Windshield repairs no longer cheap/simple

[MBAustin]

Very interesting article in the NYTimes (probably behind the paywall) about how the new driver assistance technology (auto-braking, forward collision warning, etc.) is heavily integrated with the windshield, requiring special equipment by repair shops to recalibrate everything after a repair:

When the Windshield Helps Drive the Car, a Repair Isn’t So Simplel

A brief excerpt:

"Mr. Calkins recommends that new car buyers take two important steps: Check their insurance deductible so that they can cover potential driver-assistance-system repairs, and understand what safety systems are in their new cars so that they can make sure any repairs include those systems as well.

Of course, driver-assistance systems are supposed to reduce the frequency of collisions, justifying the added expense, and hopefully avoiding costly repairs. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety of General Motors vehicles in 23 states found that models with auto-braking and forward-collision-warning systems had 43 percent fewer front-to-rear crashes reported to the police. It also found 64 percent fewer injuries from such collisions compared with similar models without the driver-assistance technology."

 

[wmc1000]

Those systems won't avoid a flying stone to your windshield! That's much more likely to happen than an accident.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

According to people on the Honda Ridgeline forum there have been problems with aftermarket windshields getting the cameras/sensors to calibrate properly, perhaps due to distortions in the glass. My model also has acoustic glass which supposedly makes it even more expensive. One person over there posted that he got an estimate of $1200 to replace his windshield, albeit from the dealer. Ouch!

 

[marko]

According to people on the Honda Ridgeline forum there have been problems with aftermarket windshields getting the cameras/sensors to calibrate properly, perhaps due to distortions in the glass. My model also has acoustic glass which supposedly makes it even more expensive. One person over there posted that he got an estimate of $1200 to replace his windshield, albeit from the dealer. Ouch!

A few years ago I had a windshield replaced on my Mercedes. Sigh, got hit with a rock on my second week with it. My first try was with one of the outfits that come to your house.

Everything seemed fine until my auto wipers didn't work and a few other things stopped doing their job. (I forget what)

Short story, I had to go to the dealer to get it done; they had to go to Germany (?) to get the glass as my car was just off the presses and no one had any spares yet. Took me two weeks.

 

[nwsteve]

My glass repair guy also told me that cars associated with all the new safety features are usually in the 1k plus range and are a challenge to install as there are a number of electrical connections that have to be made.
We carry $50 ded comprehensive to take the pain out of window replacements. Have never failed to get my money back. ;-)

 

[Scrapr]

I own a fleet of trucks. Had a young gal in a BMW claim that something flew out of our truck & cracked her windshield. I looked up the truck GPS. Truck had just dumped & was empty. Most likely a stone came up off the highway. Despite being under no obligation I offered to split it with her. I have a great glass guy. He's fast & cheap. I was thinking about $2-300 on my side. That's when she said I have Heads up Display. It's $1200. Swallowed hard and paid her. That day i learned to put parameters around that sort of thing

We get this on occasion. If the truck is loaded & something flies out i will pay. Otherwise no pay

 

[ncbill]

My glass repair guy also told me that cars associated with all the new safety features are usually in the 1k plus range and are a challenge to install as there are a number of electrical connections that have to be made.
We carry $50 ded comprehensive to take the pain out of window replacements. Have never failed to get my money back. ;-)

$100 deductible on comprehensive for my vehicles...currently only costs ~$50/year each.

Guess that'll change.

 

[Chuckanut]

Given the cost of medical care in the USA, avoiding one accident that causes serious human injury will pay for a lot of windshields.

 

[Texas Proud]

I own a fleet of trucks. Had a young gal in a BMW claim that something flew out of our truck & cracked her windshield. I looked up the truck GPS. Truck had just dumped & was empty. Most likely a stone came up off the highway. Despite being under no obligation I offered to split it with her. I have a great glass guy. He's fast & cheap. I was thinking about $2-300 on my side. That's when she said I have Heads up Display. It's $1200. Swallowed hard and paid her. That day i learned to put parameters around that sort of thing

We get this on occasion. If the truck is loaded & something flies out i will pay. Otherwise no pay

Just because it has been dumped does not mean it is empty...


My BIL got a bunch of rocks showered on him when a truck that was 'empty' hit a big bump and rocks that were still hanging on the lip were thrown off... windshield looked like a machine gun shot it up... plus his hood had many dents..

 

[Retiree_Having_Fun]

Last stone crack was on a 2010 Cadillac on I4 in Florida. Within about 10 minutes of the stone hit, I pulled into an Auto Zone in Daytona and bought a crack repair kit. Did the kit and it's been fine since. It was just a minor crack at that time which I think helped. The windshield has auto wiper via moisture so that still works too. My guess is the smaller the problem, the more chance of success.

In my case it was worked.

 

[donheff]

Those systems won't avoid a flying stone to your windshield! That's much more likely to happen than an accident.

