New car - windscreen stone chip

[JannerAudi]

Less than 200 miles on the clock and I have a windscreen stone chip already and typically it is right in the drivers line of sight.

Just wondering if anyone has had a windscreen chip repaired and how good a job is it. Can you still see remnants of the chip after a repair or can these specialists who do chip repairs make it disappear completely ?

Thanks,

Janner

[Wuffles]

Costs you nothing to try it. My experience was that it wasn't the right "type" or chip for them to bother coming to see it. Had to send them a photo and based on that they decided it wasn't repairable.

I have had one done before on the van and it was invisible to me.

[Eshrules]

It's nothing more than a fill - you'll still see the chip, it just won't be as prominent. If you want it gone completely, you'll need a new screen.

[dmcconachie]

I believe one of the main factors in the invisibility is time. The earlier they work on it and prevent dirt getting near it the better! I had one a few years back that was right in my line of sight, had it repaired within 24 hours and literally couldn't find it. Had another a few years before that on the passenger side that I took a week to get round to and from that day until I sold it I could spot it every time I looked left at a junction.

[retired99]

I had one repaired on a previous car. Had to look hard to find it after the repair, and that was with knowing where to look.

[C172s]

2390623907
How Annoying.

I had a chip after 800 miles on my car. It was in a residential zone but the offending building lorry was aiming for me as if road markings meant nothing and his speed was quite obviously on the illegal side. He swerved and I could do nothing but to brake to a standstill. Typical. Anyhow, I had to use Autoglass as they are the repairer approved by my insurer.

The chip/crack was bang on the limit for either a replacement or repair. As the car was 'new' we decided to risk repairing it rather than to replace the windscreen. It was a fairly big chip and the Autoglass guy thought I did it on the motorway much to his surprise.

The crack is gone but I am left with an annoying spot ( a remnant) which although is fairly small, is annoyingly right infront of me. It's not totally flush with my windscreen made obvious by the windscreen wipers. It constantly reminds me of how it happened and I still flinch when I see oncoming lorries. In hind sight I should've replaced the windscreen, which I had done on my previous A4 only 4 months prior to getting my A6.


The repairers word of advice was ' whenever you get a chip, cover it with Sellotape until repair as it keeps it contaminant/water free'

[Gmonster]

Think its got a lot to do with the type if chip you get. If it's a clean loss of glass with no 'fractures' then good chance the resin will fill all gaps and you will be left with a near invisible repair.


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[Passatier3]

I'm still avoiding roads that were stoned chipped months ago. Reason being that they never sweep the roads properly after carrying out the work and you can still see loose chippings in the gutter and on the white lines and if anyone overtakes there is a good chance of getting hit.

I also wince when lorries are approaching and overtake them as quickly as possible on dual carriageways/motorways after having some bad chips in the past from them in the past.

[Gmonster]

Then there's the road gritters. I also do the speeding past the artics on dual carriageways. Try explaining that to the speed cops.


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[Starbucks Fred]

I got a chip within 3 weeks of picking my car up

Got ****glass in to repair it, cost £ 10, it failed after 3 weeks and got a free replacement screen

6 months later got another chip, got it repaired, cost £ 10, it failed after 6 months and got a free replacement screen

Good value me thinks

Repairs are good normally, it does make the chip a little more invisible though

[Eshrules]

I got a chip within 3 weeks of picking my car up

Got ****glass in to repair it, cost £ 10, it failed after 3 weeks and got a free replacement screen

6 months later got another chip, got it repaired, cost £ 10, it failed after 6 months and got a free replacement screen

Good value me thinks

Repairs are good normally, it does make the chip a little more invisible though

****glass?

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[Starbucks Fred]

Auto*****

Advertising and all that.

[pumpsmynads]

It isn't advertising. It's recognising and spreading your experience of good service. It's one of the reasons for the forum.

[ScottyA6]

I have had both sides of the story on this one. Had a repair on my old XJ-S and it was perfect- you couldn't see it and it left two years later just as good. On the other hand my first A6 had a repair the day after the damage was done and it looked dreadful and failed within the week. Its suck it and see I think.

[JannerAudi]

Thanks to everyone for your input.

I think I will just have to give it a go and see how good it looks and how long it lasts.

I don't really want to go down the route of having a factory fitted windscreen replaced on what is a brand new car unless I really have to.

Any views on whether a replacement screen is as good a job as the factory original?

Anyone had a replacement screen leak or throw up any other problems?

[robes401]

I'm also wondering about other people's experience of replacement windscreens. 200 miles and on the 3rd day of ownership I have a chip bang in the middle of the screen which requires a windscreen replacement.
Do I have anything to worry about having the windscreen replaced with a non-audi replacement?


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[M1tchy]

My wife's A5 got badly chipped on the way home from picking it up and it needed replacing. The day auto glass turned up they had the glass for a non facelift car. Came back a few days later with a new screen, test fitted it and cut out the old one. Went to fit the new one and it was also wrong. After many calls and emails it turned out they couldn't get a piece of glass for the screen! We had to source it ourselves direct from Audi and autoglass fitted it.

In the end it all went well but I was without a screen for over a week as it had been cut out!


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[rickerby]

Less than 200 miles on the clock and I have a windscreen stone chip already and typically it is right in the drivers line of sight.

Just wondering if anyone has had a windscreen chip repaired and how good a job is it. Can you still see remnants of the chip after a repair or can these specialists who do chip repairs make it disappear completely ?

Thanks,

Janner



Same thing happened to me when my last A6 was brand new. The chip was high up on the passenger side and from the driving seat its line of site was obscured by the interior mirror. Too big to be repaired I kept putting off getting a new screen. It was still there when I traded the car in two years later.

