I had a rock kicked up by a car and hit my windshield. The impact point was so tiny on the windshield bezel near the inspection sticker and it spider webbed to a foot long. Anyhow, the cost to replace and recalibrate the safety system stuff is about $1500 here in NJ. Thankfully I had full glass coverage so it just paid for itself for 5 years. So if you don't have that coverage your deductible applies in most auto policies. So keep in mind if you ever need to replace vs repair.
Same thing happened to my wife's Aviator. When the crack appeared, it originated at a minuscule rock chip along the A-Pillar edge. Another very expensive outside glass part is the side-view mirror with auto dimming and BLIS indicator...not close to what a windshield costs, but close to what a windshield used to cost a few years ago. Zero-deductible glass coverage is a no brainer if you do any driving on the freeways around Phoenix.
I have comprehensive insurance here in Florida which covers just about anything windshield related. June of last year we got a good sized chip in our windshield.
The total cost for a local shop that Lincoln uses to replace the windshields with OEM glass was $797. The Glass alone (LC5Z 7803100 C) was $565. Internet prices for the same part are quite a bit less than that. The recalibration is a 1 hour service charge at Lincoln (no parts) as advised by the service writer. When I asked if they can bias the calibrations since my car tends to be a bit left when using lane centering, she advised no. They simply plug in their machine and it does it's job. It takes no 'skill of the craft'.
Seems like anytime you get insurance involved, the quotes/costs tend to be inflated. One of the reasons insurance is increasingly less affordable. Wish there were a way owners could source their own parts for insurance repairs. Since as you mentioned, parts can be obtained at prices totally different than what you see in some insurance quotes. Obviously this isn't possible for all kinds of reasons. What is really important, no matter the cost, is a safe, correct repair.
Here is what you can get it for ($358.20) from Levittown Ford which is a site vendor and offers members a discount. Keep in mind there will be shipping costs.
I had a rock kicked up by a car and hit my windshield. The impact point was so tiny on the windshield bezel near the inspection sticker and it spider webbed to a foot long. Anyhow, the cost to replace and recalibrate the safety system stuff is about $1500 here in NJ. Thankfully I had full glass coverage so it just paid for itself for 5 years. So if you don't have that coverage your deductible applies in most auto policies. So keep in mind if you ever need to replace vs repair.
Yes I have full glass coverage with no deductible so for me it cost me zero and just covered 5 years of the full glass premiums. Agree when I order contacts most of the time its substantially cheaper without insurance. This is why car insurance and health insurance premiums are so high due to the rampant fraud committed in this country. Like when you go to a hospital and the tylenol they give you costs $60. We are paying for the free health care and those that don't pay anything. They have to cover the costs of the overhead which is expensive, nurses, doctors, technicians, etc cost a pretty penny. Every single item they use is bar coded and scanned when they use it.
As for the windshield there are some other minor parts used in the installation, such as gel packs and adhesive. Any Peter the windshield you reference is for the base model, the same part number but with a D vs C at the end for the grand touring pushes the price up to $612.
Here is what you can get it for ($358.20) from Levittown Ford which is a site vendor and offers members a discount. Keep in mind there will be shipping costs.
I just got dinged last week. Something hit my windshield dead center and left a quarter sized star crack. I have yet to contact insurance. I did check the prices for OEM they appear to be the same as when Peter and Wolfepack88 quoted them late spring. I would rather have an OEM windshield. Also concerned a bit about calibration as I don't want any issues I don't currently have.
Can you get a windshield replaced at the dealership? Do they just 3rd party it and you end up paying the middle-man mark-up? Not just any Joe Blow can change a windshield! I guess my conversation with the insurance company will answer several of my questions. Not so much worried too much about cost. But I don't want to be taken to the cleaners. That being said, I want it done right!
Ours got done not long after owning the car - a little over a year ago. Generally the dealerships don't wish to have staff on board for tasks they don't do very often (prime example here). We're in a large City area of SE Florida (West Palm Beach area) and the dealership here sub-contracts it out. They didn't want to get involved but gave me the name of their shop. I coordinated through insurance; but the insurance company then hands you off to guess-who - Safelite! Of course, if you get through the nonsense, you realize you can choose your own shop (I made it clear right away). The .local shop the dealer uses then acquired the OEM windshield and put it in. Since they did not calibrate, back to the dealer for calibration. The dealer then billed the insurance company for the calibration and all was well.
My only disappointment was that the lane centering on my vehicle seemed (at the time) to be a bit biased to one side of the lane. Not a big deal, but it bugs me a bit. I asked if there was any way in the recalibration they could bias the cal. NOPE - no way. Very tightly regulated and controlled.
