsheild, before spending anything on a temperary repair.
That $500 deductable is on collision, which does not include things like vandalism, windshield cracks, etc. Call your agent and find out what coverage you have on your windshield. That’s his job and won’t cost you anything.
I had to get my windshield replaced last year after a tropical storm, and I too have a $500 deductible, but it was $250 to replace it. All the insurance company did was to give my info to the windshield people so they could get in touch with me; I suspect they have worked out a discount with them.
Then only a couple of months later I get dinged by a rock thrown from a truck. And fast-forwarding to a couple of weeks ago, the ding (which was on the edge of the windshield and wasn’t much) decided to sprout a crack. It’s slowly getting longer…I suppose I’ll have to do something about it eventually, but I don’t think Louisiana counts that against you during the bullshit inspections they do here.
Unless the repair is performed incorrectly, it is NOT temporary–I’ve had one for years. Also, my insurance (then) said that if I replaced it, the deductible would apply, but if it was repaired, they would (and did) pay 100%.
First, a tiny hole was drilled at each end of the crack, only through that layer of the laminated glass. This effectively stops the running of the crack. Then a gadget was suction-cupped onto the cracked side of the glass and, under consideraple increased air pressure, a repair fluid was forced into the crack. The refraction index of the cured fluid matches glass exactly, so the crack totally disappeared, and a very careful search reveals only the pencil-point size (filled) holes.
Get a recoommended repair person, see if the insurance will pay 100%, and go for it!
Check with your insurance company to confirm this:
If the windshield can be repaired, the Ins Co will WAIVE your deductible and pay for the entire repair. Why? Because it’s cheaper for them to spend $50-$75 to repair the windshield than it is to pay $200-$900 to replace it.
I can’t speak for all states and all insurance companies, but there is a ‘glass claims clearinghouse’ called LYNX that insurance companies are required to use. Glass repair/replacement companies secure membership with LYNX. Your windshield gets damaged. You call your insurance company who in turn refers you to LYNX. LYNX then offers you a selection of glass companies from which to choose, or you may select your own vendor. One benefit for the insurance company is that this arrangement makes it difficult for someone, usually a small glass vendor, to complain about favoritism/trust law violations. The insurance company has not endorsed any particular vendor.
I am only 90% sure of the following, but it addresses kniz’s concern: Within the LYNX system is a set pricing structure, a minimum & maximum charge allowable to the vendor. That keeps big companies life Safelite from driving Bubba’s Glassworks into the ground by lowballing their services. Incedentally, if you select a company outside the LYNX network, your insurance company can limit how much they will pay for the repair. So if the LYNX maximum for your glass is $400, and you got to Bill Bob Orviston’s All OEM Glass Emporium of Portland and get the work done for $700, YOU eat the difference.
Glass claims generally fall under COMPREHENSIVE coverage on your policy. You will most likely not see a rate increase for COMP claims…but you want to check with your insurance company…blah blah blah…
I had to replace a windshield on a different car about 3 years ago. Had a $500 deductible then, too. Had to pay out of pocket for that replacement (Cost me over $200, new car. Cracked by road debris.) All the insurance company did was set up an appointment with the most expensive Auto Glass joint in the area, and show that I made a claim.
If I have to go out of pocket, I’d rather shop around, and leave the insurance company out of it.
Also, I’m in-between insurance companies right now. My current policy expires 3/27, then I leave that company for a different one. Paperworks already done, so there will be no lapse in coverage. Who would I go to in this case? Current company, or hang in there for a couple more days and announce my arrival with the new company?
If your new insurance agent is worth his salt he will do a brief inspection of your car and not the damaged glass. Because the damage will pre-exist your insurance contract with the new company, your claim will likely be denied. You need to address this with your current carrier ASAP.
I just realized something which makes my question moot. Technically, it’s not even my car, so technically it’s not covered under my insurance. I’ve been driving my mom’s car, which is still registered in her name. According to the lawyer handling her estate, as long as I am listed as co-executor, and her insurance is kept up and car payments are made, I am legal to drive the car. Once I pay it off (six more months or so), I get the title, and would be responsible for insuring it.
Man, that sucks. Here in the Phoenix metro area windshield cracks are so common place, you get deductable-free windshield coverage automatically, and windsield replacement companies advertise on the radio. Last year I got rocked and drove the car to the agent’s office figuring they would want to inspect the crack. They didn’t even bother.
If it were a spider-web crack, you could have repaired it yourself. Most auto parts stores sell repair kits that are very easy to use and the repair is permanent. I’ve done it before and the break was practically invisible after the repair.
Checked out Lavergne’s insurance, and she has a $100 deductible. If it’s a difference of $30 between getting it repaired and getting it replaced, I’ll get it replaced. Went to The Most Expensive Place In The Area Auto Glass and they can do it in a few hours. I can drop it off before work and it’ll be done by the time I’m done surfing the net.
BTW, I saw where the pebble hit. If it was 1/8 of an inch higher (seriously, just missed the metal window trim), I’d have been asking for “Paint Scratch Repair Tips.”
Does crack repair really work? I’d always had the impression that it was simply a stopgap - that eventually the crack would spread anyway, and you’d have to replace the windshield after all. (I ask because I just got a chip taken out of my windshield yesterday, with a few radiating cracks - the whole thing would be covered by a nickel. I don’t want to pay to have the whole thing replaced if I can get away with it, but if it’s going to need to be replaced eventually anyway, I’d rather just get it over with now.)
racinchikki, I had a crack similar to what you describe repaired about 3 years ago. It was covered 100% by my insurance company and included a life time guarantee from the windshield repair company. If that particular spot starts to spread, they will repair it for free. The process took about 30 minutes, and the guy fixed it right there in my driveway. 3 years later, I can barely see where the rock hit the glass…it looks like a small bubble (the only reason I can even see it at all is because I know where to look) and it has never started to spread.
