got a crack in my windshield this morning. brand new car, less than 3 months old
toyota dealership won't fix it under warranty cus a rock hit it (supposedly. i'm not entirely convinced but whatever they already made up their mind).
they suggested my car insurance will pay for it. i've never had to get my car insurance involved in anything, but i seem to recall hearing from time to time people trying to avoid reporting stuff to their car insurance. what's that all about? should i see if my car insurance will pay for it or is there some reason i should just pay for it myself

11/19/2008 12:42:47 PM

Nah, this is one they're good for.

11/19/2008 12:43:46 PM

call them up and ask them, it shouldnt change your premium or anything.

we just had to do this a few weeks ago for the wife's car, insurance paid for around half of the windshied replacement price

11/19/2008 12:44:11 PM

Oh, hell
I'd still be going after the toyota dealership.
Is there a clear point of impact, with radiating cracks, or is it just some random crack?
"Can you PROVE it was a rock? No? Fix it. What? No?"

And be in there with the better business bureau number (assuming they care about their BBB rep), and the number to the AG's office.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 12:45 PM. Reason : then again, I'm a cheap bastard, even though I have awesome insurance]

11/19/2008 12:44:50 PM

depending on the size of the crack, your insurance company will send someone to fix it for free. 0 deductible.

if it cant be repaired some of the windshield companies will pay part of your deductible.

11/19/2008 12:52:26 PM

Depends on your policy, some only cover certain windows, like windshield only for example. Mine covers it all, and if the crack is smaller than a dollar bill they fix it for free.

11/19/2008 12:53:30 PM

i got a chip in mine several years back, so i called the insurance company

my copay is 500 bucks, and the new windshield would cost me about 520, so i said f-it

it wasn't worth all the paperwork and hassle to save 20 bucks, but there was no increase in premium or anything like that so it is entirely up to you


on a side note, i never got it fixed and the chip hasn't spread since it happened which has been almost 3 years, so I'm glad i decided to hold off

11/19/2008 12:59:49 PM

I had a rock fly up and cracked my windshield while driving down 40 a few years back. Insurance paid to replace the windshield, minus $100 deductible.

11/19/2008 1:01:56 PM

just called insurance, said if it can be repaired, they pay for it. if they have to replace it (which i think they will, it spread out from the bottom edge) i have to pay the first $500

11/19/2008 1:03:48 PM

comprehensive insurance will cover it. if you have a deductible, a lot of glass places will pick that up so it's free to you.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:05 PM. Reason : ambrosia, that's just plain dishonest. it's not toyota's fault.]

11/19/2008 1:03:51 PM

hmmm good to know. i've been sitting on a crack for about a month now--rock hit my windshield on 95.

11/19/2008 1:04:26 PM

My back window just fell out one morning (no joke) and my deductible was 250! But the window cost 590 so I was not 'that' mad.

^^ Again it just depends on your policy. READ IT.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:05 PM. Reason : /]

11/19/2008 1:04:47 PM

i've never heard of comprehensive that wouldn't cover that. that's what comprehensive insurance is.

11/19/2008 1:06:35 PM

Insurance paid for mine and premium didn't go up.

11/19/2008 1:06:38 PM

OK comprehensive.

11/19/2008 1:07:36 PM

Quote :

"ambrosia, that's just plain dishonest. it's not toyota's fault"

How so?

If it's something their policy should cover, but they're using something in the contract (say, 'except for damage caused by rocks') to get out of it, how is it dishonest?

As it stands, qfred himself isn't even sure it was a rock.
I fail to see how it's 'dishonest' to try and get a company to honor their promise to the consumer, especially on legitimate grounds. Especially when the consumer is trying to get them to do this via two reputable, recommended (by just about any consumer advocate) routes.

If it's clearly from a rock, AND if qfred's warranty excludes damage from rocks, then I could see where the route I suggested would be less than honorable.
But with the information posted, that's not the case.

11/19/2008 1:15:10 PM

the fact is it's most likely a rock

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:20 PM. Reason : brand new toyota windshields don't just randomly crack]

11/19/2008 1:19:45 PM

Windshield is not covered under any warranty. That would be like bitching about a dent.

