Repair to windscreen

DaveW007

Hi

I hope somebody may be able to give me some advice.

I had my car MOT'd yesterday and it passed. I had an advisory though stating that the windscreen has damage to an area less than a 40mm circle outside zone "A". I was advised to have this repaired.

I have contacted Autoglass who are the recommended repairer of my vehicle insurer (Churchill). Autoglass stated that they would strongly advise to have the windscreen replaced rather than repaired! I asked why this is as surely it would be cheaper for a repair etc and was advised that repairs are often more difficult to carry out than a replacement. A repair would carry a £10.00 cost and a repair would be £75.00. I did ask the advisor if they were on a commission and they became a bit hesitant. I did say that I would prefer a repair as this is more cost effective for me and would seek further advice.

Has anybody else had this with Autoglass?

Kind regards

The_Last_Username

Uh-huh.
So - without even seeing the damage to your screen - Autoglass are suggesting a replacement? :rotfl:
Your suspicions are probably correct; there is no way they could know for sure what is needed without seeing the windscreen.

I have seen Windscreen Repair "tents" in supermarket car parks; I would strongly suggest asking one of them next time you see them.
Just be aware that although your screen may last for years in its' current condition, it also COULD quickly get worse in (for example) a severe frost.

I have had bad experiences with Autoglass over the years - the most-recent with being reluctant to replace the rear screen on an old Corsa and taking three days before they could arrange to do the job.

Other posters with more experience may offer better advice.

Glassman

DaveW007 wrote: »

I have contacted Autoglass who are the recommended repairer of my vehicle insurer (Churchill). Autoglass stated that they would strongly advise to have the windscreen replaced rather than repaired! I asked why this is as surely it would be cheaper for a repair etc and was advised that repairs are often more difficult to carry out than a replacement. A repair would carry a £10.00 cost and a repair would be £75.00. I did ask the advisor if they were on a commission and they became a bit hesitant.

Insist on a repair.

Autoglass use a mechanically assisted repair system which many of their guys do not like using; the [repair] finish is often questionable and in any case, there is more of an incentive to replace. For example, in the event of the repair failing the repairing technician will not accrue any bonus. In the even of the repaired damage being raised as a warranty the technician will lose double the bonus he was paid.

I've used their system and it is very restrictive, and in some circumstances can also be quite volatile (it can worsen the damage). Compare this to a manually operated system - and with the correct expertise - the failure rate is extremely rare.

In all cases, an assessment must be made before any work is carried out (if it is at all). This can only be done by visual inspection.

tonyh66

if its not that bad, try a DIY screen repair kit from Halfords I did 2 chips on my screen recently and they came out ok. One of them would have been a MOT fail.

System

Hiya

AutoGlass, my experience with them was not pleasant. i made a telephone enquiry and was given an appointment I didn't ask for.

I took the car along for an assessment and was told I had missed my slot. NO, I didn't ask or agree to that appointment.

I had a repair done, it failed some time later, took the car back and was told it was my rusty wiper arm that was at fault. I had kept the arm and changed to a new rubber blade, so the arm looked poor.

But no-way was the crack in the screen caused by a windscreen wiper blade. Who Makes / Repairs windscreens that are subject to damage in normal use? nobody is my answer

Who looks to blame anyone / anything to avoid repairing / replacing under their guarantee terms? autoglass is my answer