Glass Repair Help?
What the hell is going on these days? Am I getting paranoid and just imagining a glass-repair conspiracy or is my insurance company targeting me? Four stone chips and three glass replacements in the past year alone.
Let me take you back a little over a year. I used to have glass coverage until the insurance premiums took a whopping 23.3% jump in 2010. I threatened to leave the insurance company and yet the broker couldn’t find me a better deal as a result of a couple of minor speeding tickets that were still on the record. So I negotiated a higher deductible, $1,000.00 on the Toyota 4-Runner and $2,000.00 on the BMW 645. So now that the deductible is higher than the cost of a windshield replacement, guess what? No glass coverage for those little stone chips!
My ex-girlfriend came home this last summer with the rear side window “shot out” on the 4-Runner. Yes, “shot-out”! It looked like a BB gun and apparently it wasn’t the first time on Park Road, south of Rosedale Valley Road. Then I took the BMW on a road trip to the Maritimes and took a stone chip, up high, dead centre about 3 inches below the roofline. A “quarter-moon” chip right on top of the rain sensor/rear view mirror assembly and therefore not visible from inside the car. A few days later another hit back home on the 401 – this time a star-shaped chip dead centre of the passenger-side line of vision. Speedy fixed the “star” but the “quarter-moon”, attempted repair cracked the glass to the upper edge and down to the edge of the rain sensor. I suspect the extra support of the rain sensor bonding stopped it from going any further. I’ll wait until the spring for the replacement when it comes out of storage.
Ronan and I then did the cross-country Route 66 trip and on the return, close to home – BANG! A dime-sized, full moon-shaped stone chip dead centre of the Cayenne. Then just this week on my way to Fredericton with my two nephews for Christmas at Grandma’s, we took a couple of stone or possible rock salt hits. I didn’t know where they hit but I just finished telling the boys about all the bad luck and my nephew pointed out a small crack in the glass from the lower edge and straight up about 3 inches. Within an hour the crack spiked another 2 inches and turned left and started across the windshield another 18 inches. We stopped at a Shopper’s Drug Mart for nail hardener, which I heard would stop the crack from getting any longer. Yeah, apparently it has to be applied on the outside, NOT on the inside, but it was cold and wet. It stopped cracking further for that day, but on start-up and heating the following morning the crack continued on another 15 inches or so and turned south and finally cracked through to the bottom edge in front of the driver’s viewing area. It lasted the 1,400 KM drive home but obviously needs replacing.
Speedy wants $395.00 + taxes (2003 Toyota 4-Runner V
for the job with new molding and on-site installation. Apple Auto Glass quoted $295.00 for the same.
Any suggestions, warnings or possible alternatives in the GTA? Who’s your favorite? Has anyone else heard of quick temporary fixes? Do all insurance companies have similar glass coverage policies for higher deductibles?
Cheers & Happy New Year to Everyone!
Phil Downe
Let me take you back a little over a year. I used to have glass coverage until the insurance premiums took a whopping 23.3% jump in 2010. I threatened to leave the insurance company and yet the broker couldn’t find me a better deal as a result of a couple of minor speeding tickets that were still on the record. So I negotiated a higher deductible, $1,000.00 on the Toyota 4-Runner and $2,000.00 on the BMW 645. So now that the deductible is higher than the cost of a windshield replacement, guess what? No glass coverage for those little stone chips!
My ex-girlfriend came home this last summer with the rear side window “shot out” on the 4-Runner. Yes, “shot-out”! It looked like a BB gun and apparently it wasn’t the first time on Park Road, south of Rosedale Valley Road. Then I took the BMW on a road trip to the Maritimes and took a stone chip, up high, dead centre about 3 inches below the roofline. A “quarter-moon” chip right on top of the rain sensor/rear view mirror assembly and therefore not visible from inside the car. A few days later another hit back home on the 401 – this time a star-shaped chip dead centre of the passenger-side line of vision. Speedy fixed the “star” but the “quarter-moon”, attempted repair cracked the glass to the upper edge and down to the edge of the rain sensor. I suspect the extra support of the rain sensor bonding stopped it from going any further. I’ll wait until the spring for the replacement when it comes out of storage.
Ronan and I then did the cross-country Route 66 trip and on the return, close to home – BANG! A dime-sized, full moon-shaped stone chip dead centre of the Cayenne. Then just this week on my way to Fredericton with my two nephews for Christmas at Grandma’s, we took a couple of stone or possible rock salt hits. I didn’t know where they hit but I just finished telling the boys about all the bad luck and my nephew pointed out a small crack in the glass from the lower edge and straight up about 3 inches. Within an hour the crack spiked another 2 inches and turned left and started across the windshield another 18 inches. We stopped at a Shopper’s Drug Mart for nail hardener, which I heard would stop the crack from getting any longer. Yeah, apparently it has to be applied on the outside, NOT on the inside, but it was cold and wet. It stopped cracking further for that day, but on start-up and heating the following morning the crack continued on another 15 inches or so and turned south and finally cracked through to the bottom edge in front of the driver’s viewing area. It lasted the 1,400 KM drive home but obviously needs replacing.
Speedy wants $395.00 + taxes (2003 Toyota 4-Runner V
for the job with new molding and on-site installation. Apple Auto Glass quoted $295.00 for the same. Any suggestions, warnings or possible alternatives in the GTA? Who’s your favorite? Has anyone else heard of quick temporary fixes? Do all insurance companies have similar glass coverage policies for higher deductibles?
Cheers & Happy New Year to Everyone!
Phil Downe
