Cracked Windshield - Insurance vs. Out-of-pocket

[Confuzed1]

So - I was driving through RIDICULOUS heavy road construction in Memphis a few weeks ago, and I heard something "ping" into my windshield. Next morning I notice a crack starting from the lower pass. side edge extending diagonal about 8". So it can't be repaired and must be replaced. I checked the price of the windshield itself, and it was over 700 dollars!

- By far the most expensive windshield I've seen. So - I have a 500 dollar deductible through my insurance. I decided to schedule through Safelite to have them come out and replace it. I noticed I could view the invoice online, and I see the cost breakdown.....I basically pay my 500, and it lists my insurance as only paying $3.26 !!!!!

Needless to say, I called up a rep from Safelite on the phone and asked them if I could just pay out of pocket instead of making any insurance claim. The lady on the phone said the pricing would be different. I asked how much I would have to pay then....and after being put on hold for a minute, she came back and told me it would cost OVER 1600 DOLLARS if I wanted to pay for it all myself. Is it normal for it to cost this damn much?? I had a windshield replaced on the wife's 2015 Kia Sportage a few years back....and no insurance and it was only around 340 bucks out of pocket.

I mean....I knew it might cost a little more, but that's insane! The Safelite rep didn't seem to have any answers. Anyone dealt with this or know what gives?!?

 

[1971demon]

So - I was driving through RIDICULOUS heavy road construction in Memphis a few weeks ago, and I heard something "ping" into my windshield. Next morning I notice a crack starting from the lower pass. side edge extending diagonal about 8". So it can't be repaired and must be replaced. I checked the price of the windshield itself, and it was over 700 dollars!

- By far the most expensive windshield I've seen. So - I have a 500 dollar deductible through my insurance. I decided to schedule through Safelite to have them come out and replace it. I noticed I could view the invoice online, and I see the cost breakdown.....I basically pay my 500, and it lists my insurance as only paying $3.26 !!!!!

Needless to say, I called up a rep from Safelite on the phone and asked them if I could just pay out of pocket instead of making any insurance claim. The lady on the phone said the pricing would be different. I asked how much I would have to pay then....and after being put on hold for a minute, she came back and told me it would cost OVER 1600 DOLLARS if I wanted to pay for it all myself. Is it normal for it to cost this damn/// much?? I had a windshield replaced on the wife's 2015 Kia Sportage a few years back....and no insurance and it was only around 340 bucks out of pocket.

I mean....I knew it might cost a little more, but that's insane! The Safelite rep didn't seem to have any answers. Anyone dealt with this or know what gives?!?

My 2021 ram needed new glass...900...and 300 to reprogram the lane changing crap...1200 out of pocket ...from safelite

 

[vortecd]

Slightly off topic but you need to lower your deductible on your comprehensive. At least where I'm at there was very little difference between $500 and $100. Think we have $0 on the Challenger. It covers everything except a car accident (covers deer which are big here). Most glass companies used to cover the deductible for you at least they did the last time I had to replace a windshield. They used to advertise a lot about paying your deductible

 

[BULL]

So - I was driving through RIDICULOUS heavy road construction in Memphis a few weeks ago, and I heard something "ping" into my windshield. Next morning I notice a crack starting from the lower pass. side edge extending diagonal about 8". So it can't be repaired and must be replaced. I checked the price of the windshield itself, and it was over 700 dollars!

- By far the most expensive windshield I've seen. So - I have a 500 dollar deductible through my insurance. I decided to schedule through Safelite to have them come out and replace it. I noticed I could view the invoice online, and I see the cost breakdown.....I basically pay my 500, and it lists my insurance as only paying $3.26 !!!!!

Needless to say, I called up a rep from Safelite on the phone and asked them if I could just pay out of pocket instead of making any insurance claim. The lady on the phone said the pricing would be different. I asked how much I would have to pay then....and after being put on hold for a minute, she came back and told me it would cost OVER 1600 DOLLARS if I wanted to pay for it all myself. Is it normal for it to cost this damn much?? I had a windshield replaced on the wife's 2015 Kia Sportage a few years back....and no insurance and it was only around 340 bucks out of pocket.

I mean....I knew it might cost a little more, but that's insane! The Safelite rep didn't seem to have any answers. Anyone dealt with this or know what gives?!?

