ALL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CAR WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT COVERAGE
Of all the repair works that a car undergoes in its lifetime, the most common one is the replacement of windshields. A cracked, chipped or broken windshield is something that gets encountered by almost every car owner in the lifetime of the car. Flying pebbles, falling branches, jumping animals, vandalism and so many other reasons are there that leaves the windshield broken or cracked. The twist in the tale comes when you get to know that the windshield replacement is not covered under your auto insurance policy. Most people tend to ignore the question does car insurance cover windshield replacement, till the time they are denied making a claim for the replacement of a cracked windshield.
In most cases, the windshield or any other glass part of the vehicle, like the side and rear windows or the sunroof, get covered by car insurance if the damage is caused due to a collision with another car. Unfortunately, most of the windshield replacement requirement does not arise from a collision but from the other reasons as mentioned above. In such cases, the owner has to take the brunt and pay the bill of the garage out of his own pocket.
One of the best ways to avoid such a jeopardy situation is to get the windshield repaired at the earliest. 75% windshield damage begins with a small star on the glass caused by a flying pebble. This star gradually grows into an irreparable crack, thanks to the ignorance of the owner of the car. If the length of the crack is anything less than 6 inches, it can be easily repaired by the glass companies by means of epoxy fillings and that would not cost you anything more than $10-$20. Only when you let the hair line crack grow into a long one, the need of replacement arises and the situation comes when you are denied a claim by the insurance company.
Comprehensive coverage covers it all
However, there is a way by means of which you could get the glass windshield (or any other glass part) covered under the car insurance policy. To include glass coverage on the car insurance, the policy has to include comprehensive coverage. By opting for comprehensive coverage you will be practically getting covered for all instances of damage which are caused by reasons other than colliding with a different vehicle. Some of the common source of damages that gets covered under a comprehensive coverage includes the storms, vandalism, fires, animal attack, and construction site damage and so on.
Consider the deductibles as well
Now that you know that with comprehensive coverage the glass of your car is going to get covered, you might feel a bit relieved. Well, there is another twist in the tale. The comprehensive coverage of the auto insurance policy will cover the glass repair subject to your deductible. So if the deductible for the comprehensive coverage is about $250, and the glass repair work costs your $200, you will end up paying the whole amount from your pocket only, as the insurance company will pitch in only when the deductible amount is paid by the policy owner.
Hence, while choosing the comprehensive coverage for your vehicle’s insurance, you may want to keep the deductible as low as possible. It will certainly increase the premium cost by little margins, but it would still be worth it. An intelligent thing to deal with the deductibles is to keep a low deductible for the comprehensive coverage and a higher deductible for the collision coverage. You would agree that the major damages of a car’s body parts are caused by a collision than a storm or a flying piece of debris.
Not claiming could be smart move
There is another point related to the deductibles and windshield repair or replacement. Usually, the lowest deductible for comprehensive coverage is $250 for most insurance companies. If the repair cost of a damaged windshield is $260 or even $300, the differential amount of $10 to $50 will only be paid by the insurance company. It makes little sense to file a claim for such minimal amount, as that will leave an impact on the claim records and the cost of the policy the next year when you try to renew it.
Thus, even if the windshield repair will get covered by the comprehensive coverage, it may be a smart move not to claim it. You would certainly not want to pay hundred bucks extra for claiming a meager amount of $20 or $30.
Beware of ‘auto glass repair’
Many insurance companies include something called ‘auto glass repair’ in their comprehensive coverage policy. You should inquire properly that whether the comprehensive coverage will include the repair and replacement of the car windshields, as most of the companies do not cover that even with a comprehensive coverage on the insurance policy. By the term ‘auto glass’ they refer to the side window glasses and the back glass and not the windshield (that’s the costliest of all).
Hence, be very particular in asking about whether the windshield is going get covered or not. If it doesn’t, there is no point investing extra on getting comprehensive coverage just to get the side window glass repaired which would not cost anything more than $50 otherwise.
Ask questions to your insurance agent
So, the next time your insurance guy shows up and tries to sell you the renewal policy of your car insurance, do not forget to ask him that does car insurance cover windshield replacement. If his answer is no, you would need to check with him about including the comprehensive coverage in the policy and determine on a smart deductible amount. If his answer is yes, you would need to further grill him asking about the various hidden clauses that the insurance policy has about the covering of glass windshield repair and replacement work.
Many companies may have their contracts with a particular list of car repair shops and they will cover the costs only when the repair work is done at that shop. Hence, before you get the windshield of your car repaired or replaced, check out with your insurance guys and then make a move.
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