Here's some shit I wrote over a year ago and meant to post but never did...haven't proof read it so here goes:

Quote :

"Okay, I know most people have no idea what to do when they have a broken windshield. So here’s a “quick” guide to save you some money, time, and possibly frustration. First, is your car fully insured? If you have liability only, you are going to be paying out of pocket for your glass work, unless you are holding someone responsible for the damage. If a shipping truck kicked a rock into your windshield, get the unit # and contact the trucking company. You may have to fight, but some companies will pay for your damage if you can provide enough information about the circumstances. Be polite but firm, and if the company is reasonable they will help you out. If your vehicle was damaged by a mowing crew that launched a rock or some other debris into your vehicle, hold them responsible. These things happen all the time, so the driver or worker that damaged your vehicle isn’t going to get in trouble with their company unless the damage occurred due to their being negligent. If you do have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle, what is your comprehensive deductible? Common deductible amounts are $0, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000. This can on some policies differ from your collision deductible, which would come into play only if there was body damage in addition to glass damage. Did the rock/object damage your hood or grill before it cracked your windshield? (If you have a high deductible, contact your insurance company and get a quote at a lower deductible. A friend of mine, insured by Progressive, recently lowered his deductible from $500 to 50, and it cost him $14 more per month). If you only have glass damage, just your comprehensive deductible will have to be paid, unless it is $0. This means you will be responsible for all or part of the total cost of fixing your windshield. If the job is $1000 total, and your deductible is $250, you will be responsible for the first $250 paid towards fixing the damage, and your insurance company will take care of whatever is left on the bill (in this case, $750). If the total cost of fixing the windshield is LESS than your deductible amount, you will be responsible for the total amount of the bill, and thus wouldn’t need to file a claim on the incident. Your insurance company will only be responsible for the remainder of the bill once your deductible is paid to the shop. What should you do when your glass is damaged? First, find out what your deductible is. This can be done by calling your insurance company to file a claim (calling your agent is fine, but believe it or not, their records are not always up to date, so calling your insurance company’s corporate office/claims department will give more accurate results). Let them know you have glass damage, and you are thinking of filing a claim, but would like a quote on the cost of the work to be done, to determine whether or not you should. Again if the quote is above your deductible amount, you might as well file a claim and save yourself some cash. Glass damage claims will not affect your insurance rates, and will not cause your insurance company to drop you. (Note: Calling an auto glass company for a quote directly can be misleading, so go through the claims department. Companies give discounts to insurance companies on glass work, so the quote you get will probably be higher than what your insurance company will pay. The claims department of your insurance company can get you a more accurate number, and having the call recorded assures you won’t be responsible later for any errors made by that shop or by the claims associate. Some insurance companies hire third-parties to handle the claims aspect of their business. Companies like LYNX Services will accept all calls relating to claims, take down all of the information, and submit it to your insurance company. They charge your insurance company a fee for handling this aspect of their business, and it takes a lot of payroll dollars off their books.) If you are fully insured, don’t listen to anyone who tells you to pay out of pocket for your glass damage. You pay for your insurance every month for a reason, so unless you are into some shady stuff, there’s no reason at all not to report your damage and get it fixed and possibly paid for. I can’t tell you how many people I get on the phone who insist on paying over $120 cash for a repair when their insurance company will do it for them for free. I have never had any customer give me a good reason why they want to do this, the only thing I can think of is bad information. I usually hear “I just don’t wanna mess with insurance for this.” Not only that, but when I try to convince them that their insurance company will do it for free, they think I’m scamming them! Hope this guide helps, if you have any questions just ask me. - 9one9"

[Edited on August 7, 2012 at 8:38 PM. Reason : .]

8/7/2012 8:37:11 PM

as somebody that has had their car's windshield crack 3 times in 3 years I will say the above information appears correct.

8/8/2012 8:50:32 AM

Yep. And depending on your policy, the deductible for glass damage may be different than that for collision, or missing entirely. I have comprehensive through Nationwide and, when my windshield got cracked a couple years ago and needed to be replaced, I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket.

8/8/2012 9:43:04 AM