That's medical billing bullshit right there!

 

[AeroF16]

I had my old Scat Pack replaced under insurance and Safelite told me our windshields are cheap. I looked at the receipt (OEM glass with the silhouette) and I think the windshield was $299, plus labor. This was 3 years ago though.

I just had my BMW windshield replaced, which is extra costly because of the heads up display crap, I think that windshield was $1800 before install and all the other parts required.

Sounds like prices are crazy because of the worldwide supply chain issues or you’re not getting the straight story.

 

[SilverBillet]

So - I was driving through RIDICULOUS heavy road construction in Memphis a few weeks ago, and I heard something "ping" into my windshield. Next morning I notice a crack starting from the lower pass. side edge extending diagonal about 8". So it can't be repaired and must be replaced. I checked the price of the windshield itself, and it was over 700 dollars!

- By far the most expensive windshield I've seen. So - I have a 500 dollar deductible through my insurance. I decided to schedule through Safelite to have them come out and replace it. I noticed I could view the invoice online, and I see the cost breakdown.....I basically pay my 500, and it lists my insurance as only paying $3.26 !!!!!

Needless to say, I called up a rep from Safelite on the phone and asked them if I could just pay out of pocket instead of making any insurance claim. The lady on the phone said the pricing would be different. I asked how much I would have to pay then....and after being put on hold for a minute, she came back and told me it would cost OVER 1600 DOLLARS if I wanted to pay for it all myself. Is it normal for it to cost this damn much?? I had a windshield replaced on the wife's 2015 Kia Sportage a few years back....and no insurance and it was only around 340 bucks out of pocket.

I mean....I knew it might cost a little more, but that's insane! The Safelite rep didn't seem to have any answers. Anyone dealt with this or know what gives?!?

You must not have a good insurance policy? First, what @vortecd said. You should not have such a high deductible on your comprehensive. It is not saving you much money over the premium for a lower deductible. Second, find insurance with a vanishing deductible. I have had a lot of windshields replaced over the years and never had to pay a deductible. Third, at this point you are better off just paying it yourself because any claims, even small ones, ultimately are counted on your insurance record and can affect your future rates…especially if you ever change insurance companies.

 

[AeroF16]

Anyone who is talking about his deductible needs to do the math.

Are you really going to claim a $600 repair on your insurance because a $500 deductible is cheaper? Then have higher premiums? Even if it was a $1500 repair, would you claim it and pay the $500 deductible or just pay out of pocket.

Look at the premium difference between your deductibles and then multiply that by the months/years you have historically gone without a claim. The amount of money you save on your premium will likely shadow the extra $500 for your deductible.

Everyone has different situations for sure but the math doesn’t change.

 

[AeroF16]

Not to hi-jack the thread but apply the same logic to your homeowners.

I have no idea why but the difference between my deductibles in Phoenix was crazy! I ended up choosing a $5k deductible on my home because the savings in the premium between it and the $500 deductible surpassed the $4500 difference in like 16 months.

So I gambled that I wouldn’t need to make a claim on my home for 16 months, any claim after that I would have technically been in the black.

That wasn’t the case when I moved to Utah and bought my home, just gotta do the math for your own situation.

Or PM @BULL and ask him to do the math. He seems like the kind of guy that enjoys that kind of thing!

 

[BULL]

Not to hi-jack the thread but apply the same logic to your homeowners.

I have no idea why but the difference between my deductibles in Phoenix was crazy! I ended up choosing a $5k deductible on my home because the savings in the premium between it and the $500 deductible surpassed the $4500 difference in like 16 months.

So I gambled that I wouldn’t need to make a claim on my home for 16 months, any claim after that I would have technically been in the black.

That wasn’t the case when I moved to Utah and bought my home, just gotta do the math for your own situation.

Or PM @BULL and ask him to do the math. He seems like the kind of guy that enjoys that kind of thing!

X / Y = FU


: p

 

[EricG]

Probably just better off playing the insurance game, not much choice.

 

[vortecd]

Anyone who is talking about his deductible needs to do the math.

Are you really going to claim a $600 repair on your insurance because a $500 deductible is cheaper? Then have higher premiums? Even if it was a $1500 repair, would you claim it and pay the $500 deductible or just pay out of pocket.

