6 month old GTI 7.5 Cracked Windscreen

[charlie_cc]

My windscreen has cracked (https://imgur.com/cusobh0) while the car has been sat on my drive, it's clearly not any sort of impact.

For obvious reasons I don't want to go to my insurance company. Surely this is a defect that will be covered under my 3 year warranty?

[SRGTD]

See the ‘exclusions’ section of the warranty terms and conditions; link below.

Windscreen and glass covered for the first month/600 miles only from date of first registration. If you’re beyond this, then it’s not covered under warranty.

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/warranty/new-car/terms-and-conditions

Why not claim on your insurance?; with pretty all car insurers in the UK, a glass claim won’t affect your no claims discount; you just have to pay the glass excess. 

[charlie_cc]

Thanks. Have spoken to Autoglas, they said it sounds like a stress fracture and should be covered under manufacturer's warranty. Waiting to hear back from the dealer.

"Why not claim on your insurance?; with pretty all car insurers in the UK, a glass claim won’t affect your no claims discount; you just have to pay the glass excess."

Because it's a manufacturing defect, why should I have to pay anything?

[Gaz W]

Seems very unusual!

Have your car inspected by your local dealer, it may be that they find something which means it can be attributed to a manufacturing defect a you say e.g. they find the glass has been incorrectly fitted from factory, or an associated component has caused the stress.

In my experience, likelihood is that it would not be covered and has been caused by an external influence of some description whether it be weather/temperature/stone chip etc it could be replaced through your insurance company (generally you are covered regardless of cause).

[dubber36]

Because it's a manufacturing defect, why should I have to pay anything?

It depends how much you value your time. It could take many trips to the dealer and subsequent time spent emailing and telephoning to get anywhere. What's your glass excess? £70?

[mcmaddy]

If it's a manufacturing defect then VW will be getting lots of irate customers contacting them! If it's just yours then it's not a manufacturing defect. I had a windscreen cracked years ago from a pip dropped by a bird in a car park.

[wantmygti]

Can you post a photo from outside? It looks like 2 cracks, if they come from the same point it would start to look like an impact.

[barrym381]

Thanks. Have spoken to Autoglas, they said it sounds like a stress fracture and should be covered under manufacturer's warranty. Waiting to hear back from the dealer.

"Why not claim on your insurance?; with pretty all car insurers in the UK, a glass claim won’t affect your no claims discount; you just have to pay the glass excess."

Because it's a manufacturing defect, why should I have to pay anything?

Did auto glass inspect the car or was that just on the phone they said that

[2007GTI]

Manufacturing defect, pull the other one. That windscreen goes through a lot of stress and strain, it matters not how old the car is, it is what you do with it. I’m not saying you have done anything wrong, but you might of hit a pothole or a stone hit it at 70+mph, who knows, or when it was parked something hit it. As the other reply says, for the sake of £50 or £100 just claim on your insurance.

[SRGTD]

For obvious reasons I don't want to go to my insurance company. Surely this is a defect that will be covered under my 3 year warranty?

As a matter of interest, what are the obvious reasons for not wanting to go to your insurance company? As has been said in this thread, replacing your windscreen doesn’t affect your no claims discount. You’ll just pay your glass excess (depending on your insurer, likely to be between £50-£100).

IMO, I’d value my time more than going through hassle of booking your car in at the dealers, having to get to and from the dealers to go about your business, or hanging around waiting while they inspect your screen and then being told it’s not covered under warranty. To not have to do that is worth more than £50-£100 to me.