I just got dinged last week. Something hit my windshield dead center and left a quarter sized star crack. I have yet to contact insurance. I did check the prices for OEM they appear to be the same as when Peter and Wolfepack88 quoted them late spring. I would rather have an OEM windshield. Also concerned a bit about calibration as I don't want any issues I don't currently have.
Can you get a windshield replaced at the dealership? Do they just 3rd party it and you end up paying the middle-man mark-up? Not just any Joe Blow can change a windshield! I guess my conversation with the insurance company will answer several of my questions. Not so much worried too much about cost. But I don't want to be taken to the cleaners. That being said, I want it done right!
In most cases, dealers use 3rd party glass vendors/installers. Safelite typically uses OE windshields. They'll have the Lincoln emblem and all, just like the original. You can check with them to be sure.
Seems like anytime you get insurance involved, the quotes/costs tend to be inflated. One of the reasons insurance is increasingly less affordable. Wish there were a way owners could source their own parts for insurance repairs. Since as you mentioned, parts can be obtained at prices totally different than what you see in some insurance quotes. Obviously this isn't possible for all kinds of reasons. What is really important, no matter the cost, is a safe, correct repair.
Contact your insurance. Tell them you're getting it repaired, and you'll be submitting a receipt for reimbursement. That shouldn't be a problem, as they know it's usually cheaper to pay out-of-pocket for repairs vs. claiming on insurance.
Good feedback here. Thanks. I did call the insurance company (Amica). They claim if the damage is no larger than a dollar, then it can be repaired. Really? So I have an appointment on Friday with Safelite. Can't figure out how they make that 'if it is no bigger than a dollar' determination. I am certainly not a glass doctor, so I have no clue. May have to see if there are any YouTube videos showing how it is done. The ride isn't my daily driver, so it will sit in the garage until Friday. I will let them at least look at it. If they can't fix it, then I will request OEM replacement. I did ask the insurance agent about OEM glass and they said it was not what Safelite would install, but it was an option. They said I may have to pay a little extra on top of my deductible for OEM glass. I'd be fine with that. If I do need to replace the entire windshield, I may call around to find OEM glass if Safelite will not do it. I'll report back on Friday and if I can get a good picture, I'll post it. Stay tuned!
My "Safelite" story. A few years ago I got hit with a stone from a Dump Truck on 95 in Richmond, VA. I got the name of the Truck owner and called them while on the road. The Company said they had to handle it thru their insurance company. I contacted the insurance Company and they paid me the supposed cost at Safelite. I made an appointment with Safelite. When I got there, they quoted $100-200 more than insurance paid. I discussed it with them for awhile, including the fact the insurance company had paid me the supposed Satellite cost. In the end they charged me less than the insurance Company had paid me.
The windshield replacement I mentioned in post #8 wasn’t an OEM windshield, but it was just as good.
I initiated the claim with the insurance app on my phone. It referred me to Safelite, which has a nearby location. The whole process was smooth and easy. I never even spoke to anyone at the insurance company. I had $100 deductible. Zero deductible results in a higher premium.
Was your windshield cracked in a spider/star pattern? My issue is about the size of a dime. Almost looks like a bullet hit it. Didn't go all the way through, but them impact was decent enough to penetrate slightly and start spreading. Scared the crap out of my wife. It will be interesting to see what Safelite does.
Was your windshield cracked in a spider/star pattern? My issue is about the size of a dime. Almost looks like a bullet hit it. Didn't go all the way through, but them impact was decent enough to penetrate slightly and start spreading. Scared the crap out of my wife. It will be interesting to see what Safelite does.
I had to replace the windshield in our 20' Explorer ST before we traded it in. It was replaced with a genuine Ford windshield because of all of the features like rain sensing wipers, auto dimming etc. The total cost was around $700. which included the installer using a special computer to re-align all of the special features required when replacing a windshield. It took him just under an hour, start to finish, the installation being done in our driveway. State Farm covers all windshield replacements 100% in Florida, so installing glass company got paid directly from them. Considering the Aviator also has "Heads UP" projected on to the windshield, It is extremely important to get the correct windshield so "Heads UP" works properly. One should definitely request/require any replacement be a Ford windshield designed for Aviator "Heads UP" usage.
I had to replace the windshield in our 20' Explorer ST before we traded it in. It was replaced with a genuine Ford windshield because of all of the features like rain sensing wipers, auto dimming etc. The total cost was around $700. which included the installer using a special computer to re-align all of the special features required when replacing a windshield. It took him just under an hour, start to finish, the installation being done in our driveway. State Farm covers all windshield replacements 100% in Florida, so installing glass company got paid directly from them. Considering the Aviator also has "Heads UP" projected on to the windshield, It is extremely important to get the correct windshield so "Heads UP" works properly. One should definitely request/require any replacement be a Ford windshield designed for Aviator "Heads UP" usage.
