Windscreen cracked. Can I claim?

[Alex106]

Hi all,

I noticed my windscreen was cracked this morning on the way to my destination. Three cracks stemming from a chip located underneath where the wipers sit in the black part of the screen, not sure what its called.

I usually avoid potholes as much as possible, but I had to take a bad road this morning. It has potholes everywhere and in general the road is broken up. (Can get photos if needed) I usually do 10-15mph whilst navigating the better route down the road.

I would have noticed a crack if it had been there when I cleared the ice off this morning, so im left assuming it was the potholed road I took.

Is it worth my time putting claim in, measuring, photographing etc? The repair for the windscreen would be £132 which I have booked for tomorrow. It may not sound like a lot of money but Im a student with little money to spare.

If I were to make a claim would I have to wait to get it approved before the windscreen is replaced? Or can I have it done and send them a copy of the receipt?

Over to you!

ETA: To clarify, it is not covered by my insurance policy as I have third party fire and theft cover.

Edited by Alex106 on Thursday 17th January 15:37

[tjob]

Can you even get insurance without windscreen cover nowadays?

[Alex106]

tjob said:

Can you even get insurance without windscreen cover nowadays?

I have third party fire and theft. As the difference in premium was about £450. According to my insurer it is only available on fully comprehensive policies.

[McSam]

You can get the council to reimburse you after you've done repairs, as far as I know, they don't have to "approve" it beforehand.

Minimum depth of the pothole is 40mm, and I also think they have to have been notified of it beforehand and given "reasonable time" to repair it.

[Alex106]

McSam said:

You can get the council to reimburse you after you've done repairs, as far as I know, they don't have to "approve" it beforehand.

Minimum depth of the pothole is 40mm, and I also think they have to have been notified of it beforehand and given "reasonable time" to repair it.

I might ring them and ask? Or do you think they will see it coming and try and stop the claim going in?

[Captain Muppet]

tjob said:

Can you even get insurance without windscreen cover nowadays?

When I renewed I asked if there was any way to reduce my premium, they offered to remove the window cover from my fully comp insurance which would have knocked £100 off and made it £250 for my MX5.

I didn't take the gamble.

[zap mc]

Alex106 said:

Hi all,

I noticed my windscreen was cracked this morning on the way to my destination. Three cracks stemming from a chip located underneath where the wipers sit in the black part of the screen, not sure what its called.

I usually avoid potholes as much as possible, but I had to take a bad road this morning. It has potholes everywhere and in general the road is broken up. (Can get photos if needed) I usually do 10-15mph whilst navigating the better route down the road.

I would have noticed a crack if it had been there when I cleared the ice off this morning, so im left assuming it was the potholed road I took.

Is it worth my time putting claim in, measuring, photographing etc? The repair for the windscreen would be £132 which I have booked for tomorrow. It may not sound like a lot of money but Im a student with little money to spare.

If I were to make a claim would I have to wait to get it approved before the windscreen is replaced? Or can I have it done and send them a copy of the receipt?

Over to you!

ETA: To clarify, it is not covered by my insurance policy as I have third party fire and theft cover.

Edited by Alex106 on Thursday 17th January 15:37

Hi Alex
forget this "pot hole" myth, its just a bit of spin used to sell screens on the TV. Whilst a pot hole can cause a chip that is already on the screen to spread further in extreme circumstances it will not cause a chip or a crack of itself. In all likelyhood you just had a chip in a place that you didnt notice and it has spread. Did you ever let the wiper arm smack down on the screen when replacing blades?

You dont mention how long the crack legs are or whether they extend into the area swept by the wipers yet as that would be useful.

As long as the cracks are not massive and obstructing your vision I would say to just get the ends of the cracks drilled for now to stop them spreading, just find a local specialist windscreen chip repairer and get them to just drill the ends as this will buy you time till the next MOT ( unless the cracks are on the inside of the screen so get them to check this as this is usual with damage in the black section where the force can be transmitted through the glass.

Why buy a screen now if you dont have to? Just wait tilll you really have to get it done and do it later. Who knows by that time you may have insurance? Even if you did have insurance you would have to pay the first £75 of the claim typically anyway so at present you are only £59 adrift. A 106 screen is only about £50 to buy new from a wholesaler or less if you can get one from a breaker, all is not lost.

Even if the council did contribute to your screen cracking as long as they can prove they have checked the road every 6 months they have a statutory defence in law so you are wasting your time. You will have to prove that they knew about the pot hole and didnt do anything about it AND that your damage is a direct result of their pot hole and not anything else which is a nigh on impossible task.

[mgtony]

You didn't by any chance use the kettle to clear the ice off the car did you?

Don't think you'll have much luck with the council.

[falkster]

I wouldn't have thought third party policies would include windscreen cover - even so your excess would be £100(ish) and, as said before, a windscreen is only going to be £200 max fitted.
I got one for my M3 for £180 fitted - best buy I've ever made.