Managed to crack my windscreen yesterday by being a little bit careless when changing the wiper blades. I now have a lovely spider pattern on the lower passenger side. My options are:

a) Live with it. It's on the passenger side and doesn't affect my visibility. But I'm not really happy about this.

Go though my insurance. Cheapest option, but will their fast fit windscreen outfit (not sure who it is) do a good job and use a quality screen? Anybody used Autoglass and the like?

c) Get a genuine screen from the dealer and have them fit it. Any idea how much this would cost?

The latter option has the added embarrassment factor in that the car is going in for reversing sensors next week and they offered to fit the wipers then. But oh no, I had to take them and fit them myself

[And I thought I was doing really well when I finally twigged that the wipers were set for LHD and I had to reverse the connectors]

Hmm...you don't fancy denying changing the wipers and get it done as a

warranty job?

Autoglass and that will probably be alright, but the screen needs to be

bonded in properly, which means sitting around for a day or so. I'm not

sure if a mobile outfit would be able to do this the same as the dealer,

but it could be worth asking.

I think the screens are about 50 or 60 quid from the dealer, plus labour

which will probably be a couple of hours...

Rob.

Autoglass are able to do the proper bonding etc with their mobile outfits - they did my old car well with decent glass. You do, however, have to be lucky and hope that the weather is alright unless you have a covered area to keep the car in while they do it.

I had the windscreen of my Senator replaced by Autoglass at their Bedford Depot in April 2002, followed by the rear window of my Octavia by an Autoglass mobile van at my home in August 2002. Autoglass used an original Skoda part for the Octavia. Both jobs involved bonding the replacements into place. The service was excellent and I have no hesitation in recommending that firm.

I claimed on my car insurance for both replacements (NU Direct) and paid a

My fabia screen was replaced by a firm that my dealer had a contract with - called Pheonix windscreens or something like that. The bloke who came in the van to do the job looked a bit dodgy, but he was actually a really good bloke, and I even helped him fit the screen - It was a proper job, as us Devonians say. I would not see any harm in claiming on insurance - was only

"That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

is, I believe, the quote your looking for. Great one to use when you get

into arguments about semantics... :imamuppet:

Rob.

Thats the one, Rob! - Its been a while since I've done my English Literature A-level. I got a "B" grade though, without which I would never have got the grades to go to uni and become ephen maw edumacated. duhhh! I gotta admit that I only liked all the tragic shakespeares, Hamlet, King Lear etc, and hated Romeo & Juliet! Maybe that says something about my human nature...? :evil:

Tsk, I'm remembering that from GCSE, which would've been even longer ago! :p

Never really got into Shakespeare much, I found his tragedies were just lesser

imitations of the Greek classics... :icecream:

Rob.

memory? whats that? I cannot compute that. I guess I only ever remember what I "want" to remeber, so most of my education has been forgotten already (filed very carefully I should say)

As for GCSEs, woah, thats feels like a very long time ago - although I seem to remember them being so easy I didn't bother to do any revision and still got all A's & B's (what a swot I hear you utter)

Originally posted by robmawer in this post

Hmm...you don't fancy denying changing the wipers and get it done as a

warranty job?

Hmmm might have to use a different dealer though!

I think the screens are about 50 or 60 quid from the dealer, plus labour

which will probably be a couple of hours...

So that's 150+VAT versus 60 quid excess. Will have to find out who Axa's windscreen man-on-the-ground is!

Originally posted by devonutopia in this post

being so easy I didn't bother to do any revision and still got all A's & B's (what a swot I hear you utter)

Apart from a swot would 1) work lots and 2) not have got

any B's! :p

Anyway, I'll stop being pedantic now...

Zooty - yeah, insurance job looks best, unless you fancy

ordering a screen and having a go at fitting it yourself...

Rob.

