Chip on windshield of newly bought car

gcoopermax

Just bought a used car from a dealer, drove it home and realized there is small hairline crack which I didn't notice at the dealer as I was immersed in paperwork and formalities. They boast of a history of more than 100 years in this sector and have "state of the art" showroom so I trusted them to sort obvious cosmetic issues to the car. The handover form I signed did have a tick for glass being ok and I ticked it as I didn't notice this crack there. However while driving home I noticed it and after reaching home I sent them an email with the picture. Although, I am worried that if I ask it to be fixed, they will deny it was present before I bought it. 

I know I have an option to get it done on insurance but it is unfair as I have to pay the excess and it may increase my premium for several years. 

Any advice on how to navigate this? 

fatbelly

You've emailed them about it. See what they say.

Is it bad enough to be an MOT failure?

See

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/3-visibility

400ixl

As above, wait and see what their response is in the first instance.

cw8825

gcoopermax said:

Just bought a used car from a dealer, drove it home and realized there is small hairline crack which I didn't notice at the dealer as I was immersed in paperwork and formalities. They boast of a history of more than 100 years in this sector and have "state of the art" showroom so I trusted them to sort obvious cosmetic issues to the car. The handover form I signed did have a tick for glass being ok and I ticked it as I didn't notice this crack there. However while driving home I noticed it and after reaching home I sent them an email with the picture. Although, I am worried that if I ask it to be fixed, they will deny it was present before I bought it. 

I know I have an option to get it done on insurance but it is unfair as I have to pay the excess and it may increase my premium for several years. 

Any advice on how to navigate this? 

Is there any chance this happened on your drive home?
worst case claim on insurance. Glass repairs are usually low excess and don’t need to be declared going forward 

Mildly_Miffed

Strictly speaking, claiming damage on your insurance that pre-existed the policy would be fraudulent.

But, yes, you've got the situation where you're saying "Your prep was negligent, my pre-purchase inspection was negligent, but I signed the paperwork anyway" against their "We did our job, and you signed to agree you were happy with it."

They may replace the screen as a goodwill customer service gesture - and that would be very laudable of them. They are certainly under no obligation to. I suspect a large part of whether they will depends on what the car is - if it's something fairly new with a normal screen, it's more likely than if it's something older and lower-margin with a big expensive panoramic or heated or thermal screen or has a bunch of driver-assistance that'll need calibrating. They won't be able to put it through their insurance, after all.