Windscreen chips!

[Peeair]

Just noticed this afternoon a few small chips in the windscreen. They're quite small but distracting when driving.
Does anybody know of any products that would hide these without the need for a new windscreen?

[kieran324]

I'm sure Autoglass  do them for free I think??, or used too!!!!, not had mine done for a few years

[stiggy786]

**Autoglass repair, Autoglass replace** !

Sorry.

Haven't ever had to use them but my dad does often and not a bad word to say about the service. Am I right in thinking that after you sign the autoglass form of course you don't pay anything upfront but they claim about £50 from your insurers? It is a declarable claim on your policy when applying for new premium quote or renewing.

[Brenbo]

I have just got a stone chip on my windscreen as well.  It is only on the surface, not all the way through.  I went to Autoglass this weekend and they said it was not deep enough to fix.  Apparently if it is only a surface skim chip on the windscreen then apart from replacing the windscreen there is nothing they can do. 

[monkeyhanger]

I have never heard of anyone having their insurance hiked for a glass claim when renewal time arrives, and as for it being a declarable claim, I have only ever seen insurance companies ask for the details of actual fender bender accidents in the previous claim sections, not specifically glass claims - it's pretty much a policy within a policy (with its own excess) with no effect on the no-claims discount.

Also, as Brembo has said, you can get small chips that haven't penetrated deep enough to cause a crack in the future - the repairers won't touch those.

[stiggy786]

On comparison sites or direct insurer website online forms many have "Any windscreen claim" as a declarable claim available to select from the drop down menu. Whether it has or has not any effect on premium would take laborious trials on comparison sites with and without the windscreen and the effect is probably so negligible (if anything) that it's not worth the effort.

If it's there to select and it applies to me then I always select it. Seems like the smallest thing but there's no point buying insurance if from the off you're giving them a reason - any reason - to void it if you make a claim.

With regards to the chip itself, yes I understand it needs to be at a stage amenable to the injection of their resin material. They have their own definitions of 'chip', 'crack' etc.

[JellyB]

I am not sure about chip repairs, but I had a windscreen replaced in 2010 and it knocked my premium up by about £25 the next year. Not a big deal but I was annoyed as I assumed the excess I paid for the replacement (£100) was supposed to negate this.

[Peeair]

The thing is that these small chips aren't enough to crack the windscreen, more cosmetic damage than anything that would likely cause the windscreen to crack.

I'd imagine that if I went to Autoglass they'd ask me what I was worrying about and wouldn't touch the job. Hence asking the question if anybody had any knowledge of fixing or masking cosmetic chips themselves?

So to rectify them in reality it probably would be a windscreen replacement, and if this was the case would I be able to have this done at VW for the peace of mind that I would get an official VW/Pilkington windscreen?

And does anybody know how much the cost of this would be?

[monkeyhanger]

Last time I had a Golf windscreen replacement, it was a MK5 one 6 years ago and the invoice was £221, for which I paid my £50 excess) - sure you can't live with it?

[2014GTi]

Will be interesting to see how much the climate screen costs!