I seem to remember spending most of my three years at uni propping up various bars in and around Swansea, usually the student union. I guess my swotting stopped after GCSEs. As for the screen, (getting back to the whole point of the thread) go for the insurance. I don't see why we should pay that annual premium when most drivers never put in claims at all. Think of all that money paid to insurance companies if you have a full no claims bonus... Must add up to thousands for some people - so I see nothing wrong in claiming for a screen now and then, however it gets cracked. I see it a bit like me paying plenty of tax into Mr Gordon Brown's pocket, and then using my company to save paying VAT on tyres/building materials/blank CDs,etc. Bit like giving money with one hand, giving the right (even though its an illegal one) to take with the other hand. I hope there is no-one too judgmental in here who will begrudge me that? :P

I was under the impression that most insurance companies operate at a loss?!

When/If I manage to get a full protected NCB, I would probably be more than

willing to claim for things. As it is, I'm clinging onto a wet rock face while wearing

rubber soled shoes, and my insurance company is big wave ready to drag me

under.

At which point I'll need to persuade my boss I need a company car, the only

problem with that being that when I finally have enough of driving a Ford Focus

and all my friends are getting decent cars, I'll still have no NCB. What ever

happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Rob.

Aviva plc which owns Norwich Union made

I stand corrected! :eek:

Rob.

lol - Tesco have done very well out of me in the last two years -

I paid Direct Line about 600 quid last year (using my mum's policy with 5 years NCB

though), and am in the process of paying them

Sorry to be a boring old sod on this but ..... Most motor insurers were operating at an underwriting loss until about 2 years ago - the only way some of them made a bottom line profit was as a result of investment income. However, even after the invetsment income was taken into account, most of them still made a loss.

As a result a huge number of insurers pulled out of motor insurance and the remaining insurers have tightened policy conditions, set up central fraud databases and increased premiums.

I work for an insurance company (ships, aircraft & terrorism etc) and there is no way we would touch Motor insurance - too much admin cost, fraud and hassle. Unfortunately the fraudsters out there have led to a situation where premiums have substantially risen for all the rest of us and motor insurers will fight tooth and nail to deny claims to make a profit.

Nick - general insurance in the London market includes all types of Property, Marine (Ships, Cargo, Marine Liability, Rigs etc), Casualty (E&O, D&O) and many other classes - most of these made substantial profits in 2002 as a result of the huge premium increases caused by the losses they made in 2001 (World Trade Centre etc). Personal Lines business (Motor, Home etc) is still pretty marginal stuff.

Anyway, i'll get back into my box now!! :p

Originally posted by KentStu in this post

Sorry to be a boring old sod on this but ..... Most motor insurers were operating at an underwriting loss until about 2 years ago - the only way some of them made a bottom line profit was as a result of investment income.

By coincidence, I saw the bit about them making a loss on

a TV program about two and a half years ago!

So...has anyone been injured in an accident in the last 3 years

that wasn't their fault?

The thing that really bugs me about those adverts is that the

woman who "woke up and found we'd had an accident" is

sitting on the driver's side of the car...

Rob.

Well just shows there's always more to learn. I stand even more corrected - you were right, Rob. Thanks KentStu. I knew "general insurance" included lots of other stuff but wasn't sure what.

I'll remember to feel sorry for my insurer when I hand over my next few hundred quid to them now :p (I am paying around

I have no problem at all claiming on my insurance. My concern is more with entrusting a delicate operation on my pride and joy to someone I don't know!

Had my cracked windscreen replaced by Autoglass.

This cost me

Just to complete the tale...

Decided to do it on the insurance (the only sensible option really). Axa's "phone this number and we'll tell you where your nearest glass fitter is" turned out to be a hotline to Autoglass.

The man from Autoglass came to my place of work and fitted a genuine screen this afternoon. Good job professionally done. Only problem being the mirror base was attached to the new screen with a miniscule amount of glue so it fell off at the first time of asking

Another recommendation for Autoglass from me.