Cracked Windscreen

[StuartW]

I had a new screen fitted to my GS earlier this year by Autoglass. To say I was dreading letting one of them near the car was an understatement! My OCD kicked in and I called them for a very detailed chat to see how to play things with them. First thing - the screen was supplied by Maserati (had to wait a few weeks for it to come from Italy). It was the correct screen for the car (they differ somewhat between models apparently), correct top tint etc. They sent one of their master technicians (still worried) and I vetted him and watched over the entire process. He was brilliant! Knew exactly what he was doing and was overjoyed to be working on something different and exotic in comparison to the regular stuff he was used to - lots of glass roofs in Range Rovers and the like apparently. He removed the wipers and scuttle very carefully and was as exacting as me when it came to cleaning up the bits of debris left after removing the screen. He was happy to let me clean out under the scuttle (leaves and ****), pull the pollen filter (filthy!) and clean and tidy the whole area before starting to fit the new screen. Suffice to say, he did an excellent job that I couldn't fault.

That's good to hear, cheers

 

[StuartW]

I had a new screen fitted to my GS earlier this year by Autoglass. To say I was dreading letting one of them near the car was an understatement! My OCD kicked in and I called them for a very detailed chat to see how to play things with them. First thing - the screen was supplied by Maserati (had to wait a few weeks for it to come from Italy). It was the correct screen for the car (they differ somewhat between models apparently), correct top tint etc. They sent one of their master technicians (still worried) and I vetted him and watched over the entire process. He was brilliant! Knew exactly what he was doing and was overjoyed to be working on something different and exotic in comparison to the regular stuff he was used to - lots of glass roofs in Range Rovers and the like apparently. He removed the wipers and scuttle very carefully and was as exacting as me when it came to cleaning up the bits of debris left after removing the screen. He was happy to let me clean out under the scuttle (leaves and ****), pull the pollen filter (filthy!) and clean and tidy the whole area before starting to fit the new screen. Suffice to say, he did an excellent job that I couldn't fault.

That's good to hear, cheers

 

[Glassman]

it is your legal right to insist that the work is carried out at a dealer of your choice..

Interesting. Do you have any more info on this, please?

 

[sofasurfer]

There is more information here
http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/approved-repairers/

I found this out when I damaged my previous car and Admiral wanted me to use their preferred body shop to repair the car. I have used a local bodyshop before for minor work and knew they would repair my vehicle to a high standard. We have house contents insurance with Hiscox and they offer a free insurance advice line and confirmed what the body shop told me, that there is no requirement for a claim to be dealt with Admiral's garage. Obviously they would prefer this and the courtesy car which formed part of my policy was voided once I used an independent garage. Seeing as we had another car this was no great loss to me and the excess I had to pay to the bodyshop was exactly the same as if I had used Admiral's one. The insurance company will try to 'steer' you to theirs but as long as the customer is insistent then you can use any body shop you want. They will usually ask for an inspection of the vehicle and this can either be carried out at home or at the bodyshop where you would like the work done. I left my car at the independent and they liased with the inspection company. Far better for them to deal with the inspector and explain the work which needs to be carried out. It may drag on a bit longer than using the insurance company's garage but at least you should have peace of mind of a good job.

Hope this helps.

 

[Glassman]

There is more information here
http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/approved-repairers/

I found this out when I damaged my previous car and Admiral wanted me to use their preferred body shop to repair the car. I have used a local bodyshop before for minor work and knew they would repair my vehicle to a high standard. We have house contents insurance with Hiscox and they offer a free insurance advice line and confirmed what the body shop told me, that there is no requirement for a claim to be dealt with Admiral's garage. Obviously they would prefer this and the courtesy car which formed part of my policy was voided once I used an independent garage. Seeing as we had another car this was no great loss to me and the excess I had to pay to the bodyshop was exactly the same as if I had used Admiral's one. The insurance company will try to 'steer' you to theirs but as long as the customer is insistent then you can use any body shop you want. They will usually ask for an inspection of the vehicle and this can either be carried out at home or at the bodyshop where you would like the work done. I left my car at the independent and they liased with the inspection company. Far better for them to deal with the inspector and explain the work which needs to be carried out. It may drag on a bit longer than using the insurance company's garage but at least you should have peace of mind of a good job.

Hope this helps.

AFAICS, and whilst the text in the link does not make the distinction, windscreen claims are separate to those for bodywork, and handled very differently.

 

[sofasurfer]

I have never had to claim for a windscreen, might be worth reading through my policy's terms and conditions to check how Admiral would handle that.

 

[Glassman]

I have never had to claim for a windscreen, might be worth reading through my policy's terms and conditions to check how Admiral would handle that.

Admiral have a nominated supplier arrangement. IOW, you call the number they provide and your inbound call will be redirected to the prevailing repairer who will answer the call with, "Hello Glassline" or similar.

The average invoice deal they have with their nominated repairer is such that anyone wishing to take a cash settlement (so that they can nominate and use their own repairer) will find it extremely difficult to make the £50.00 they give work for them.

 

[sofasurfer]

Admiral work with Autoglass, what I would be concerned with is that the replacement would not be an OEM part. £50 towards a Maserati windscreen is laughable. I do wonder how much a fitted windscreen would cost from a MD?

 

[sofasurfer]

Just searched and it seems other forum members have got their insurance company to fit a new windscreen at a MD
http://www.sportsmaserati.co.uk/showthread.php/12724-GranTurismo-windscreen-replacement/page3

The cost seemed to be about £2K plus VAT a year ago. I'm guessing the price has gone up since then.

