Should I get my cracked windscreen repaired? Of course you should – while in many cases it’s legal to drive with a cracked windscreen provided the driver has a clear view of the road ahead, in reality the windscreen plays a major role in the structural strength of your vehicle. It’s probably OK to drive with a cracked windscreen to get your car home and to call your nearest myWindscreen mobile technician, but it’s not advisable to ignore the damaged windscreen and continue with normal motoring. It’s not over-dramatising the situation to say that if you are involved in an accident which causes your car to roll, the integrity of the windscreen can be the difference between walking away from an incident or having to be cut out of the wreckage of your vehicle.
My car’s not worth the cost of a new windscreen
Let’s consider this – with decent insurance, a windscreen repair or replacement may cost you nothing and should not affect your no-claims bonus, so it’s definitely worth getting the job done by one of our expert myWindscreen technicians. Secondly, it’s all about reliability; imagine this scenario – you are driving along at night and hit a deep pothole which jars your car. You already have a cracked windscreen, and the jolt causes the crack to grow, leaving your vision totally obscured and you’re stuck at the roadside. Not a good position to be in at the best of times, and with winter on the way, you need your car to be in the best possible condition, fit to face whatever the weather throws at you without letting you down.
I plan to sell my car anyway
You may feel that it’s not worth getting your windscreen repaired or replaced because you plan to sell your vehicle soon – think again. Trying to sell a car with a damaged windscreen may mean you get less for the vehicle than it’s really worth. It’s all about the image you project – to a private buyer, a damaged windscreen that hasn’t been attended to indicates that there may be other aspects of the vehicle that have been neglected too, and they may either make you a very low offer or be put off altogether. Selling to a garage? You won’t get the best trade-in for your vehicle because the garage can’t easily sell a vehicle with a less than perfect windscreen, and they will try to knock you down for at least the cost of a replacement. It’s always worth getting that chip or crack attended to professionally to maximise your vehicle’s value.
And finally:
The state of your vehicle windscreen is checked as part of the MOT, and if a chip or a crack is in the critical area, your vehicle will fail the test. Even if your vehicle is not due for an MOT in the near future, if your windscreen would fail the test, driving it may invalidate your insurance and may impact the result of any claim you make. If you’re not sure, you can always ask your myWindscreen technician for advice; they will give you an expert opinion on the state of your windscreen and ensure you’re always within the law.
