Glass holds a special place in the world of automobile insurance. According to statistics, related claims are more than any other damages cars suffer. And they are not going to slow down any time soon because the quantity of it in cars increased by fifteen percent during the past decade.
Glass falls within comprehensive part of a vehicle coverage. If it is ruined by a piece of gravel, the car insurer will compensate it.
You probably know that comprehensive coverage is optional. And in a number of cases, you will need to pay a deductible before they pick up the check for a quick patch or full do over. Some vehicle insurance companies will wave the deductible, however. Why the waiver? Most windshield cracks are categorized as “no fault,” implying that it isn’t possible for a driver to escape it. In other cases, you may have a much lower or no deductible.
Often, replacement is subject to a deductible, although not repairs according to Progressive. Others follow similar rules. It costs far less to remedy it. So they encourage policyholders to go with the inexpensive option instead of changing it for each small scratch.
If you have such damage, the real question is what to do about it. According to the Consumer Report, the median cost of a replacement is $300.
That is not bad, but repairs can be even less, from about $20 for a little chip to $70 for a long crack. Many technicians can expertly inject a resin-based bonding agent into the gap. At least that is what they claim on their websites.
Any window can be handled this way, though it’s comparatively rare for them to sustain this sort of damage. This stops the screen from splitting even more and revives your capability to see well through it.
Another benefit of glueing it back is that the original seal connecting it to the frame remains untouched, according to many experts. Generally, if it is larger than a dollar bill, you need to change it.
The owners of foreign or classic cars may face problems in correcting or replacing auto windshield due to specialty required to carry out the work. Be careful of scams regardless of what you drive.
Con artists will establish brief operations at gas stations, washes or parking lots where they will offer free service. They will ask for a policy information and then go to work. Many con artists may make a case for sorting out just about any invisible blemish.
They will do everything for you including claiming on your behalf. You sign off on it since the deductible is waived. They may tell you a crack that might be mended needs to be changed. If you hesitate, they offer to pay the deductible themselves and over-bill. Either way, the carrier pays for a needless work which influences auto insurance rates nationwide.
In general, the fixing cost may not be much. But during a period of two years, one fraudulent auto glass company succeeded to charge insurers over five million dollars in false claims. These can total up to fifty million dollars per year.
The best thing to do is to ask friends or agents for a referral to a reputable technician they have done business with before. Other tips to follow include checking the real address and contact details before agreeing to any work. Make sure to check the bill before sending it away. They may say that you don’t need to pay anything but you should still get proper quotes before allowing them to start. Otherwise, they can bill for a complete work when they only patched it.
Common sense will guide you to avoid these scammers. Especially, be careful of people approaching you by “noticing” a crack you haven’t seen or offering incentives.