Driveway

So I'm driving along in the left lane and a truck moves over from the right into the center lane and kicks a rock up right above my passenger side winshield wiper onto my windhshield. This cuased a chip in the glass and a very very thin vertical crack. I was told I'd have to replace the windshield (probably).... but how much is this going to cost me?

Cabal

If the chip is smaller than the size of a quarter and it hasn't spidered yet, you can get it repaired by a car glass shop that vacuum-seals it, injects resin, and then cures it under a UV lamp. I had it done the other day (New England winter driving is brutal) and it came out pretty good. Out of pocket, repairs are usually $45-50, whereas a full OEM windshield installed with rubber siding can be $400 or more. You should check to see what your insurance covers, many people have full glass coverage with a $0 deductible (like me). I'll probably get the full windshield replacement done in the spring, but no sense in doing it right now.

X1_SRT

out of pocket it may be even more than $400 to replace. they have gotten expensive. but like cabal said, check your insurance. statefarm will pay to have it filled, and only $50 to have a new one installed. pretty good deal if you ask me. and my dad knows a guy at a glass shop, and very nicely waives the $50 charge!!
i got three chips while driving back from wyoming this fall in a snow storm. ooouch

-PJ

Driveway

The crack has gotten 4x bigger overnight. This sucks!

X1_SRT

yeah, they tend to grow when it gets cold. i hate that!

-PJ

erbenson

Earlier this winter, I was driving on the Garden State Parkway during a snowstorm and caught a chunk of ice/snow/road debris that shattered my windshield. It put about a basketball sized divot in the windshield near the passenger side pillar. The windshield mostly held, although you could put your fingers through in places. Thankfully, the drivers portion was intact and I was able to get off the road, find a Subaru dealer (who gave me great directions to a glass shop) and get it fixed.

The bill was $328 for a 02 WRX wagon windshield. I could not complain too much, I was about 150 miles from home, 200 miles from my destination with an undriveable car on a snowy Friday afternoon. Two hours later, I was on my way.

svrex

The full cost of a WRX wagon windshield is 650 - 700. The sedan is slightly cheaper (assuming you do have a WRX, you didn't say). DO NOT let them tell you will be 450 or less. I was ripped off by the people that handle glass claims for Statefarm because they told me they could get it done at "their shop" for $450 while the dealer wanted $900 (glass, molding, labor). I called around and no one but my Subaru dealer was able to get the glass from the factory. If you have to deal with insurance insist the dealer do it and insist they pay for it. Hope you have better luck than I did.

erbenson

svrex said...
"Statefarm because they told me they could get it done at "their shop" for $450 while the dealer wanted $900 (glass, molding, labor)."

Oh, my insurance company tried the same thing, but the closest shops were approximately 100 miles away and did not get appointments for a few days.

Given that other threads are complaining about the quality of Subaru's factory glass and the perpensity for cracking, why would you insist on factory glass?

I had always - perhaps niavely - considered glass to be a commodity. When it broke, you replaced it. If there is something unusual about the glass, I'd be interested to hear about it.

In my situation, there wasn't much choice. A drivable car with a less than ideal windshield was better than an undriveable one with a hole in it. I'll have to go back and check the bill whether I'm remembering it correctly... it was above the deductable anyway.

-Eric

svrex

I've never heard anything bad about Subaru glass. I also don't trust many people to work on my car given past experiences.

Cabal

Because unless you get OEM glass with OEM rubber trim, it's quite possibly going to leak or not hold up the structural rigidity that it should. It's extremely important that a windshield fit exactly like it should, and I wouldn't trust a non-OEM windshield to be up to the job. I've had no more problems with my Subaru glass than any other car I've owned.

babu

Here in the People's Republic of Oregon - No salt is used in the Winter months only sand with stones large enough to be grabbed by treads and propelled at your windshield.

With that being said, auto manufacturers do not make auto glass; it is subcontracted to lowest bidder. In the case of my 1996 Legacy outback, PPG (Pitsburg Paint and Glass) was the manufacturer. This windsheild had four cracks in the glass during my first winter ownership. (I always thought PPG to be a quality company)

Sold the 1996 for a 1997 Legacy Outback that had a mix of PPG passenger windows glass and United Libby Nippon (United LN). ULN windshield must have thicker glass, because it has survived five winters and just gave a nice crack this spring.

AutoLite just quoted a cash payment replacement cost of $225 + $15 if the frame seal is mangled during windshield removal. This quote is for the same OEM glass with "Fuji Heavy Industires" mark on the glass.

Shop around for price, but if your happy with the results of your winshield ask for the OEM replacement - It is not that expensive (at least not here in the People's Republic)

Babu