 

[MAF260]

AFAIK there are no pattern windscreens for these cars. Autoglass certainly only fit OEM windscreens which are supplied by Maserati in Italy.

 

[sofasurfer]

That's good to know...thanks for that. So as long as you get a good fitter all should be ok.

 

[Glassman]

Purchasing OE parts for 'approved' companies is often complex, especially if the contract is agreed on predetermined values. It's all about availability and ultimately, cost. If there is an aftermarket version of a windscreen available, they'll be in favour of utilising that option for fiscal reasons.

 

[StuartW]

So I finally had my windscreen replaced by Autoglass today.
After many conversations with Admiral & Autoglass, I was offered OE glass at £670 + £75 excess or pattern glass at £75 excess only. It turns out that OE glass is made by Pilkington and has a trident logo put on it and pattern glass it made by Pilkington with no trident - that is the only difference so clearly I went with pattern.
I also insisted on a senior fitter come and do the job and they were only too happy to send a Tech 1 fitter who arrived on Monday with the glass. He got the screen out and set it on the trestle for me to inspect and straight away I could see it had a small bit of de-lamination in the offside top corner. There was also a slight warp in the same area so I rejected it and the fitter agreed that he would have done the same.
The next one arrived today and looked perfect so he went ahead and started the job. My existing screen was OE glass so either it was the original or a previous owner went for a dealer fit and when it was taken out, the fitter showed me what a shocking job had been done. The bonding agent has only taken to the glass around 2/3 of the screen and the rest of it had a gap, it could have been down to poor conditions when it was fitted the primer hadn't been allowed to go off or insufficient adhesive had been used. Luckily, there was no sign of any water leak as we both had a thorough inspection around the whole area so fortunately no harm done and with the new screen, it maybe a little quieter when I'm driving. I asked him about dealer fit screens and he said that generally, if you book in with a MD for a screen they supply the glass and have a one man band sub contractor come in to fit it. Autoglass don't get involved and the MD mechanics don't touch them which was interesting to hear.
The new one went in very well and took around 2 hours. The fitter was very careful and showed me each step of the way, allowing me to inspect the work and the car while the screen was out. The rain & light sensors were checked and off he went with my £75, a job well done.

I was asking him about other jobs and he says the worst is a Range Rover Evoque roof - a full day's work for 2/3 fitters. He also said that something is soon going to have to give with insurance companies and glass cover as the gap between the excess and the cost of the glass is huge and getting bigger.

 

[bigbob]

All very informative, thanks.

 

[safrane]

Any damage to the paint from the previous fitter?

I watched the guy who fitter the new roof on my MK1 golf...he just went for a coffee whilst I dealt with a small rust patch...not bad for a 25 year old car I thought...he then carried on with the fitting and I was happy the car was loved for another decade.

 

[StuartW]

Any damage to the paint from the previous fitter?

I watched the guy who fitter the new roof on my MK1 golf...he just went for a coffee whilst I dealt with a small rust patch...not bad for a 25 year old car I thought...he then carried on with the fitting and I was happy the car was loved for another decade.

Thankfully not, I had a thorough look over the whole aperture once the old adhesive had been removed and prior to the new adhesive being piped on - it looked as good as new which was good news as it can travel alarmingly fast from that position. I had to have my Nissan Navara roof resprayed due to a poorly installed windscreen which suffered from chipped paint in the screen replacement process

 

[Glassman]

So I finally had my windscreen replaced by Autoglass today.
After many conversations with Admiral & Autoglass, I was offered OE glass at £670 + £75 excess or pattern glass at £75 excess only. It turns out that OE glass is made by Pilkington and has a trident logo put on it and pattern glass it made by Pilkington with no trident - that is the only difference so clearly I went with pattern.

The fact that there is a supplement didn't sway your decision? Think about it. Was it written into your policy Key Facts? Was it made clear before the policy was incepted? It's a requirement to make these salient points known so that an informed decision can be made on the proposed arrangement.

Something else to consider; the stamp/not stamped glass is a bit of a misrepresentation. Yes, some of the early stock will be in tandem (OE and aftermarket) and owing to some commercial bureacracy, the OEM emblem [on the aftermarket parts] will be lasered off/overlaid/painted over. However, a lot of the aftermarket stock is often rejected - or is deemed to have an imperfection - by the factory.

The stock made by the same manufacturer without the [OEM] logo is often not even the same country, never mind plant.

I was asking him about other jobs and he says the worst is a Range Rover Evoque roof - a full day's work for 2/3 fitters.

If it's full MET (mechanical/electrical/trim) there's about 3-4 hours in labour there and a further two hours labour in the actual glass replacement work. This is for one man. There can be some extra time in transferring the roller blind which can be quite tricky if it's misaligned.

 

[StuartW]

The extra £670 for a part which may need replacing the next time I drive made it a no brainer for me. I can't say that it was explained to me when I took out the insurance, I must say that I am not in the habit of taking a very close look at the glass replacement clause in my insurance policy. It's something I will look at next time but I am satisfied in the circumstances that I made the correct decision for me this time.
Thanks for flagging it up though & you make some interesting points about OE vs aftermarket, cheers

 

[safrane]

Have to say I have never looked at the branding of the glass on any of the cars I have bought...

 

[Glassman]

The best available parts are OE, and most decent policies will allow this.

Non-OE brands, or their 'equivalent' products are of a lesser quality. This is evident optically; in the hardware; the fit, and some will even claim or suggest that there is something in their durability too.

A claim will register as a claim so why settle for anything less? A lot of installers will push the aftermarket brands in a very convincing way, even try to put you off by suggesting there is a supplement to pay as if it's some form of upgrade? Like you're bettering the car? It's meant to be like-for-like!