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Your Windscreen Repair and Insurance Questions Answered
Reading time 4 minutes
Categories Insurance & Finance »
We are hiring! Are you an experienced technician? Join our outstanding team »
Your Windscreen Repair and Insurance Questions Answered
Reading time 4 minutes
Categories Insurance & Finance »
Driving with a chipped or cracked windscreen can be dangerous and, depending on where the damage is situated, it can cause you to fall foul of the law due to issues with road visibility.
Leaving a chip will only make issues worse, with heat, vibrations and bad weather all likely to make the chip or crack grow in size, meaning that you will end up needing a full windscreen replacement service – something which will cost a lot more than a simple repair.
Getting the windscreen of your vehicle repaired is easy, but what about the cost in relation to your insurance? Are you covered? Will it impact your premium? This month we answer these questions for you.
There are obviously numerous options available to you when you have chipped windscreen, but for many, it can be as simple as claiming the work on your insurance. Of course, you’ll need to check that your policy covers windscreen damage, as all providers vary a little.
The most common offer providers give is windscreen damage covered as an extra, but some offer it as part of fully comprehensive insurance anyway. This means, if you’re covered, you simply let the windscreen repair company know who your provider is and they will bill them directly.
This also all boils down to how quickly you take action. A chip which is left to become a bigger problem might result in the need for a full replacement, which may not be covered by your insurer. It’s best to check and take note of these things when buying your insurance so that you don’t find yourself confused by it all if you happen to suffer windscreen damage on any kind.
While it would be unusual to pay the full excess of a normal repair for windscreen chip repairs, there may well be a smaller excess you have to pay in order to get the repairs covered by the insurer.
With the miniscule amounts of work involved and the low costs, some insurers will take care of all the work without charging any excess – making the whole thing hassle free.
It should be pointed out, when it comes to excess, that some insurers will have approved repairers they want you to use, resulting in a higher overall fee for work done by someone else; they might also only cover part of a cost to a certain amount, leaving you to pay the rest.
This all depends on your individual insurers, as some don’t view minor repairs as worthy of breaking your NCD for. On the other hand, you might have paid a small excess, which could mean there would be no NCD for that year in the eyes of some insurers.
The best things to do is clarify this with your insurer first and get in writing what the policy is regarding your NCD and your windscreen repairs. For those with many years of NCD, it can be more cost-effective to pay the small amount for the repair outright.
While it might be unlikely that a windscreen repair claim would break your NCD, will it have an impact on your insurance premium? This once again comes down to the individual insurer you’ve taken your policy with, so it’s best to check first.
Some don’t class a small chip repair as work which needs to be divulged to subsequent insurers, however, others will – even if it hasn’t broken your NCD. While it might not seem like a lot, this forces some people to consider paying the small fee for the repair itself, rather than having their premium bumped up for a number of years.
Regardless of whether you have your windscreen covered in your fully comprehensive insurance or not, at The Windscreen Company we help you. We perform windscreen chip repairs to help you tackle the damage before it gets worse and to ensure your vehicle is legal and safe to drive.
We work with most major insurers, so simply contact our team today to find out how easy it is to get your windscreen repaired professionally – your repair cost could be taken care of completely.
The Windscreen Company, has over 20 years of experience in windscreen repair and replacement. Since 1998, they have been at the forefront of industry innovation, leveraging the latest technology to ensure customer safety and satisfaction.
The Windscreen Company's, help-and-advice pages offer valuable tips and guidance on maintaining vehicle safety through quality windscreen care, while also featuring updated industry realted content.
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