Monday, December 19, 2011
Don't claim glass chips on your insurance.
A lot of car dealers and glass chip repair shops will claim that they do free repairs as long as they can bill your insurance. Don't do it. Ask them how much it would be for you out-of-pocket first. Typically it will be something like $20 or £15 for the repair but if you let them do it 'free' and charge your insurance, guess how much the bill is? Most US shops will bill your insurance $120 for a $20 repair. Whilst its filed as a no-fault claim, it is still a claim and it can and will be factored in to your premium at the next renewal. If you have any morale fibre, you'll also realise that that is insurance fraud, although most people choose not to think of it like that. Apart from that, glass chips is not what insurance is for. You should always cover small things like that yourself. It's why you have a deductible on the policy.
One other point - now it's properly winter, if you do have a decent sized chip in your windscreen, do go and get it fixed. Winter is the best time for cracked windscreens. Water gets into the chips and then freezes, expanding, and stressing the windscreen.
Well - have a Merry Christmas at the end of the week. Next week's entry will probably be automated as I'll still be in a turkey-induced torpor.
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2 comments:
Superb advice.
This time last year, I had a chip in my windscreen. Unbeknownst to myself, as it was hiding behind my tax disc.
Upon returning to my car one evening, not even a particularly cold evening, the chip had decided to expand by over a foot into a large crack.
I had my windscreen shoddily replaced by Auto Windscreens, they managed to replace it but not seal it properly, leaving a nice leak at the top. At the time of year where it was wet far more than dry, that's really not something you want to deal with every day.
Lesson learnt though, check your windscreen thoroughly and Auto Windscreens learnt their lesson too, they went bankrupt.
Good advice Chris. I really can't understand when people drive for weeks/months (if not more) with, what I consider, huge cracks in their windscreen.
Anyway, I hope you have a safe Christmas and thank you for continuing what I, and many others, consider one of the best websites out there.
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