We’ve all had the experience of driving down the road when suddenly *WHACK*, a rock hits your windshield and you’re left with a nice little star in your glass.
Many times, people simply call a glass company and open up a claim with insurance to replace the windshield. What most don’t realize is that most insurance carriers will tier your rate based on # of glass replacement claims on your record. If you don’t replace your windshield very often, you likely won’t be significantly affected – but if you’re replacing your windshields multiple times per year, it’s probably attributing to a higher insurance bill.
Why are insurance companies doing this?
Insurance companies are for-profit. They look at where they are losing money and make adjustments accordingly. Over the last 3 – 5 years the cost of glass replacement has increased significantly; primarily due to many cars needing to be calibrated after each replacement. If a car has any sort of lane departure warning system (see image above for example) then it will likely require calibration with replacement. Calibration alone costs anywhere from $500-700 & the windshield is another $400-1000+ depending on the car manufacturer. In many cases, this means if someone replaces a windshield 1 time per year – the insurance carrier is losing money.
How can I keep my rates lower?
1) Repair instead of Replace. If a chip/crack is smaller than a credit card it usually can be repaired. Repairs can be covered by insurance and you’ll have a $50-75 claim instead of $700-1200+. We recommend getting your windshield repaired or replaced ASAP – if you wait too long, the crack can spread and may not be repairable. It is not only illegal but it’s unsafe to drive with a damaged windshield.
2) Use a reputable glass shop that uses quality parts. Many of the glass shops offering kickbacks use cheap adhesive and glass.
Our goal is to keep you informed and help you maintain stable insurance rates. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions!
