Hellbreed

Strange thing happened today. I parked my car here at work this morning, when I went out for lunch I had a 6 inch crack from the top of the windshielf right into my view. I was like..WTF!? I can't see any stone hits or anything, also it's warm today but only 10 degrees, not sure if that has anything to do with it but I've never seen this happen before.

Anyways, anyone here have their windshields replaced yet? I'm looking for recommendation where to bring it. I'm in the GTA but if anyone has had experience with Apple Auto or Speedy Auto Glass or other national repair\replacement shop I'd be interested to hear.

Not a cheap windshield, going rate after tax is almost $750, good thing I have a $300 deductible.

Thanks!

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

The Japanese stock glass seems very delicate - I am waiting for a "made in Canada" version.

Post how it turns out, when you get'er done!

S

rotten42

I've had mine repaired 4 times for rock chips. I also put glass insurance on this car because I knew a replacement windshild wouldn't be cheap.

I hope someone makes a better version now. It chips so easy.

Fritz the Cat

I had a bad experience with Speedy a couple of years ago. They replaced my MX-6 windshield, but didn't seal it properly, so rust started appearing a couple of months later along the top edge of the glass.

I was not happy, and I'll never go back there again.

Hellbreed

Probably Thursday, I can work from home and get my wife to help me bring my car in for the replacement. I've been thinking of taking it to Apple Auto Glass, they said it would take 3 hours to replace. I hope that means they are going to be extra carefull not to scratch or damage anything. At this point I don't care how much it costs since it's expensive to begin with and regardless where I go it will still cost me $300 through my insurance, I just want to make sure it's done right.

scoop

I would not make an insurance claim on this, you can probably beat the deductible on price and you won't risk losing claims free discounts or build up any sort of small claims history . . . Call around for quotes for a cash/non-insurance price. The whole auto glass market is a scam designed to rip off insurance companies. The numbers quoted from the dealer and various chain stores were very similar for the windshield for my Outback Limited which has heated wiper landing zones and tint, i.e. not a cheap windshield. In the end I paid $248 out of pocket, that was Ontario Auto Glass in Ottawa but I am sure others will do as well. It's one of those businesses where every customer gets a different price.

I would do a couple of searches on here also, I vaguely remember some posts about a year ago to do with windshield stress fractures, could be a warranty thing if there is some history there.

The Chad

I have a stone chip from last August that turned into a very long crack over winter.
I checked with Speedy and my Mazda dealership - both quoted the same price - around $716 installed I think.

I'm getting it done next week. I talked to my insurance agent awhile ago and he said it wouldn't affect my rates...couldn't remember exactly why but it's a safety issue. Unfortunately my deductible is $500, but it's coming out of my tax refund so no big deal.

I'll let you know anything else that comes up when I get the repair done.

scoop

You know that for about $30 you could have had the stone chip fixed right away and probably saved the windshield. I did that once to the windshield above before I completely destroyed it, too many long gravel road adventures. . . Yes your insurance rates likely won't be directly affected now but this is Mickey Mouse stuff and making multiple small claims of any sort is not favourably looked on by insurance companies. The problem is predicting what other issues will crop up in the future. If you try to switch insurance companies they want to know about ALL claims going back six years and some companies won't take you if you have had any claims at all.

Is the $216 that the insurance company is probably needlessly going to kick in for the repair worth jeopardizing a claims-free history for protection of current and future rates??? If you could get the work done for less than $500 in a non-insurance deal then you would save real money also . . . My bet is that you can get the work done for less than your deductible. IMO insurance is only useful for the worst case scenarios where you incur a large loss, I keep my deductibles at a minimum of $1K and I don't even carry comprehensive coverage on my winter car. Doing that will over time save enough on rates to make up for the small incidents . . .

Each to their own, just my curmudgeonly view of things . . .

The Chad

FYI - I did have the stone chip repaired but it was a pretty deep hit and was fine for 5 months until winter really kicked in.
Also - I've been with the same insurance company for over 15 years so my insurance is very low. I'm going to have the dealership do the replacement because I trust that they will do a good job - they have a great service department at Dave Wood Mazda here in town.
And if I remember correctly it's not a collision claim so my rates will not change according to the agent.
We'll see what happens next week....

Hellbreed

Well, I decided to get mine done at Apple Auto Glass and claim it on insurance so it cost me $300. I've been on the same insurance since I started driving 20 years ago, my rates are low and they said the claim will not affect my rates. I believe them since the last claim I made about 10 years ago when someone smashed my RX-7 driver side window to steal my stereo did not affect my rates, they actually had gone down. The other factor was that I wanted quality work, I can't imagine anyone replacing this windshield with quality for less then the cost of my deductible.

Thanks for all the input and suggestions!!

Fritz the Cat

So you'd recommend Apple, then?

The Chad

Hellbreed - how much was the total bill for the windshield?
I'm getting mine done on Tuesday. The original quote I had was $716 all in.
Yesterday the dealership quoted $535 all in. They checked twice on the price too.

Thanks