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Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by macmaster05, May 28, 2011.

  1. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
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    Last week during my morning commute, a tiny rock hit the bottom corner of my windshield. When I returned to my car at the end of the day, there was a nice big crack in it - the heat throughout the day must have expanded the crack.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I called Toyota to see how much this repair typically costed with the hope that maybe it was covered by the warranty. Of course it wasn't, and the dealer quoted me $1100 for the OEM glass and $400 for labor. Then I called the my insurance agent -- The moment of truth. He said there was a $100 deductible under my comprehensive coverage. Thank God! My insurance package also allowed them to pay for the OEM replacement.

    My agent set me up with a glass repair shop who would drive out to my work or home and fix it on the spot. Let's just say they were great (85 review on yelp, solid 5 stars).

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Today they came to fix it. After answering the guys' questions about my gas mileage and them seeming impressed (it's still embarrassing :cool:), one of them told me that he fixes at least 3 Prius windshields a week (they're contracted by the SF dealership). Apparently the Prius' low, wide windshield is a perfect recipe for damage. I had to agree especially since the impact of my chip was low. In fact theoretically, had I not lowered my Prius by 1.5", the rock wouldn't have hit the glass, hahaha.

    Anyways, these guys were pros. It took them 45 minutes to fix and $100 out of my pocket. The receipt I got shows ~$1300 total, so the dealer's original quote was close. Not bad I guess. The lesson is that insurance be goooood. I'm scared straight that it'll happen again, but that's life. And hey, look at that, I got a clean windshield!

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 macmaster05, May 28, 2011
  2. mikewithaprius

    mikewithaprius New Member

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    "In fact theoretically, had I not lowered my Prius by 1.5", the rock wouldn't have hit the glass, hahaha."

    Nice haha...glad it worked out with the insurance. Nice to get a new windshield, too. I just cleaned about 8 spots of bird poo off mine yesterday. "Prius" must mean "toilet" in birdspeak.
     
    #2 mikewithaprius, May 28, 2011
  3. dtuite

    dtuite Silverback

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    II
    Factor in that all these guys do is replace windows, all day, all week. And that Prii are more memorable than, say, Civics. Three a week, in the SF Bay area, where 20% of the cars I notice are Prii (I did see a cherry '66 Camaro this morining.), is probably within a Standard Deviation or two of what you'd expect around the mean of a Gaussian distribution.
     
    #3 dtuite, May 28, 2011
  4. ashrat

    ashrat Junior Member

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    Must have been a 67 Camaro since that was the first year for them. Some were built in 66 but would have been titled as 67. Some of us old folks remember when they came out - back in the "olden daze"
     
    #4 ashrat, May 28, 2011
  5. J5A

    J5A Active Member

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    If you ever change insurance companies don't forget to note this repair claim on the questionaire; MetLife treated us like lying criminals years ago because we forgot all about the little window repair we had done. Needless to say we didn't sign with them.
     
    #5 J5A, May 28, 2011
  6. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Your glass was probably too refulgent, which the birds are attracted to - hence the great irony that washed cars always get pooped on first.

    Yeah, the insurance company was awesome. Just a great overall experience sans the rock and cracked windshield.
     
    #6 macmaster05, May 29, 2011
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I've had a chips in almost the same location for a couple of years. I had it filled in last year and it has not spread. I guess I got lucky!

    Glad yours is all fixed up for cheap and you got oem glass.
     
    #7 F8L, May 29, 2011
  8. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    Model:
    Two
    I once bought a car with a badly cracked windshield, so part of my purchase price was paying the total cost of a new windshield - which I did independently, not through the dealer. I was told it would cost about $600.

    By not having it covered by insurance, that $600 windshield cost me -- $300 out the door. Yup, the "non-insurance discount" the glass place was half.

    I've driven quite a few vehicles, and they all have an expanse of glass in the front that is a magnet for rock chips and bird droppings. *sigh*
     
    #8 Rae Vynn, May 29, 2011
  9. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Thanks. I had plenty of chips in my old windshield too, but one finally developed into a crack. Yeah, you're lucky.

    $300 is not bad. In fact I was also quoted ~$300 for non-OEM glass from a 3rd party. But I'm glad I got the OEM glass through insurance because I'm not sure generic glass would have the black dots around the edge and rear view mirror...
     
    #9 macmaster05, May 30, 2011
  10. barcelona11

    barcelona11 New Member

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    II
    Most insurance companies will waive the deductible if the chip can be repaired rather than replacing the windshield. That might not have helped in this case, as the crack happened so quickly.

    We are blessed (?) to drive by a rock quarry with each venture from home to any other place. Our windshields (and hoods) regularly take a hit, no matter how far we stay away from the trucks, no matter what we're driving. Our 2006 Avalon's windshield has been repaired 3 times.:rolleyes:
     
    #10 barcelona11, May 30, 2011
  11. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Good job on the OEM glass. I'm wishing I'd insisted on it for my other car. Wind noise on the glass after replacement was very noticeably increased. Still bugs me months later.

    - D
     
    #11 don_chuwish, May 31, 2011
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