It’s a fact of life that not all insurance policies are created equal, so it is really important to read the small print, no matter how dull that sounds. Take vehicle windscreen and auto glass damage cover – these are the most frequent type of claims made on vehicle insurance policies, with claims related to damaged windscreens and windscreen replacements being the biggest of the lot. If you don’t check exactly what cover you have for your auto glass and you make claim, it is possible that you may end up paying a disproportionately large excess, or you may risk losing your carefully built up no claims bonus.
A new insurance policy?
If you are planning to take out a new vehicle insurance policy, review what content is offered rather than buying solely on price. Auto glass cover is included in some policies as standard, can sometimes be bought as an added extra, or in some cases is not available at all. It is worth looking for a policy that offers to replace or repair your vehicle glass without charging you the full excess and without affecting your no claims bonus. Some policies will even cover bodywork damage caused by broken glass.
An existing insurance policy?
The amount of damage your auto glass may suffer will vary depending on circumstances. You may have a minor windscreen chip or scratch due to flying road debris (very common these days), a crack due to hitting a pothole (sadly, also common), a broken windscreen due to being involved in a collision, or maybe you’ve been subject to a break-in or vandalism and other auto glass components are involved such as side windows and rear windows.
It’s a good idea to see what your existing policy says about the various forms of damage and windscreen repair or windscreen replacement before you go ahead and get the work done. Minor chips and small areas of damage are repairable by a reputable windscreen repair technician, and the repair will be relatively inexpensive. If you will have part or all of an excess to pay, or if your no-claims discount is not protected, it can make sense to pay for the repair yourself without involving the insurance company.
More major damage involving a windscreen replacement or other auto glass replacement will naturally cost more, but always weigh up the options – how big an excess will you have to pay? If it’s more than the cost of the repair, then think carefully before claiming. Is your no claims discount going to be affected? If you want to avoid bigger bills at insurance renewal time, then again consider your options carefully.
Ask the experts
Members of the myWindscreen network are all fully trained auto glass repair and replacement experts, and are perfectly placed to offer a great value quote for windscreen repair or replacement to help you to make your decision of to claim or not to claim.
Act quickly
Whatever you do, as soon as damage occurs get it fixed – remember, a small windscreen chip is cheap to repair, but if not attended to straight away can develop and leave you needing a windscreen replacement which is much more expensive.
