rear window blown out
Discussion
Jeez good luck sorting this, a whole raft of hassle you could do without at this time of year I’m sure. Spontaneous glass failure in the construction industry is a real sensitive issue these days, I wonder if this is linked to a similar thing - impurities in the glass causing potential spontaneous breakage due to the impurities expanding and contracting differently to the rest of the glass during atmospheric temp changes.
At least you had the second window !!!!
At least you had the second window !!!!
Car now home and fixed - it was something of a saga but without boring you too much here are the highlights.
1. It took me 4 hours on the phone to the AA to persuade them to collect the car. Broken screen isn't a mechanical issue and they wouldn't accept that "Autoglass" didn't have any rear screens in stock/there were none in the country/ even the dealer (who I called first) didn't have a rear screen and had to order it in.
2. After agreeing a 9am collection for the next day I received a text at 19:30 confirming a truck was on its way that evening. I then had to call the AA to say there was no point as the dealer (2hr 30 away) would be closed, the car was not secure (I had taped plastic over the screen aperture) and I didn't want it left outside. I was then informed they were proposing a 48 hour relay service with it being handed over by one patrol to another at a service station and then again until it eventually arrived in Winchster/was damaged/ lost or stolen. I had to argue about this - they eventually said if I wanted one-day recovery I had to go with the car in the morning. This I agreed to (and you will recall the incredibly generous offer of one of the posters here to give me a lift home as there were no courtesy cars)
3. When the AA recovery truck arrived the very nice chap said I didn't need to travel with the car. Result.
4. When I'd booked the car in I'd asked Alpine to cover the cost and any other damage under the warranty. I've had damage to front screens before and have covered that myself but a spontaneous loss of a rear screen has never occurred in any other car I have owned/friends have owned ( save a Sagaris or 350C when a friend slammed the rear screen closed on a bag that was in the way). The dealer said they'd try.
5. On 6 Jan I received a call from Alpine in Germany saying as car is not under warranty they were not willing to offer any goodwill. I corrected the caller and explained I had the extended warranty from Alpine, I was one of the early purchasers, I'd just picked the car up from the brake issue reset and was hoping they would look favourably on the situation. New screen is about £1650.
7. FIve hours later Alpine call back to tell me they aren't going to cover the screen and I have to go via insurance. More fun.
8. I call Admiral, explain the situation and they offer me £50.
9. I explain the screen is £1650 or thereabouts so £50 is not acceptable. Admiral explain that as a result of me not using their screen company I am only entitled to £50. I told them nobody had the part in stock, the car was open to the elements in winter and wasn't secure. I took precautions to get the car undercover and fixed. The screen cost what it cost and Autoglass were unlikely to be able to buy it cheaper anywhere else. Admiral refused to budge so I had to make a complaint.
10. Complaint opened and Admiral have 8 weeks to respond.
11. Admiral contact me to say they are offering me £1386 which is the screen cost less the VAT they say they wouldn't have had to pay had Autoglass fitted it. Life is too short so I accepted it.
If this happens to anyone else then I suggest you call the insurance company first and jump through whatever hoops they need in order that they can be put to the extra costs of secure storage for the vehicle etc. / get them to agree the dealer can store it. I was just desperate to get the car under cover and have had to accept that it cost me about £300. Windscreen company could give me no ETA for a new screen and it was 22 December...
Some might say I was foolish to expect the warranty to cover it (and you'd be correct) but, as I say, rear screens generally don't suffer damage.
I used the time the car was away to ask the dealership to fix the infamous corrosion on the inside lip of PE wheelarches. That seems to have been done but the worn paint under the rear screen still remains to be fixed.
1. It took me 4 hours on the phone to the AA to persuade them to collect the car. Broken screen isn't a mechanical issue and they wouldn't accept that "Autoglass" didn't have any rear screens in stock/there were none in the country/ even the dealer (who I called first) didn't have a rear screen and had to order it in.
2. After agreeing a 9am collection for the next day I received a text at 19:30 confirming a truck was on its way that evening. I then had to call the AA to say there was no point as the dealer (2hr 30 away) would be closed, the car was not secure (I had taped plastic over the screen aperture) and I didn't want it left outside. I was then informed they were proposing a 48 hour relay service with it being handed over by one patrol to another at a service station and then again until it eventually arrived in Winchster/was damaged/ lost or stolen. I had to argue about this - they eventually said if I wanted one-day recovery I had to go with the car in the morning. This I agreed to (and you will recall the incredibly generous offer of one of the posters here to give me a lift home as there were no courtesy cars)
3. When the AA recovery truck arrived the very nice chap said I didn't need to travel with the car. Result.
4. When I'd booked the car in I'd asked Alpine to cover the cost and any other damage under the warranty. I've had damage to front screens before and have covered that myself but a spontaneous loss of a rear screen has never occurred in any other car I have owned/friends have owned ( save a Sagaris or 350C when a friend slammed the rear screen closed on a bag that was in the way). The dealer said they'd try.
5. On 6 Jan I received a call from Alpine in Germany saying as car is not under warranty they were not willing to offer any goodwill. I corrected the caller and explained I had the extended warranty from Alpine, I was one of the early purchasers, I'd just picked the car up from the brake issue reset and was hoping they would look favourably on the situation. New screen is about £1650.
7. FIve hours later Alpine call back to tell me they aren't going to cover the screen and I have to go via insurance. More fun.
8. I call Admiral, explain the situation and they offer me £50.
9. I explain the screen is £1650 or thereabouts so £50 is not acceptable. Admiral explain that as a result of me not using their screen company I am only entitled to £50. I told them nobody had the part in stock, the car was open to the elements in winter and wasn't secure. I took precautions to get the car undercover and fixed. The screen cost what it cost and Autoglass were unlikely to be able to buy it cheaper anywhere else. Admiral refused to budge so I had to make a complaint.
10. Complaint opened and Admiral have 8 weeks to respond.
11. Admiral contact me to say they are offering me £1386 which is the screen cost less the VAT they say they wouldn't have had to pay had Autoglass fitted it. Life is too short so I accepted it.
If this happens to anyone else then I suggest you call the insurance company first and jump through whatever hoops they need in order that they can be put to the extra costs of secure storage for the vehicle etc. / get them to agree the dealer can store it. I was just desperate to get the car under cover and have had to accept that it cost me about £300. Windscreen company could give me no ETA for a new screen and it was 22 December...
Some might say I was foolish to expect the warranty to cover it (and you'd be correct) but, as I say, rear screens generally don't suffer damage.
I used the time the car was away to ask the dealership to fix the infamous corrosion on the inside lip of PE wheelarches. That seems to have been done but the worn paint under the rear screen still remains to be fixed.
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