It’s getting warmer outside, and the first snow has already fallen in some parts of the country. With the first snowfall, road workers usually start gritting the slippery roads. However, gritting materials in the form of gravel, pebbles, or cinders can prove to be a double-edged weapon. A pebble that flies off a wheel can wreak havoc on a car’s windshield. How to fix a cracked windshield and what to do if this happens to you?
Immediately opening cards, you can easily get cash for junk cars in Las Vegas and other cities where the JunkCarsUS team works. You can try to fix your cars or sell them for a good price. It’s up to you, and JunkCarsUS will tell you what to do if you decide to keep a car with a cracked windshield.
A cracked windshield is no joke. As well as safety problems, it can also bring unexpected household expenses of up to several tens of thousands of crowns. Let’s take a look at what to do when such a situation arises, what to do as a precaution, and how much to put aside for windshield repair or replacement if necessary.
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What to do if your windshield cracks while you are driving?
Source: msglassoutlet.com
Now the culprit
At such a time, you need to find out who caused this damage to you, i.e., which car the pebble came off the wheel of. Sometimes it’s obvious at a glance – for example, if a gritting service is driving past you and a pebble has come off its wheel, go to the driver and draw up an insurance claim report. If the driver is known to be at fault, the damage will be reimbursed under his/her insurance policy. Although this solution may seem easy at first glance, it is in fact not simple at all. The driver may deny fault, and proving this fault may not be easy, as it will be a claim against a claim.
You don’t know who was at fault
Another situation may be one in which it is impossible to tell which car the pebble came from at all, i.e., the culprit is untraceable. It is therefore unrealistic to recover damages from his/her compulsory liability insurance. What other options are left to you, we will go through them together in the next lines.
How much does it cost to repair a windshield?
If you don’t have windshield insurance, you have no choice but to dig into your pocket and pay for the repair of this damaged part of your car. How much will it cost you, when is a repair necessary, and when is it just a replacement?
Regulations state that you must not drive with a cracked windshield if the crack is within reach of the wipers and is greater than 2 centimeters. This is because such damage can worsen over time and, for example, when driving on difficult terrain or after a minor impact, the crack can widen dramatically. A police officer can find you up to €10,000 and 5 penalty points for breaking this rule.
Windshield repair with your own help
Source: bankrate.com
You can repair a small crack yourself at home with a windshield repair kit. Its price ranges between 100 and €500. At the same time, you just need to follow a simple procedure:
- Only carry out the repair in good weather in direct sunlight or in the garage if you have a UV lamp.
- Wash the windshield well.
- Clean the crack carefully of glass fragments (e.g., with a needle or pin) and degrease.
- Glue the double-sided adhesive ring included in the kit around the crack and attach the resin applicator to it.
- Fill the applicator with resin and use the syringe provided to suck out the air. It is recommended to repeat this step once more.
- Remove the applicator with the adhesive strip and clean the overflowing resin in unwanted areas.
- Cover the crack with a few drops of resin, cover it with the attached foil, and leave it to cure in the sun or under a UV lamp.
- Take off the foil, remove the excess resin, and you’re done.
Professional windshield repair
In case you are not the most skilled, you’d better leave windshield repair to the professionals. It can only be done once. Therefore, if your amateur attempt fails, you won’t be able to repair it afterward and you will ruin your windshield. In addition, professional auto glass repair shops use better quality materials that will ensure the repaired glass lasts longer. The price is usually around €800 – it depends on the size of the crack and the place of repair (for example, in the capital the repair can be more expensive than in a small town).
How much does it cost to replace a windshield?
Source: endurancewarranty.com
There is a case where repair is not enough, and you have to replace the cracked windshield completely. If the crack is in the driver’s view, a complete replacement is required. What is considered the driver’s field of vision? This is roughly the area about 20 centimeters from the bottom edge, 20 centimeters from the top edge of the glass, and 15 centimeters from the left pillar and the center of the glass.
Cracked windshield and insurance
Windshield insurance under the breakdown cover
If you have collision insurance that covers windshield damage, you don’t have to worry about the cost of repair or replacement. The insurance company will take care of it for you.
Windshield insurance under compulsory liability insurance
Even if you only have compulsory liability insurance, you can get compensation. If you do get this kind of damage, check your compulsory insurance policy to see if you have windshield insurance. You can add this risk to your compulsory insurance. In this case, the insurance company will automatically reimburse you for the damage, and you do not need to know who is at fault.
Windshield insurance is a solution for those drivers who do not want to take out accident insurance but want to be covered for this risk. Adding windshield insurance to your compulsory insurance is a cheaper option than breakdown insurance. In our online compulsory insurance calculator, we have calculated how much money this add-on insurance will cost you. For our illustrative example, we chose a Skoda Citigo owned by a 37-year-old policyholder with a mileage bonus of 98 months.
In this case, the driver’s glass insurance will cost €904 per year. The price of this insurance varies between insurers. The advantage is that this additional insurance does not only cover a cracked windshield but all the windows of the car. Therefore, you will be covered in the event that an accidental pebble (or any other insured event) damages your windshield or side window.
