What do you know about auto glass?

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

This weekend our poor, abused Corolla took a pebble to the windshield and now it's got a spiderweb the side of my hand. We have a regular mechanic, and we're going to call him for an estimate...

...but you know those online places? Their estimates range from $220-$275 and I feel pretty confident that our mechanic will quote us about $500. (He's good, but he's not cheap.)

Has anyone used one of these mobile places that they found online? Are they reliable? Is there something wrong with the glass or the installation? Has anybody used one in the greater NYC area that they're happy with?

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Don't know about the NYC area, but I've used them several times. Once had them come to the house, and once to my office. I think I got the names from my insurance company. Both times they did a good job, no problems afterwards.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

This seemed like a great idea, but I called my insurance company and they don't give out names of glass repair places unless you file a claim. Since our deductible is $1,000, it doesn't seem like it's worth it to file.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

I think we probably filed a claim. Our deductible was much less, so it was worth it.

[JimJ Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JimJ]

If it is a repairable rock type chip thing , then rather than having to replace the windshield then many insurance companies will cover it in full under the comprehensive coverage (not collision coverage). I've had 5 or 6 over the ears like this that didn't cost me anything. If the spider web is too big it might not be repairable though.

If you do have comprhensive coverage it also usually covers glass breakage, and the deductible on comprehensive is normally much less (I think mine is $100) than your collision coverage deductible (of which mine is $1,000).

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

It's slightly slightly too big for the chip-type fix--I called a couple of places and the spiderweb has to be no larger than the size of a quarter, with maybe one five-inch additional crack. This spiderweb is about the size of half of the palm of my hand, with about a seven-inch crack coming off it.

Thanks for the tip about the insurance company. I'll give it a whirl, but they weren't very encouraging yesterday.

Our mechanic says they have a very good glazier and he estimated it would cost under $350--but the car would have to stay at the mechanic for 10 hours for the window setting to cure properly. Unfortunately the mechanic is near my DH's work, and not at all close to our house, so getting DH to work and home, then to work again the next day, would be pretty complicated. I think we're going to try one of the online places....