zigzagzig

I have 2 small chips from gravel hitting my windshield. Is it possible for me to patch the chip myself, or what would be the best, most economical way to patch it so I don't end up having to replace the whole windshield??

LiQiCE

Call your insurance company. Cracks in your windshield resulting from rock chips are considered acts of god and fall under your Comprehensive insurance (assuming you have comprehensive). Most insurance companies will not make you pay anything to have the windshield patched since it would cost them a lot more to replace your whole windshield after those cracks spiderweb and are impossible to fix.

BTW- Comprehensive claims do not increase your insurance premium.

russianDude

I would not be making a claim against my insurance company for a windshield, any time you make a claim(even if not your fault) it counts against you, and if it happens too many time, they might increase your premiums or drop you.

Nobody is going to fix your windshield if its scratched or cracked, they will only offer to replace it. Y
You can call companies like safelite.com, they come to your home/work and replace it. The cost is like $300-400 (which is probably less than your deductable).

russianDude

thats depends on your insurance company, for example, New Jerse Manufacture insurance will not raise your premium, but if you have many claims (regardless of the nature of claims) they might not re-new your policy for the next year.

I would only make a claim when the damage is much more than your deductable.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

www.harmonautoglass.com

They are located on Parklawn in Rockville. It's pretty cheap too.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Completely false. Any crack or chip shorter than a dollar bill can be repaired. A full windsheild replacement costs under $200.

russianDude

geico, for example, has a question about claims you made in the past 5 years. And they do count it against you. Insurance companies are in busness to make money, not to pay them. If you made any claims, then statiscially you are higher risk/expense for them. They are all bunch of crooks, I hate them :angryfire

russianDude

You can try fixing it yourself, by polishing a glass, or applying some glue and crap like that. But if you call any proffesional place and ask them if they can repair a scratch, or polish your winshield, they will say "NO". They dont want to take the risk of windshield getting broken and then getting a law suit.
I called bunch of local auto-glass places, all of them only offer to replace it. The guy told me that they stoped polishing winshields (for minor scratches) because it makes your winshield thiner than normal, and its more likely to crack, so they dont want to take any liability for that.
But if you want to do it yourself, you can buy some tools and materials for polishing your winshield. People have done it.
Can you give me a name of a proffesional company that is willing to remove minor scratches by polishing your windshield???
I know that no one with a good reputation will take this responsibility....

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

www.harmonautoglass.com

http://www.harmonautoglass.com/conte...ld_repair.aspx

Nationwide glass company.

When I called to make an appointment they said "is the crack longer than a dollar bill, if it isn't we can repair the windshield." Call 'em up and ask them. I just had the windshield replaced a month ago. Factory quality PPG glass cost me $187 with tax and a lifetime warranty.

russianDude

Yes, but they will NOT repair very thin scratches. The only way to repair those is to polish your glass, and non of those places will agree to polish your glass due to safety reasons.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

LOL... never satisfied.

No need to repair very thing scratches. And if the scratch gets bigger you can have it repaired via their repair techniques.

russianDude

well, if you want your windshield look like new without any traces, then windshield replacement is the only solution.
I have number of nasty scratch (hair thin) that have resulted from scrapping the ice during winter. those things are noticable and look ugly. I read that I could potentially polish my windshield with a special machine (sand-paper concept). This stuff works, but you have to do it yourself. Nobody wants to take this responsibility.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

The replacement only cost me $187... totally worth it.

russianDude

for Acura 3.2 CL and including the labor? it is a good deal!
In this case I would not even consider fixing it, I'd just get a new one. those cracks, even when repaired, still have traces that are noticable....

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Yep. PPG glass, lifetime warranty.

zigzagzig

thanks, steve, i'll give them a call tomorrow.

LiQiCE

Like I said, insurance would rather you get the windshield fixed than for you to ignore it, have the crack spiderweb and need the whole windshield replaced at a higher cost to them. They are all about risk mitigation, and fixing something at a small cost to prevent a worse problem in the future is all within their risk mitigation.

The cost of repairing a windshield is pretty insignificant. Thats why insurance companies waive the deductible too.

And like I said, Comprehensive claims don't count against you. Making a claim on your insurance for hail damage isn't going to raise your premium, nor will it effect your application for insurance. Accidents, even if you're not at fault will effect your insurance premiums, but not acts of God. Thats the way the laws as I understand them work for insurance. Perhaps its different in New Jersey, I haven't lived there for a few years but I'd be very surprised if they counted it against you.

You pay so much money for insurance ... might as well make use of the damn thing.

zigzagzig

ryan, you're right. i talked to my insurance and they're going to be waiving my deductible since it's a repair. In addition to that, my premiums won't be affected. Harmon Autoglass is repairing the 2 tiny rock chips in my windshield. If insurance was going to charge me a deductible, I would have just paid the $70 out of my pocket, but now it just sweetens the deal. Thanks to Steve and Ryan.

LiQiCE

Cool, glad to hear they're taking care of it for you!

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Great!