Look at the premium difference between your deductibles and then multiply that by the months/years you have historically gone without a claim. The amount of money you save on your premium will likely shadow the extra $500 for your deductible.

Everyone has different situations for sure but the math doesn’t change.

Get what you are saying but it was not much difference on the comp for 6 months going from $100 up to $1000

I have sat in there with my agent changing deductibles and seeing the difference. Biggest thing to worry about here is deer so for me it is worth the $100 deductible paying a little more

It would take me a long time to to be at even it was so low. Been awhile but I'm thinking it wasn't even $20 for 6 months more. I also would look at it as a saving account so I would only have to come up with $100 instead of $500

I claim 0 on my taxes so I get back more, again like a saving account. I will not notice that little bit more in my check but will notice a lump sum at the end of the year

Like you said Everyone has different situations

 

[Confuzed1]

Thanks for the replies....

I am forced to just go through insurance. There's just no way I'm going to pay $1600.00 out of pocket instead of my deductible just to avoid a claim. Other than state law, that's why I have insurance in the first place. I've been told windshield replacements or deer damage does not normally increase your insurance premiums. I hit a deer in my S10 many years ago (caused almost 1K of damage) - and my rates did not raise then unless something has changed.

- After this, I'll look into getting my deductible down to 100 dollars and see how much more I'll pay on my premium to see if it's worth it or not....(and ask about windshield coverage without paying a deductible too). In many states insurance companies are legally required to cover windshield replacements as part of the basic coverage.....but not in my state. I've been through this before on other cars. If you want your windshield covered with no deductible in this state, you have to pay extra.

I think a lot of this pricing is because I want OEM replacement glass, not aftermarket.

EDIT: I found this link too. Seems I'm better off going through insurance (hopefully)
https://www.teamayao.com/auto-insur...into your windshield and leaves behind a chip.

 

[DavidKFla]

In Florida windshields are automatically covered 100% by your insurance.

 

[Confuzed1]

In Florida windshields are automatically covered 100% by your insurance.

Back in 2016 I had my wife's windshield replaced and I had to pay it all out-of-pocket. I had GEICO at the time and I was informed windshield damage was not covered at all in my state....didn't matter if I agreed to pay my deductible or not.
-Appears Florida is different. I should move there....

 

[SilverBillet]

Windshields used to be easy but not lately. My insurance wouldn’t cover OE glass either but the mounting for the rear view mirror and blackout for the camera (lane change and safety stuff) was incorrect on the aftermarket China glass. The insurance company (Nationwide) agreed not to try another one from the same source and gave me an OE glass at no extra charge. It eventually took three OE Mopar windshields before I got one that wasn’t scratched or flawed!

 

[Slowpoke387]

Many policies offer zero glass deductible. Also while your current rates usually wont normally be affected, if you ever go to switch carriers they will see that you made a glass claim. They will surely use that against you when quoting a new policy.

 

[DavidKFla]

Many policies offer zero glass deductible. Also while your current rates usually wont normally be affected, if you ever go to switch carriers they will see that you made a glass claim. They will surely use that against you when quoting a new policy.

I've only been asked what the claims were for.

 

[Magnified]

Windshields used to be easy but not lately. My insurance wouldn’t cover OE glass either but the mounting for the rear view mirror and blackout for the camera (lane change and safety stuff) was incorrect on the aftermarket China glass. The insurance company (Nationwide) agreed not to try another one from the same source and gave me an OE glass at no extra charge. It eventually took three OE Mopar windshields before I got one that wasn’t scratched or flawed!

16 years ago i had glass changed out on S500. Was OEM (with little invisible window for toll tag etc...) but rain sensing wipers never would work right after that. They even swapped out the window a second time.

Used to, glass was simple. Not anymore.

 

[DavidKFla]

16 years ago i had glass changed out on S500. Was OEM (with little invisible window for toll tag etc...) but rain sensing wipers never would work right after that. They even swapped out the window a second time.

Used to, glass was simple. Not anymore.

We had an E Class way back that it never worked again. Only manual.

 

[Blown7]

In CT a glass claim isn't a big deal..
Until it's time to renew the policy. Liberty Mutual dropped me for three (3) windshield replacements in 2 years. Along with my wife hitting a Christmas Tree....