Windscreen cracked by garage during MOT

1981trouble

Hopefully you can offer me some advice as to where we stand (if we do stand) regarding this.

My husbands car went to a well known garage for its MOT yesterday. Before going we knew it had 2 minor chips in the windscreen but neither were in the driving view nor big enought to quantify a fail.

The garage jacked up the car and one of the chips spread into a crack about 15cm long on the windscreen. This meant it failed and we have had to pay out £70 (excess on insurance) to replace it.

I had already had "words" with my OH about why he didn't get it repaired for free before hand when it was a repair and not replace option:mad:. However we were discussing it last night and were trying to work out whether the garage has any liability towards this as it wasn't cracked when it went in and was when it came out. The fact that it cracked so much suggested to me that they were jacking it up unevenly to cause such an amount of undue stress on the windscreen - but i am not a mechanic so i can't really quantify that!

Do we just accept that it was oh's disorganistion at not sorting this earlier or would we have a leg to stand on if we approached the garage?

hewhoisnotintheknow

the screen is kind of structual, not the mots centres problem the car was a bit iffy, they have to carry out the mot and it happened.

put it down to experiance

jackieb

I had a chip in my windscreen and it just developed into a huge crack. I hadn't jacked it up or driven off-road. It just happened.

I think it would have happened sooner or later with your windscreen. It just happened to be in the garage at the time.

1981trouble

Thanks i think i needed to hear it from inpartial parties!

Hintza

I'm impartial. These things happen.

daveyjp

I'm impartial - I had my chip fixed as soon as it happened. Once chipped the windscreen isn't as strong and even minor knocks can cause a crack.

1981trouble

Thanks - I think the verdict is that my OH needs to be more proactive and organised and sort things out sooner and then he doesn't need to pay an extra £70!!!!!

photome

1981trouble wrote: »

Thanks - I think the verdict is that my OH needs to be more proactive and organised and sort things out sooner and then he doesn't need to pay an extra £70!!!!!

I think you are right.

I agree with the others that the crack could have appeared at any time

Hintza

The chip would have cost you £30 +/- anyway and if you had two chips I imagine another £10-£20 so the £70 probably isn't that bad.

But I reckon chipped windscreens are like buses you can go years without any then you seem to get them coming thick and fast.

emmell

I would say you're lucky it cracked in the garage and not when you were driving.
ML.

bhavinshah

Hintza wrote: »

The chip would have cost you £30 +/- anyway and if you had two chips I imagine another £10-£20 so the £70 probably isn't that bad.

Why? If you have fully comp insurance you can get free repairs with Autoglass...