That just happened on my new Lexus SUV. I was thinking maybe I would replace the window and skip the insurance claim since my deductible is $500. But the replacement cost over $1000 because of the collision avoidance system. I also couldn't use Safelite's curb side installation service (or could have but would still have to take the car in to a facility for system calibration later).

 

[JoeWras]

Just because it has been dumped does not mean it is empty...

My BIL got a bunch of rocks showered on him when a truck that was 'empty' hit a big bump and rocks that were still hanging on the lip were thrown off... windshield looked like a machine gun shot it up... plus his hood had many dents..

I was going to post exactly this. The rocks hanging on the lips, or other various little "shelves." Also, sometimes, when construction vehicles go off road, they get rocks jammed in the treads. Then they get up to speed and the rocks come out.

What I have noticed lately, however, is some of the biggest offenders are the landscape guys who have a small Bobcat or Ditchwitch on a trailer. The device is caked in mud. You can watch the mud and stones falling off the treads/wheels with every bump.

I also find that sometimes the worst hits are the second flings. I.e. the car in front may have taken a hit already, and flung the stone higher, or it got picked up with its wheel. Now you are behind and this rock has incredible energy. Hit it and it can impart a lot of damage.

 

[fasteddie911]

I don't really have any interest or felt a need for these new driver technologies. This article makes my resistance to these technologies just slightly stronger.

 

[JPatrick]

I was going to post exactly this. The rocks hanging on the lips, or other various little "shelves." Also, sometimes, when construction vehicles go off road, they get rocks jammed in the treads. Then they get up to speed and the rocks come out.

What I have noticed lately, however, is some of the biggest offenders are the landscape guys who have a small Bobcat or Ditchwitch on a trailer. The device is caked in mud. You can watch the mud and stones falling off the treads/wheels with every bump.

I also find that sometimes the worst hits are the second flings. I.e. the car in front may have taken a hit already, and flung the stone higher, or it got picked up with its wheel. Now you are behind and this rock has incredible energy. Hit it and it can impart a lot of damage.

Then there's the folks who insist they need a pickup with a really wide stance to make it to Wal*Mart. Here comes the tires that stick out a foot from the fender and throw absolutely everything from gravel to road kill right at you.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm optimistic the glass industry will get the dilemma figured out to where replacement is not too big a hassle.

My new style cruise control has to be carefully watched to make sure the speed setting and the actual speed experienced is the same. I'm amazed that if I change lanes, it so often throws the pedal down hard to get back up to speed. And if I get to close to a slower car, it stomps on the brakes. I long for the old style speed control that doesn't use a radar unit in the nose of the grill.

I honestly don't know what the sensors in the top of the windshield do. I would assume it is what beeps when I cross a line on the highway--changing lanes. It beeps and you can feel it in the steering wheel. I'm just thankful that that system can be disarmed with a switch.

I do like the rear view cameras, and they're a great safety feature and money saver for owners--avoiding minor collisions. Too bad we'll never return to the old, simple days of car/truck ownership. I have counted 17 electronic modules in one of my cars--averaging $1,000 each in dealership parts.

 

[nwsteve]

Here is a worthwhile overview of just how complicated our windshields have become
https://www.seattletimes.com/busine...-helps-drive-the-car-a-repair-isnt-so-simple/

A lot, lot more than keeping bugs out of our teeth ;-)

 

[Just_Steve]

Similar discussion from last month.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/car-windshield-replacement-95612.html

 

[Col. Klink]

I don't really have any interest or felt a need for these new driver technologies. This article makes my resistance to these technologies just slightly stronger.

+1 Don't need or want the technology

 

[braumeister]

I used to think the technology was frivolous, but love it now that I have it.

The HUD is amazing and the best part. The camera behind the rear view mirror reads speed limit signs (with about 99% accuracy) and shows me that info next to the speedometer (also incorporates it into the HUD if I want). I believe that has actually saved me from a ticket more than once, in unfamiliar areas. Other stuff too, but those stick out.

Granted, a windshield replacement would cost big bucks, but it's not as common as it once was, thanks to better repair methods for small cracks and chips. No complaints from me; that's what I have insurance for. I remember the bad old days living on the front range in Colorado when it was simply routine to replace the windshield every year at inspection time, due to getting sandblasted by the winds coming off the mountains.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

This thread should automatically come up when ever someone comes around and posts about "how much my car insurance has gone up!"

I drive very rarely and am thinking that I sell my relatively new truck (that isn't cheap to insure even though it doesn't have the bells/whistles of auto brake, lane departure, etc.) and get me a 1990 Ford Bronco with liability insurance only.

 

[athena53]

+1 Don't need or want the technology

I know- and we have no choice. Higher-priced cars, more profit for the manufacturers and the dealers and more expensive to repair all the fancy extras.