Free windscreen chip repairs - any good? (2024)

20 April 2007 at 10:15PM

The catch is you have to have fully comp insurance which covers windscreens and they claim off that, so it may affect no claims bonuses or is not necessarily 100% free depending on your policy. That's all it is they claim from your insurance.

I have seen Halfords sell a tube of stuff that is supposed to repair cracks for about £15. No doubt these cowboys use something like this on multiple cars and charge the insurance companies about £80 a time.

saintjanet Posts: 723 Forumite

21 April 2007 at 7:43PM

If you have a crack in your windscreen and you dont have it repaired it may well crack all the way across and you will then need a new windscreen,this happened to me.

Most insurance companies would prefer you to have it repaired before this happens and will pay for this without it costing you anything,if you need a new screen they will only pay part of the cost,so if you have a crack have it repaired.That's always assuming you are fully comp.,check it out with your company if you are in any doubt about what i am saying.

I assume that is why these repair firms say it will be done free, coz it will!!

MarkyMarkD Posts: 9,912 Forumite

21 April 2007 at 9:07PM edited 18 June 2010 at 8:31PM

I've had windscreen chips repaired very successfully. I think anewman is a bit cynical - the insurers obviously agree what they consider a reasonable rate with the windscreen repairers and it's irrelevant whether you can DIY it with something from Halfords for £15. When I've had them done, it's taken them quite some time to do the work, they've come to my workplace, they've done a quality job.

I don't believe that any insurer loads premiums for windscreen chip repair claims either. They are a trivial expense compared to a regular car accident-related claim.

alwaysonthego_2 Posts: 8,471 Forumite

22 April 2007 at 7:02AM

arrowsmith Posts: 197 Forumite

22 April 2007 at 9:03AM

anewman wrote: »

I have seen Halfords sell a tube of stuff that is supposed to repair cracks for about £15. No doubt these cowboys use something like this on multiple cars and charge the insurance companies about £80 a time.

How do you know they are "cowboys" ?
The materials may cost very little, it's the time and additionals costs incurred that make a job expensive.

22 April 2007 at 3:17PM

alwaysonthego_2 Posts: 8,471 Forumite

22 April 2007 at 3:35PM

Jamp wrote: »

Can they repair a chip that has small cracks around it like a star? The cracks aren't getting any bigger.

check this

http://www.autoglass.co.uk/Windscreen.187.0.html

Wayne3765 Posts: 631 Forumite

22 April 2007 at 7:11PM

anewman wrote: »

I have seen Halfords sell a tube of stuff that is supposed to repair cracks for about £15. No doubt these cowboys use something like this on multiple cars and charge the insurance companies about £80 a time.

I've seen Halfords selling spray paint for a few £'s too but I doubt anything you paint with it would compare to a finish a body shop would do.

swagman Posts: 220 Forumite

22 April 2007 at 7:46PM

Jamp wrote: »

Can they repair a chip that has small cracks around it like a star? The cracks aren't getting any bigger.

I had one of these, all told about the size of a pound coin, which is well within the repairable diameter.

But as soon as the Autoglass man put the repair tool on it the crack spread and it was a new windscreen job. What happens on attempting the repair depends, he told me, on which layers of the windscreen are cracked.

artic_fox_2 Posts: 253 Forumite

23 April 2007 at 9:17AM

i have an intermittant connection so sorry if i dont reply straight away
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