New windscreen cost

[cnc]

Unfortunately my Superb needs a new windscreen.

 

I rang around three different companies and got prices which include VAT and fitting.

 

Small privately owned company close to where I live £180 

National Windscreens £221

Autoglass £700!!! - how are they still in business?

 

I prefer the work to go to a local business so I've ordered it from there, hopefully they'll do a good job of sealing the windscreen and I won't get any wet carpets. 

 

How much has anyone else paid for a new windscreen (non heated, but with rain and light sensor).

 

[Rustynuts]

Is that a genuine windscreen, a quality OEM replacement, or a cheap as chips piece of glass?

[giandougl]

If you can see through glass, and screen doesn't allow water into cabin, I'd be inclined to the cheaper option..

[kevberlin]

I recall being quoted somewhere in the region of £450 by Autoglass for a Polo estate windscreen. A local company did the job for approximately £150.

[jimbof]

Out of interest, does that mean you're third party fire and theft on the Superb?  I thought most insurance these days came with windscreen cover.  

[Bartatman]

Out of interest, does that mean you're third party fire and theft on the Superb? I thought most insurance these days came with windscreen cover.

Quite right. Excess on many car insurance policies for a glass claim is £50 and it doesn't damage your no claims bonus. Therefore why pay £180 when you could get it done for the price of your excess?

[SuperbTWM]

Quite right. Excess on many car insurance policies for a glass claim is £50 and it doesn't damage your no claims bonus. Therefore why pay £180 when you could get it done for the price of your excess?

 

It may not damage your no claims bonus but most insurers these days count a windscreen claim against you so it probably costs you more than your excess in the long run

Edited 1 April, 2016 by SuperbTWM

[Bartatman]

It may not damage your no claims bonus but most insurers these days count a windscreen claim against you so it probably costs you more than your excess in the long run

Not true.

[jimbof]

If you can see through glass, and screen doesn't allow water into cabin, I'd be inclined to the cheaper option..

I have needed two screens in the last 5 years. In both cases the first screen brought out by the companies have had notable optical defects (one an FY glass, the other a UKG). Scratches, distortion, failing lamination at the edges... In the end both have fitted Pilkingtons, which while still not as good as the original glass, but they are pretty good. It is worth checking what is being fitted, and ask to have a look at the screen before it is on the car.

If you can be around while it is fitted then it is worth watching. Some fitters are brutes and will leave you with damaged paintwork under the glass, which they may or may not touch up correctly. Applying the new adhesive isn't an exact science, so it is possible they leave your chassis exposed in areas which you won't be able to get to to correct.

Edited 2 April, 2016 by jimbof

[cnc]

Is that a genuine windscreen, a quality OEM replacement, or a cheap as chips piece of glass?

 

I didn't ask the make, not that it would mean much to me anyway as most places get most things made as cheaply as possible these days then slap a well known name on it making you think you're getting something better than you really are, all the windscreen company said is was  "Our windscreens and materials come from ISO 9002 certified suppliers, and we fit bonded windscreens to the same standards as original manufacturers", but they'd say that anyway.

 

If you can see through glass, and screen doesn't allow water into cabin, I'd be inclined to the cheaper option..

 

That's my line of thinking, as long as there is no distortion etc.

 

Out of interest, does that mean you're third party fire and theft on the Superb?  I thought most insurance these days came with windscreen cover.  

Perhaps I should have pointed out it's a company car owned outright, not leased, so not my money anyway. 

I don't know why but our company policy is to pay for replacement screens whenever possible - maybe the Autoglass quote was for an insurance job, and as we have several cars on the fleet it may well effect the policy cost next renewal time, hence the get a good price and bill the company direct.

 

Thanks for everyone's replies.  

[Rustynuts]

Make sure any tint or sunstrip across the top is the correct colour and shade, make sure the rain / light sensor works before the car is accepted back from them, and it wouldn't hurt to ask what actual brand of screen they're going to fit before they book the job. Then of course, make sure they fit the one they say they're going to. I've had really bad quality windscreens fitted before, and (joking aside about it's made of glass etc.) there were blemishes in the laminate which made it hard to see at night against oncoming traffic. That was also on a works vehicle done at a cheap place. Strangely, the poor quality windscreen cracked again after a few weeks and this time I made sure they fitted a genuine Peugeot screen. It didn't need to crack a third time.

[jimbof]

Ah, makes some sense, my dad's company had similar I think, with a ludicrously high excess so they paid for most repairs themselves.

One of those things I always ended up questioning whether it actually made financial sense when they had a highly paid sales manager chasing around getting three quotes for minor repair works...

[terrytowelling]

There can't be many windscreen factories, car manufacturers don't make their screens, they just buy them in like a lot of parts and stamp VAG or ford on them

Edited 2 April, 2016 by terrytowelling

[jimbof]

There can't be many windscreen factories, car manufacturers don't make their screens, they just buy them in like a lot of parts and stamp VAG or ford on them

 

There aren't many.  But there are quite a lot of grades of product that end up with different badges on it seems. 

 

For one windscreen replacement the first screen brought out was all scratched inside.

For the second windscreen replacement, they brought out screen where the two laminates were separating in a corner, took that away, and brought and fitted a scratched screen (I didn't have time to check it, too busy with work).  That then got taken out and replaced.

 

I am sure most of the windscreen co's bring out whatever 2nd rate cheap glass they can find and try and get away with it.  I'm sure they do, most of the time.  I doubt I was particularly unlucky, just a little more observant than most.

Edited 2 April, 2016 by jimbof

[cnc]

The new windscreen was fitted over a week ago and it seems as good as the original screen. The guy who fitted it admitted their company would have paid no more than £50 for the screen, and they get them from the same place Autoglass get theirs. He also told me there are generally only three companies who supply windscreens for UK cars with little to no difference between them as far as quality goes. A good job well done for £180.