Windscreen Chip! :(

[Jiberjaber]

Well coming home from a meeting tonight on the M25 and I jumped out of my skin when a stone was flicked up into the screen.

It's left a chip about the size of a 5p dead centre of the drivers position and about 4 / 5 inches up from the bottom of the screen....

Trouble is, that as it is new do!! I see I have a few options....

1... I have to get Lexus to replace it (guess it will not be covered under warentee?)

2... I go through the insurance (who will prolly get me to use their appointed window replacer (Admiral insurance btw).....

3.... Leave it be for now, it is only a chip and their is no crack spreading yet!

So what do you recon??? Strangly enough in all the years of driving I havent had to replace a windscreen of my own yet! so need some advice......

Damm I knew it was too true to believe, a car still without a mark after 5 days from new!

[Scorpion]

If you have windscreen cover it will only cost £50 to replace.

Most w/screen co's will repair it as its only a chip.

[ColinBarber]

Windscreen repair on your insurance will probably be free. It's only when it's replaced is there a £50 excess

or get a repair kit for £10 from Halfords.

[Scorpion]

It's only when it's replaced is there a £50 excess

Thats what i said

[Lexus Jim]

Windscreen repair on your insurance will probably be free. It's only when it's replaced is there a £50 excess

I thought this, but when I asked autoglass (who did mine last) they said it was £50 either way so I got a new windscreen. In the end it turned out to be a good job because whoever fitted the old one hadn't done it properly

[ColinBarber]

Depends on your policy. I know mine has stated repairs are free in the past.

[Jiberjaber]

Just checked on line and it's not clear if it is free or not. I am concerned about the car warentee (it's under Lexus finance) if I dont go to Lexus to get the screen repaired though.. I have heard bad stories about leaks from badly replaced screens on some cars (vectras etc)....

Will give Lexus a call tomorrow and see what the score is as they have given me no indication of what I can / can not do to the car under the finance agreement...

[Kremmen]

I had a similar experience in my last car but fortunately not in my line of fire.

Autoglass were called out by my insurance co and they did a 'repair'.

In my opinion the repair was rubbish. The stuff they put in the hole was easily visible and after a period of time it started turning brown which made it look worse. The stuff they put in also quickly shrunk and it looked a right mess.

Maybe the operator was rubbish and the actual process can be made almost invisible and made to last ?

[stevenage_saint]

I had my windscreen repaired on my meastro (dont laugh it was my first car) and a week latter the repair failed and I got crack all the way through the screen, which needed replacing. The insurance covered the repair for free, so it is worth checking. Personally I would not get it repaired as the glass has been weakend if it shatters / or cracks you will need a new one anyway.

As for getting it done at Lexus, I would not think that it invalidates your warrenty but it is worth checking.

[masiv]

Had a side window replaced on my Honda 2 months ago. Looked through the Yellow Pages and found a company who cover your insurance policy excess. They came to me within 24 hours and did a tidy job, including clearing all the broken glass inside the car. Might be worth having a look in the Yellow Pages. Hope this helps.

[Jiberjaber]

Well I haven't done anything with this yet.. been looking around it and the chip appears as though something has gone into the middle of the screen glass (if you know what I mean). There has actually been no glass chipped out to replace!

What it is that has embedded it's self in there I dont know (armour plated fly?)

So I guess I am going to leave it for a while longer, if anything happens then I'll give the insurance co a call and maybe get it replaced then.

[Bazza]

any cracks should be repaired straight away, or you run the risk of the glass cracking, once repaired they are normally as good as new, however if the chip is too big you will need a replacement anyway

[masiv]

................... if it is left and turns a milky white colour, it will be too late and cannot be repaired.

[Froomer]

I had my windscreen replaced by Autoglass on my IS200 when it was 2 months old. About 4 days After repair I noticed water dripping from where the A post meets the roof lining. Autoglass told me that there was a small Air bubble/hole in the sealant which was allowing water to seep through.

Autoglass had to spend the day with my car under the dryer to cure the dampness.

IMO I would take the car to centre rather that have a mobile unit fit it.

Also I noticed on the invoice that the price for the screen fitted was £650 :(