11/19/2008 1:19:56 PM

^"acts of god" to the windshield, or any part of the car, are not covered. an issue caused by poor manufacturing or something under the manufacturer's control would be covered, even if on the windshield.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:21 PM. Reason : assuming it's a "bumper to bumper" and not powertrain]

11/19/2008 1:21:33 PM

lol.. seriously.

unless you can prove it was manuf. defect, i highly doubt they'll cover it.

i mean, they might be nice and do it, but its not, and should not be a warranty deal.

^ is right

11/19/2008 1:22:10 PM

Quote :

"brand new toyota windshields don't just randomly crack"

You're right
But
- unknown problems do make their way into the supply chain, and widespread issues aren't immediately discovered
- qfred is a pretty astute guy. Him doubting it's damage from a rock is vastly different from, say, me doubting it's from a rock.

I'm just saying that without it being plainly clear that it's from a rock, they shouldn't be claiming it's from a rock, because their only reason for doing so is to avoid providing service.

Much like some electronic warranty providers use 'your piece has water damage' to avoid having to honor a warranty. It's a get-out-of-jail-free card they have available to them, and one that gets used too frequently, and sometimes, without any merit at all.

I'm not saying they should service it no questions asked. I'm saying that without being 98% clear that it's damage from a rock, they should not be saying 'Since it's damage from a rock, we won't cover it.'

Whatever their reason for not servicing it under warranty should be the reason they give to the consumer.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:26 PM. Reason : ldfj]

11/19/2008 1:25:14 PM

One lesson is to be learned here - before you leave with your new car and/or insurance, understand your warranty and/or insurance policies.

11/19/2008 1:25:53 PM

post pics of the damage, qntmfred

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:28 PM. Reason : otherwise, we're all just spewing bullshit]

11/19/2008 1:28:12 PM

If there was already a small fracture in the glass, the freaking cold temps we've had the past few days is enough to make it crack as soon as you turn on the heat. And yes, it is entirely possible that there has been a minute fracture in the glass, and the temps the past couple days have been the coldest all year.

11/19/2008 1:29:37 PM

look.. it goes both ways.
qntmfred cant prove it WASNT a rock.

toyota cant prove it WAS a rock.

they are a good company. but sure as hell arent just gonna be "ok, i guess the cusomter is always right".. thats what insurance is for. these fools are smart, they can def. tell if a rock caused a problem. but, again, people make mistakes.

it sucks if it wasnt a rock and randomly it broke, which is possible with these colder temps we are seeing. for example if you blast your heat on then its possible for the class to break...

thats why its not really a good idea to replace your glass in the winter, but winters just beginning.. so you may not wanna wait that long

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 1:35 PM. Reason : oh snap^]

11/19/2008 1:35:03 PM

^ ha! Beat ya! I kinda thought the temps were a given!

11/19/2008 1:36:40 PM

Quote :

"Much like some electronic warranty providers use 'your piece has water damage' to avoid having to honor a warranty."

lol what? spills are the most common cause of warranty replacements of cell phones and laptops, people with this attitude of "the warranty should cover my negligence" are why service providers have to be overly cautious. a lot of the time they'll work things in your favor if you're honest and it doesn't affect their bottom line anyway... if they don't it's generally not because they're assholes, it's because your replacement would cost them dollar bucks

11/19/2008 1:38:23 PM

Ambrosias logic


"I will just buy another car, swap the plates and return the one with the crack"

11/19/2008 2:27:52 PM

o rly

11/19/2008 2:29:28 PM

here are the pics. i still can't tell if it's from a rock or if that one spot they claim is the impact spot is just the way glass suddenly breaks when it's cold and you turn the defroster on

11/19/2008 2:58:08 PM

in my objective and non-professional opinion, that looks like an impact site as the glass seems to be crushed and powdered

running cracks usually don't do that in my experience

11/19/2008 2:59:59 PM

looks like a rock to me

11/19/2008 3:00:00 PM

I'm going to go with a rock. Surely this is Toyota's fault for not putting some chicken wire over the glass to catch stray rocks though.

11/19/2008 3:06:29 PM

definitely a impact of some sort... big crack though

11/19/2008 3:10:52 PM

THIS HAS HAPPENED TO EVERY FUCKING CAR I'VE OWNED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LAST TWO SON.

EACH TIME THE WINDSHIELD WOULD CRACK OR CHIP WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF ME ACQUIRING THE GOD DAMNED VEHICLE SON.

