Autoglass free windscreen chip repair - I wish...

bb1boy · Post by **bb1boy** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:54 pm

So Autoglass just came to fix my chipped screen. He spent about 20 minutes admiring my car and 2 minutes trashing my glass. My free repair is now a £70 replacement. Brilliant. To top it all off, there's nothing I can do apart from stump up the cash as I had to sign a waiver allowing him to attempt it

Post by **rob quilter** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:17 pm

Thats dogshit!

Post by **Vtecmec** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:46 pm

How did he bodge it? Did he employ reasonable skill and care?

Usually you have to replace the screen trim at the same time as a front screen replacement, and that's another ~£100.

bb1boy · Post by **bb1boy** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:11 pm

He pushed some metal centrepunch type thing into it, said it was necessary for the resin to penetrate. He reemed out one chip and it was ok(ish) then the second one just split like a spiderweb as soon as he pushed it

He did tell me that the trim would be included in the claim. If it's not I will be furious and there may well be one less 'Gavin' in the world by Thursday afternoon.

Post by **rob quilter** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:14 pm

bb1boy wrote:here may well be one less 'Gavin' in the world by Thursday afternoon

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:36 pm

Trim can normally be re-used, it's the clips that can't!

judderod · Post by **judderod** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:39 pm

I'd go apeshit about that too.

Phone your insurance and say you'd like to file a claim for vandalism to your vehicle carried out by autoglass. Check the small print of whatever you signed, there will probably be a loophole. If you have a legal advice helpline with your bank account or home insurance etc. now is the time to use it!

Post by **Donald** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:48 pm

TBH mate I wouldn't be too unreasonable about it.

One of my two jobs is working with glass, and it can be very unpredictable... especially in the colder months. I work in a heated warehouse unit and even in those conditions laminate glass is difficult to work with, even worse if we have the roller door up or just the heating not on. There's no pattern to it really, I've cut sheet after sheet of laminate with the roller door up in December and it's been fine, other times I will have a whole day cutting in ideal conditions and nothing goes right. Your glass is at best 17 years old and has been through hot and cold flexing, to then have a weak point introduced you're asking for trouble before you even attempt to work on it. It will only be 3.2mm either side of the laminate layer anyway which is thinner than standard window glass and windows aren't the hardest thing to smash really.

As you said, you signed a waiver anyway. The waiver is there because it's not a job that has 100% success.

Post by **Donald** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:51 pm

judderod wrote:I'd go apeshit about that too.

Phone your insurance and say you'd like to file a claim for vandalism to your vehicle carried out by autoglass. Check the small print of whatever you signed, there will probably be a loophole. If you have a legal advice helpline with your bank account or home insurance etc. now is the time to use it!

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:54 pm

I'm with Donald on this one I'm afraid.

Hard as it may feel, if they made it clear before starting work, it seems fair enough really?