Replacement Windscreen

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

Ours has a couple of chips in it, and my nephew lightly bumped his head against one on the passenger side the other day, and it now has 3 cracks coming from it I rang our insurer, and apparently comprehensive insurance doesn't include windscreens, so the excess is $400

I thought I'd ring around for quotes today, and I've gotten 4. They range from $210 to $646! Each time they've asked me for the make and model, but only a couple have asked the year - strangely, the cheapest and the most expensive.

Obviously, I wanna do it cheap, but I also don't want it to break in a month. Any ideas on why there is such a price range?

[No.5]

Yikes, that's a huge difference. Could one be genuine glass and the others just normal Australian standard glass?

[Netix]

The Man says to go with the cheap glass, but to get a guarantee on the fitting of the glass. All windscreens are laminated, none are "safety glass". The more expensive are often from the big names, like o'brien or pilkington. They have more to pay for, if you know what i mean. Some quotes may include a new windscreen rubber (and the company may refuse to fit a new glass with an old rubber), but newer vehicles don't have windscreen rubbers, they have an electronically heated bonding seal.

Where we used to live, in Sunbury, a new screen would cost us $160. The same screen in Swan Hill costs $350-360. Whereabouts are you? Your location can have a huge bearing on cost. Ie, if you live in Kew, you'll pay a whole lot more than if you called someone in Altona or Footscray (for example).

Forgot to say, there is no such thing as "genuine glass". All car companies have their glass supplied by an outside party. Chances are, if you drive an aussie car, it will have pilkington glass.

[~clover~]

Windscreen cover is extra. I think I pay $50 a year or something. They offered though, or I wouldn't have known!

I got a second hand windscreen fitted once. The windscreen was $80 from the wreckers (not easy to get out though, they cracked 2!), then O'Briens brought it /down for me & fit it for another $80. It was $240 new from O'briens 7 years ago.

Oh & most models are the same shape, so if they know the model they don't really need to know the year.

[AnyDream]

That's bizarre. We've had several windscreen claims over the years, and they were always included as part of the comprehensive insurance, on a one-free per year basis, or I think one time eons ago we paid a very minimal excess (like $50 or something). I would be double checking the policy documents just in case you got a call-centre numpty (it happens).

Re the windscreen - are some of those services that come to you instead of you going to them? Would that alter the price (ie if there are additional fitting charges or whatever). Also, did you check whether that included any tinting, as some of them have this and some don't?

[Amy_jellybean]

Yep ours is def an extra for windscreen cover as well, I think about $60 per year.

[~Raven~]

Does the cheap price include installation? They may have quoted you the cost of just the glass.

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

Yes, it includes installation. The expensive one included something else as well, but I couldn't understand what she was saying and didn't want to ask a third time Even so, the extra thing was only $150, so it was still a couple of hundred higher than anyone else.

All of the prices are for me to go to them, it's about $50 extra for them to come to me. We're in the metro area too, so I can't see that making a difference. Honestly, I think WA is just more expensive for everything :/

I can still drive with it, it doesn't impede vision or anything. I know that it's probably kinda dangerous, and we'll get it fixed ASAP, but you know the story, gotta wait for payday Thanks ladies!

[Floweryfields]

That's bizarre. We've had several windscreen claims over the years, and they were always included as part of the comprehensive insurance, on a one-free per year basis, or I think one time eons ago we paid a very minimal excess (like $50 or something). I would be double checking the policy documents just in case you got a call-centre numpty (it happens).

Mine is windscreen optional - some companies include it, many include it as an extra. Always pays to read the policy docs thoroughly as it's easy to get caught out.

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

Yes, I need to do that today, as I'm sure we have it, I remember replacing a windscreen a few years ago and only paying $50. Can't trust anyone these days!