Budget Buster ... Windshield Chips :(

[mafibisha]

So we're not sure when or how it happened, but we just discovered two chips / pits in our SUV's windshield.

They're on opposite sides, but both are close to the edges. Will that make them easier to repair?

We know they'll need repaired eventually, probably sooner than later, so does anyone know the most effective and inexpensive way?

Y'all know everything so hopefully someone knows this too.

TIA.

 

[TandEsMommy]

Do you have full coverage insurance? Most policies will pay for the repair and waive your deductible, even without "glass coverage". Ours did just a few months ago.

Otherwise, just call around and get some quotes for your area. Safelite is always competitive, and will often give you a discount off their original quote if you don't schedule and tell the phone operator you want to check prices first They're also nationwide and guarantee the work, which is nice. Our insurance covered a mobile repair, so they came to our house. They will check with your insurance company for you too

I don't think chip location has much to do with how easy it is to repair, but I could be wrong. Price out two repairs vs. replacing the windshield--it may come out to the same or very close, which is worth taking into consideration.

 

[whoopsiedoodle]

Agree The first thing you need to do is call your insurance agent and see what they cover and how much you will have to pay out of pocket. Then call around. Safelite has done ours in the past and they are great to work with!

 

[Friendly Frog]

Most auto policies offer no deductable chip repair because they prefer to pay to have a chip repaired vs. waiting for it to crack and paying for the whole windshield replacement.

If you do have to pay a deductable, you can sometimes find "no deductable" offers or coupons in the yellowpages of the phone book.

Some glass companies have discounts for cash/non insurance repairs.

 

[Kies99]

I agree with previous posters to call your insurance. We just had this done last month and it cost nothing out of pocket.

Guy fixing chips dropped his drill and cracked the windshield and tried to blame it on us, but our insurance went after them and we got a completely new windshield with no out of pocket.

Also check with your state DMV. My parents are in Florida and according to my dad the state has some sort of deal where they pay for windshield repairs and not the insurance company.

 

[elgerber]

Yep, same as the others, I have never had to pay out of pocket to have a window repaired/replaced on our cars. And we have had to replace many! My dh's car got broken into a couple years back, they smashed one of the side windows, and much to my surprise, even that was covered with our glass coverage.

 

[daemom]

Going to go with everyone else and tell you to call your insurance company. Also, the last time that this happened to me, I was asked if the chip or crack was bigger than a credit card. So possibly this is how "some" companies determine if they will repair the chip or replace the windshield. Mine was a crack that ran across the windshield. Good luck!

 

[blue gatorade]

Whatever you do, get this repaired ASAP. Last year, a "tiny chip" in the corner turned into a crack halfway across the windshield due to the heat. I was stupid and waited so I had to get a whole new windshield instead of just having a chip filled.

 

[HM]

Here's something interesting. My DH's windshield has a chip in it and it's been there for four years. He could get it fixed at no charge through our insurance, but he hasn't done it yet for some reason. So, sometimes the chips don't turn into cracks. (Knock on wood).

 

[elgerber]

Here's something interesting. My DH's windshield has a chip in it and it's been there for four years. He could get it fixed at no charge through our insurance, but he hasn't done it yet for some reason. So, sometimes the chips don't turn into cracks. (Knock on wood).

I have one that I have had for over a year, and on my last car I had one for 3 1/2 years, that never got any bigger either.

 

[disney fan4]

Whatever you do, get this repaired ASAP. Last year, a "tiny chip" in the corner turned into a crack halfway across the windshield due to the heat. I was stupid and waited so I had to get a whole new windshield instead of just having a chip filled.

When I got my chip filled that is what the repair man told me, especially if you live in extreme hot or cold climate.
I had mine fixed 12 years ago. I still have the car and have no problems.

 

[zeferjen]

I had mine filled and it was surprisingly not that much $. I think maybe they had an agreement with State Farm, but it was only $50. They came and did it in my driveway. You cannot even see where the chip was. Well worth it!

 

[elgerber]

When I got my chip filled that is what the repair man told me, especially if you live in extreme hot or cold climate.
.

I live in MN and our temp swings by about 135 degrees each year, and I have been lucky, none of my chips have gotten bigger in recent years.

 

[willowsnn3]

Here's something interesting. My DH's windshield has a chip in it and it's been there for four years. He could get it fixed at no charge through our insurance, but he hasn't done it yet for some reason. So, sometimes the chips don't turn into cracks. (Knock on wood).

I had a tiny chip in mine for a couple years also then one Saturday it snowed & the windsheild was covered with snow until Monday morning when I cleaned it off to go to work. Cracked over half of windshield.......I had Allstate at the time & minus my $100 deductible, I paid $98 dollars to have it replaced. They came out to my job to repair it.

 

[Southernmiss]

Just replaced DHs windshield yesterday $172.00.

DS had a chip in his windshield last year. Told him to spend the $35-$40 to have it fixed. Never did. Now needs a $172 windshield.

 

[MineMail]

We had Geico without glass coverage, which wasn't intentional. We just didn't notice that it had been dropped when we renewed. After a nice chip courtesy of the NJ Turnpike, I called GEICO to ask about what to do. The agent took care of having it fixed as a one-time freebie, no glass coverage committment required. As someone else said, they don't want the windshield to crack, so repairing chips right away is a cost savings in the long run.

We added glass coverage when we renewed and when we changed companies after moving; it was very inexpensive and we used it 2-3 times for chips and stars. When a rock literally came out of nowhere on the highway and cracked my windshield, I had peace of mind to know that it wouldn't be a big out-of-pocket expense. The glass repair company came to the house to do the work, which was really convenient. (They also offered to come to my office, but I just worked from home that day.)

The chip repair took less than 30 minutes; the windshield replacement took about an hour. The repairman noted some bubbling in the paint near the edge before he started the work - it was a manufacturer's defect in the finish, which we had repaired at the dealership under warranty.

 

[sarmat1]

I will be the lone voice of dissent on this one regarding calling your insurance company. Yes, it's true that most of them will fix for nothing (usually through Safelite or similar type company). However, what the insurance company likely won't tell you is that this will count as a claim (albeit a small one, but still a claim). This can affect your future rates. Before anyone jumps on me for this, I will admit, submitting one little glass break claim is not necessarily a big deal. But if you were to submit several (and if you frequent highways, getting windshield dings can be more common than you think), that could be a different story.

As far as fixing minor chips, it's usually fairly inexpensive. If you're a AAA member, check them out as well as they are frequently competitive (if not more so than Safelite).