[Pikey Narna]

Hammer......

[wildbore]

Make the most of the free replacement screens, everybody. An article in last week's paper said that windscreens are no longer going to be covered under insurance.

[daycartes]

Which paper was that then?

[wildbore]

Which paper was that then?

Telegraph motoring section, last Saturday, or the Saturday before. I would link to the article, but I sensed doubt in the way you phrased your request for more information and I would hate you to think I faked the story by creating a bogus web page and linking to that.

Oh, go on then. I knocked this fake page up for you:

Windscreen insurance | Cars (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/windscreen-insurance/)

[The Glassman]

Telegraph motoring section, last Saturday, or the Saturday before. I would link to the article, but I sensed doubt in the way you phrased your request for more information and I would hate you to think I faked the story by creating a bogus web page and linking to that.

Oh, go on then. I knocked this fake page up for you:

Windscreen insurance | Cars (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/windscreen-insurance/)

I find it somewhat ironic that the dominant force in the industry, the protagonist in the raping of every penetrable available, is now warning punters that a glass breakage might yank their trousers down (but fear not, as they'll be there, gritty Swarfega in hand, ready to oblige).

There a massive misconception about windscreen chip repairs and the internet isn't helping; threads like this one eptomise the misrepresentation of the problem and compound the problem even further. Stop, and think about what's going on here!

First of all, the word 'approved' means that your insurer has agreed a deal with a repairer/supplier for several reasons. In that chronology you know, the "national coverage" and the 'Average Invoice Price' or the retrospective discount/cashback or whatever it's called, YOU as a policyholder will be LAST on the list. You have a car, an expensive car; a new car and someone is advising you to smash the screen with a hammer to defraud your insurer? Two immediate consequential outcomes: the insurance industry gets raped, ergo: the insured drivers pay higher premiums in the long run. Oh, and your less than a year old motor ends up with a non-OEM branded piece of glass in it.

Repairs. IMHO, 90% of 'repairers' are getting away with it. By that, I'm allowing for a wider spectrum which includes the type of repairs which would make ANYONE look good. The reality is, an alarming majority of (allegedly) completed repairs are cons. I see far too many 'repaired' chips which look no different to ones which HAVE NOT been repaired. Even with conclusive evidence which proves that there are massive flaws in the procedure the repairer is following, or the technician's lack of knowledge, the band wagon continues to tumble downhill. If the perception is that 'once the break has been filled, the chip will not crack' well, that's all that most people want, right? That "EXPENSIVE" excess saved.

Poor repairs are rife in the industry, and it's not just the monolithic brands; the supermarket/retail park farmers; the one man bands; the little local firms are ALL in this. Very few actually know what a good repair is, and most importantly, how to achieve one. First and foremost, it's the lack of PROPER training. The equipment and resins also play a significant enough part.

One of the biggest misconceptions is the use of heat.

Botched Windscreen Repair. | Glasstec Paul (http://www.glasstecpaul.com/botched-windscreen-repair/)

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/what-isnt-clear-about-windscreen-repairs/ (http://www.glasstecpaul.com/what-isnt-clear-about-windscreen-repairs/)

The Windscreen Chip they Didn’t Repair | Glasstec Paul (http://www.glasstecpaul.com/the-windscreen-chip-they-didnt-repair/)

I hope you'll think about discussing who you can nominate, or what would happen in the event of a glass claim BEFORE you accept an insurance proposal.

[daycartes]

I suppose that it was my use of the word 'then' which suggested to you that I was sceptical. Yes I am sceptical, not of you, but of the press in general. What surprises me is that anyone in this country believes anything that is reported in the press. There are numerous examples, even in the last couple of months, of the press giving out erroneous information and thereby causing major distress to people who are innocent of what the press accuse them of. For examples of good sources see the 'adblue' thread.
Earlier this year I drove to Germany to the Audi museum. Whilst near to it I spent the afternoon at Dachau. Reading the Nazi propaganda I was reminded of the british press. Have we learnt from those mistakes? I don't think so.

[wildbore]

It was indeed the use of the word "then", so apologies if I read into your email something that was not there.

[johnsimcox]

Telegraph motoring section, last Saturday, or the Saturday before. I would link to the article, but I sensed doubt in the way you phrased your request for more information and I would hate you to think I faked the story by creating a bogus web page and linking to that.

Oh, go on then. I knocked this fake page up for you:

Windscreen insurance | Cars (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/windscreen-insurance/)
Cue a massive increase in claims against councils for poorly maintained roads resulting in stones being thrown up and breaking windscreens. Also it does raise the question as to whether there reaches a point where consumers say enough is enough. Whilst we like all this fancy technology, such as HUD, if the running costs become excessive maybe the cost outweighs any advantage or benefit. I could see a car with HUD becoming very hard to sell on later in its life as the private buyer on a more limited budget will not want to take the risk of being exposed to a £1000+ bill for a new windscreen

[Rower1978]

I see the new FL A6 will have an 'acoustic windscreen'. Guessing this could only be replaced by Audi???

[The Glassman]

I see the new FL A6 will have an 'acoustic windscreen'. Guessing this could only be replaced by Audi???

The main difference is a thicker PVB interlayer. No different to fitting any other windscreen.


I could see a car with HUD becoming very hard to sell on later in its life as the private buyer on a more limited budget will not want to take the risk of being exposed to a £1000+ bill for a new windscreen

Perhaps. If FC insurance no longer covers glass we may even see competition driving the prices even lower.

I've seen many cars with HUD fitted with the corresponding non-HUD car glass.