[ChibbMD]

While having fun on my Sunday morning ride I took a rock to the windshield and it chipped the glass. I figured I'd better get it repaired so it doesn't turn into something worse. In our area we've got Safelite and whole bunch of local auto glass shops. Safelite quoted $145 on their website which seems expensive. I thought I'd just ask if anyone had any general advice or guidance. Anything I should watch out for? Anything in particular I want to make sure they do? Any thoughts on what this should cost me? Thanks!

[jfkheat]

Your insurance should pay for that. You shouldn't have to pay out of pocket

[Anjilslaire]

Agreed. $20-$30 out of pocket, or covered by insurance.

[JamesNoBrakes]

A kit to do this yourself costs $15-20 and is exactly what safelite does.

I've done lots of these, since they drop so many rocks on the road here.

[ChibbMD]

I'll check and see if my policy has a glass deductible. I'm not sure that it does. So insurance and cost aside, anything special I need to pay attention to?

[ctrlz]

I have used the $15 kits off amazon a few times with excellent results. How close you get to "perfection" depends on the nature of the chip and how it spiders. But the epoxy will draw into the spider pretty nicely. If the chip is in your direct line of vision while driving you may want to replace the windshield. The main goal of the kits is to prevent expansion of the spider. One time while doing this, i used the tension gizmo included with the kit (they all have some kind of gizmo) and the crack expanded! I pooped my pants on the spot, then added more resin and it filled the crack. Threw out the pants, but the windshield looks great!

The downside to Safelite is they will not use OEM glass. They use aftermarket replacements. My experience with that approach has been disappointing. OEM glass is at least twice the cost of aftermarket.

[ember1205]

First, I flat-out refuse to let SafeLite anywhere near my vehicles. I have had excellent results from a company called Glass America for repairs and replacements including correcting botched SafeLite jobs.

Second, as mentioned, your insurance should be paying for it in most circumstances. Glass coverage is not only included on most policies now with no deductible, but it would cover repairs (with the option to switch to replacement at any time you choose) without any penalty or premium increase.

Third, I've had a chip repaired that could have resulted in further breakage if left alone. It was on my 2015 Silverado and done at around the one year mark for ownership. I drove that truck for another 80k-ish miles without incident. So, the repairs DO hold up when done correctly.

You can use kits and do it yourself, but if that chip is anywhere near your field of vision, you might just want to get the windshield replace if at all possible. The repair can leave you with a bit of distortion where it's applied.

[Evergreen6]

Safelite should do a decent job with a rock chip. Windshield replacement - it will depend on the quality of the techs. We've had a bad replacement in a Jeep from Safelite, it took two tries to get it right. On the first replacement, the windshield had an air leak at the bottom - you could hear it while driving!

Safelite will use OE glass if you specify OE glass. Your insurance may not always pay the difference in cost for OE glass, that's the difference. OE glass is not always better, a Pilkington windshield is a Pilkington windshield, they make a lot for OE and aftermarket glass. But sometimes you have to go OE for integrated antennas and other features, if not just for wanting things like factory logos or icons.

Check with your insurance company. Here in WA, State Farm does not do glass coverage, glass repair/replacement is included in Comprehensive coverage and subject to that deductible.

I would not repair a spider or other crack myself, even if there was a chance results could be good. Glass work is someone else's specialty, not mine, and it's cheap enough to let a "professional" handle it.

Before going to Safelite, I'd look around at local/independent shops. Sometimes they are more willing to work with you, or are more interested in the final result. All glass shops are production shops, but Safelite really turns and burns and sometimes the quality shows that.

[ChibbMD]

Ember - Funny you mention Glass America. I called a local collision and glass shop I've used before and they're sending out Glass America today. Hopefully I have a similar good experience.

Like Evergreen said, I'm 99.9% sure there is not a separate glass deductible on my State Farm policy and it's just rolled up under Comprehensive which only makes sense for a total windshield replacement. For $100 I'm fine covering the repair cost.

For what it's worth, the damage is truly a chip out of the glass, like a divot in the surface. No spidering. Yet. I think it's still a good idea to repair so it doesn't get worse. Thankfully, it's in the center of the windshield and not in my line of sight.

Thanks for the good discussion. I'll report back how it goes this afternoon.

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by Evergreen6

OE glass is not always better, a Pilkington windshield is a Pilkington windshield, they make a lot for OE and aftermarket glass.

Any secret codes etched anywhere that let you identify the manufacturer?

[Evergreen6]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

Any secret codes etched anywhere that let you identify the manufacturer?

No secrets...lol. Just the icon in black lettering usually in the corner of the windshield that lists manufacturer, if it's laminated, DOT number, and usually a type of solar tinting. If it contains a manufacturer logo, like GM, that usually means it's OE glass.

Here's some basic info.

https://info.glass.com/decoding-car-windshield-bug/

[dfwcowboy]

Originally Posted by ember1205

First, I flat-out refuse to let SafeLite anywhere near my vehicles. I have had excellent results from a company called Glass America for repairs and replacements including correcting botched SafeLite jobs.

Any of these companies are going to depend on how much attention to detail of the person performing the repair. As someone else mentioned with a cheap kit and watching some youtube videos, you can do as good or better.

[ctrlz]

The difficulty level of using one of these $15 kits is about the same as tying your shoelaces. Also, it's pretty hard to screw up. Even if you drip extra resin away from the repair area, it wipes right off. the stuff cures with UV light from the sun.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

The difficulty level of using one of these $15 kits is about the same as tying your shoelaces. Also, it's pretty hard to screw up. Even if you drip extra resin away from the repair area, it wipes right off. the stuff cures with UV light from the sun.

Yeah, if you can take a wheel off and put it back on, you can do this.



Then again, a lot of people these days cant do that.

Ive had the safelite guys do it before. Ive done it. Its the same damn thing. Also, it has to be a crack, not just a chip.