11/19/2008 3:12:40 PM

so those of you who said when you had a windshield replaced there was no deductible

HOW IN HELL DID YOU MANAGE THAT? my deductible is $500 so of course, the window is gonna cost $480

11/19/2008 3:26:34 PM

I GUESS YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST PAY OUT OF POCKET AND NOT DEAL WITH THE BULLSHIT FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY SON. EITHER THAT OR JUST DEAL WITH THE CRACK.

AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T FUCK UP YOUR WINDSHIELD WIPERS OR COMPLETELY OBSCURE YOUR VISION (NOT JUST LIKE THE CRACK PASSES IN FRONT OF YOU, I MEAN LIKE IF THE WINDSHIELD WERE TOTALLY SHATTERED TO THE POINT THAT IT WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO BE SEEN THOUGH) YOU WILL PASS INSPECTION IN NC. I'D JUST LEAVE IT THERE, IF YOU REPLACE IT THAT SHIT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I GUARANTEE IT DUE TO THE SHIT HAPPENS THEORY.

11/19/2008 3:29:01 PM

i got 120 days worth of road hazard / parking lot idiot protection, you sure the dealership didn't have anything like that?

11/19/2008 3:41:01 PM

oh i'm paying to get it fixed immediately. just cus i don't have a job don't mean i'm poor son

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 3:41 PM. Reason : ^ good call. i'm waiting for the sales guy i bought it from to call me back]

11/19/2008 3:41:07 PM

I just quoted my other than collision online. I have a 0 deductible other than collision and to bump it up to $500 would save me $19/6 months. You could probably up your coverage for a few dollars and then get them to fix it.

11/19/2008 3:45:13 PM

^^

Quote :

"I'D JUST LEAVE IT THERE, IF YOU REPLACE IT THAT SHIT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I GUARANTEE IT DUE TO THE SHIT HAPPENS THEORY."

11/19/2008 3:45:50 PM

LOL I'm pretty sure they'd ask questions if you bumped up your coverage the day before you tried to have service performed

11/19/2008 3:46:40 PM

Just get a repair company to keep the crack from spreading. They will drill out the tips of the cracks to keep them from spreading. Also, as long as the crack isn't in the driver's eye line you will pass inspection.

11/19/2008 3:47:40 PM

^^ EXACTLY, AND MOST POLICIES ARE NOT RETROACTIVE SO IF YOU UPGRADED IT WON'T FIX PREVIOUS PROBLEMS USUALLY.

Quote :

"Also, as long as the crack isn't in the driver's eye line you will pass inspection."

EVEN IF IT DOES YOU CAN PASS. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING IT'S ONLY IF YOU LITERALLY CAN'T SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD OR, APPARENTLY, IF IT FUCKS UP THE WIPER BLADES.

11/19/2008 3:47:56 PM

Somebody I know did that with their car. They drove around a week though with a major crack though before they got it fixed. They also did it online IIRC.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 3:50 PM. Reason : ]

11/19/2008 3:48:30 PM

shooooo...

that aint no defrost crack.

hey, i think it was an impact. not sure. i can tell by the pixels that its a photoshop.

11/19/2008 4:17:19 PM

I am pretty sure that was a snake bite. Juvenile by the spacing.

11/19/2008 4:19:06 PM

i thought all windshield replacements were free no matter what with most insurance policies - my car got broken into a few years ago and one of my front passenger door window was broken and it was replaced with no cost to me or any policy increases

11/19/2008 4:20:55 PM

ha had an 18-wheeler hit a piece of wood in the road and threw it up right into the passenger side of my windshield and busted my passenger mirror. damn thing started as a little spot but eventually spread to like a 1 ft crack. but it's on the passenger side so I don't really care.

11/19/2008 4:21:14 PM

^^you probably have 0 deductible other than collision. Like I said earlier its only a couple dollars a month more to have 0 (opposed to $500).

I have 2 or 3 windshields get hit by rocks and my rear glass and driver side front glass busted out by some mexican kid gang in winston-salem.

Also I think the only factor that effects your premium for other than collision is where you live (high crime, tornado alley, etc), since its not really dependent on how good of a driver you are.

EDIT: I think the reason why some glass company's will help or fully pay your deductible is because they do not want to repair it. If they repair your windshield and then the crack gets worse/spreads/fully breaks later, then the insurance company will make the glass company that did the repair refund the cost (to them) or make them replace it less the repair cost they originally paid.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 4:35 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 4:36 PM. Reason : ]

11/19/2008 4:30:28 PM