In the past, when ever I got a star in my windshield from a stone or rock, State Farm would pay to have it patched in order to keep the windshield from cracking, and it cost me nothing. Today I got a stone star in my new windshield in a road construction zone and State Farm is telling me that I have to pay the full deductable. They even claim that they have never paid for a chip repair with no charge to the customer. I got this both from my local agent and corporate.
How does your insurance cover this. BTW, I have full coverage and just had the windshield replaced last month.
I dunno. I have State Farm but with zero deductible for glass and comprehensive. I’ve never paid anything for windshield replacement and never had a chip repaired. One time I had two windshields replaced at the same time in my garage with no hassle. The only question was whether the pitting, crack, etc. was in the field of vision. I noticed the annual meeting is next week in Bloomington though, but I’m not going.
I had my windshield replaced several months ago, star in the drivers field of vision so they could not use the patch. I have a $50 deductible but the glass company ‘waived’ that fee. Not sure if they did this on their own or if they had a deal with the insurance company.
I have no input about State Farm, as I have had Allstate insurance for over 20 years and have no complaints about them. I keep high deductibles on insurance because it lowers the monthly premiums.
I also seem to have a rock magnet in my head, as just about every car I drive ends up with a chip or crack right in front of my face. I have also never repaired any of them. I currently have a pickup with a crack right through my line of vision, but it’s been that way for 10+ years.
A few months ago I needed to sell a car, an 06 Town Car that also had a large crack in the windshield. The cost to replace the windshield was less than half of the deductible on my insurance, it never occurred to me to submit to insurance.
How much does it cost to repair a rock chip? Considering the cost of a new windshield is maybe $250 (?) it can’t be more than $50 to patch a chip. Why would insurance pay if it’s less than the deductible?
This has not happened to me for a few years. The last time it occurred, I was responsible for the $50 deductible. I contacted the glass shop to come out and repair/replace in my driveway. They said that they would waive the $50 payment if I brought the car to the shop. I did and got it fixed for nothing.
I’m with Pemco and it’'s a pretty straightforward process no deductible required.
(From the website),
PEMCO has streamlined its glass repair process to make it simple for you. All you need to do is to choose a glass shop (your choice), and that shop will take care of all the paperwork directly with PEMCO.
You don’t need pre-approval. No need to create a claim beforehand. The shop handles that for you!
If you’re a PEMCO customer, we recommend you choose a glass shop that’s certified by the National Glass Association. Examples: Speedy (1‑888‑892‑9859), Safelite (1‑877‑664‑8931), or Novus (1‑800‑776‑6887).
How does your insurance cover this. BTW, I have full coverage and just had the windshield replaced last month.
Like @Bing, I have Zero Deductible on glass (comprehensive) on all my cars. It’s not very expensive for that level of coverage. I couldn’t figure out why I’d want a deductible for the minor savings. CSA
I don’t want to seem like a neophyte but what’s the rationale behind a state law (if there is one?) that makes insurers pay for windshield replacement outside of the regular terms of the policy?
I generally have 3-5 cars on my personal auto insurance. I think the deductibles are up around $500-$1000. It may not save much on a monthly premium, but over time it adds up. Especially if you never plan to replace a windshield because of a chip or crack.
Well I suppose they think its a safety issue. If there’s no deductible people will be more likely to replace a broken windshield and will be able to see better. Insurance commissions decide the minimum policy requirements that every policy sold in the state must have, such as liability coverage and so on. Also is (was) done for medical, home owners, auto, etc. Its mainly a protection for the consumer so that no matter who sells a policy, it will meet certain standards. I haven’t had an insurance license for over 40 years so that’s all I can remember.
AIUI, the Massachusetts law says there will be a $0 deductible for windshield repairs as part of comprehensive. As bing noted, I recall the motivation for it was to reduce the amount of cars being driven with broken windshields.
Here Allstate no longer covers windshields except where the damage is part of accident damage such as collision and rollover. Since the area uses chipped gravel on the roads for traction, windshield chips are very common.
I no longer fix those chips and drive until there are too many in my line of sight, then replace the whole windshield.
The windshield shall be free of any of the following defects:
any broken glass with sharp or jagged edges inside or outside;
any stone bruise, star break, or bull’s eye damage in excess of one inch in diameter within
the area covered by the sweep of the vehicle’s wipers provided by the vehicle’s manufacturer
(“the critical viewing area”) or larger than two inches outside the critical viewing area, or
multiple such damage;
any single line crack which extends more than three inches into the critical viewing area;
multiple cracks one or more which extends into the critical viewing area;
any wiper scrapes in excess of 1/4 inch wide within the critical viewing area;
any clouding extending more than three inches within perimeter of the exposed glass;
any poster, sticker, decal, or similar object, attached to the windshield in such a manner
as to obstruct the vision of the operator.
Ahh, I see. Of course people would be more likely to get their windshields replaced if it were free. I’ve been driving with a cracked one for 10 years, because I don’t see the value in replacing it.
But nothing’s really free. I wonder how much insurance companies have to spend each year replacing windshields for free. And I wonder how much lower insurance premiums would be if they didn’t have to replace windshields and everyone had a $500 deductible?
@BillRussell Here you cannot have a CRACK in your windshield longer than 2 inches if it is in your line of sight and covered by the wipers. Some just put a shorter wiper blade on the side with the crack. I have a 9" crack just above the hood line which does not bother me. Theoretically I might be told to fix it or replace the windshield. Chips are not a problem.
Many of these cracks are caused by the Highway Department trucks spreading their gravel chips which will hit your windshield unless you stay a safe distance behind.
In New York State you don’t have to have glass coverage and, if you do, there is no mandate to have a $0 deductible. Many agents and insurance companies will try to squeeze the rates down to win your business by cutting corners such as making your glass coverage subject to a deductible. As an educated consumer you MUST read your coverage statement to make sure you are getting what you want. I would never pay for glass coverage that was subject to a deductible but I have seen friends who got hit with that and did not find out until they had to make a claim.
I got a call back from my local agent this morning. State Farm dropped the zero deductible for windshield repair about 8 years ago. Its hard to believe that it has been over 8 years since I last had a windshield repaired. Once your over the hill, you pick up speed. This was only for repairs, not for replacements and you had to have comprehensive insurance on the car.
If I take it to a glass shop, the cost to repair is less than $50. which is my deductible. I can DIY for about $12 or I can use some of that Meguires Ultra Wax, which is a crosslinked polymer to fill and protect the chip from water/ice. BTW, the star is about 1/4" across, very small. There are two pits near it from other stones.
There is another cost to me as well. I use a 5% tint strip across the top of my windshield and that has to be replaced when the windshield is replaced and it is about $50, plus the long drive to the best tint shop in the mid south.