Do All Insurance Companies Cover Broken Windshields?
A chip or crack in your windshield is not only an unsightly and costly inconvenience, but it can be dangerous as well. Chips can spread into cracks, and cracks can spread across your whole windshield if you don't repair them. All damage reduces the structural integrity of the windshield, thereby increasing the risk of the glass shattering after a collision or other impact. Auto insurance companies will sometimes help pay the cost of windshield repair.
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Comprehensive Coverage
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Car insurance companies all offer glass coverage, but that doesn't mean you carry it. Most insurers package their glass protection under comprehensive coverage, but some require you to pay additional premiums for a separate glass coverage. If your windshield was broken from an animal impact, stray baseball, vandalism, loose rocks on the highway or other non-collision loss, verify that you have comprehensive coverage on your policy, then read your policy to determine if glass coverage is included under comprehensive. If it is, you can file a glass claim.
Collision Coverage
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Sometimes windshields get damaged in collisions. In these circumstances, you would use your collision coverage to repair your windshield, as well as the rest of the damage on your car, as long as you carry collision on your policy. The terms of your policy regarding glass coverage are the same under comprehensive and collision coverages, but which coverage you use is dictated by the type of loss you have. If you repair your windshield using collision, you must pay the collision deductible.
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Deductibles
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Depending on your policy, you may have different deductibles for glass damage. Expect to pay your full comprehensive deductible if only your glass is damaged. If your deductible exceeds the cost of the glass, the insurance company will pay nothing. Some insurers offer an endorsement that reduces or eliminates deductibles for glass damage in exchange for additional premiums. In these cases, a windshield replacement may only cost you a small deductible, like $100, and windshield repair might be covered entirely by your insurer.
Repair Vs. Replacement
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If your windshield damage is minor, your insurer may offer to repair the damage rather than replace the entire glass. While this may seem like your insurer is cutting corners to give you substandard work, a repair can actually benefit you in several ways. First, you may pay nothing for this work, versus paying a deductible for glass replacement. Second, replacing your windshield requires the glass company to break the factory seals around the glass. This may result in weakened windshield integrity, even with a quality replacement. Quality glass repair restores the structural integrity without breaking the seals.
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References
- Cheap Car Insurance Quotes: Will Car Insurance Cover a Cracked Windshield?
- Car Insurance: I Reported a Cracked Windshield to My Insurance Company
- Car Insurance Comparison: Does Car Insurance Cover a Broken Windshield?
- Auto Insurance Quote: How Auto Insurance Plans Cover Cracked Windshields and Windows
- Glass.net: Insurance Can Help Pay for Auto Glass Replacement
- Photo Credit Cracked Windshield image by Stephen Jacoby from Fotolia.com
