[gtthree]

Hi

Today I picked up a small chip <10mm in Zone A on the screen and I wonder if anyone could assist me with experience in Windscreen chip repairs/renewals.


The car is insured with Admiral who will have their own preferred supplier.
£25 excess on repairs, £75 excess on replacement - probably with the mentioned preferred supplier.

My query is as follows:

1. Should I take it to a BMW dealer to assess and let them deal with the insurance company if it is a repair and should a replacement be needed ask them to obtain approvals before replacement is ordered/installed.

2. Take to Autoglass to assess/call Admiral to arrange assessment.

My views would be:

If it can be repaired then I'd expect Autoglass to do a good job, but at the same time I would also expect them to be looking for business and may push to replace the screen. At which point I would expect to need to fight for an BMW screen and all seals/clips would be reused.

However through taking it to a BMW dealer, lets say Eastern BMW Edinburgh (as I will be in Edinburgh from tomorrow for a month). I know that should a windscreen replacement be need then it would be a genuine BMW screen with fresh seals/clips.

Does anyone have any experience of using a BMW dealer for this situation?
And if so, do you know if they subcontracted the install to (say) Autoglass or do they carry the work out inhouse?
Additionally does anyone have experience of asking a BMW dealer to communicate direct to the insurer?

Thanks

gtthree

[MrPogle]

I've had a few chips repaired over the years. Some were basically invisible and some looked like darned socks. I think it has almost everything to do with the technician and keeping it clean. If you haven't already, put some tape over it to keep dirt and moisture out.

If you have a camera or forward-looking sensors in your mirror housing do not consider a non-BMW screen under any circumstances. If your headlights start playing up, BMW will say "Put a proper screen in and we'll have a look."

I have been told (but don't know if it is true) that if you have a HUD, even Autoglass use a BMW screen as there is not a big enough market for the generic guys to bother making HUD-compatible screens.

As a guide, I had a new screen fitted by BMW 12 months ago (I have a HUD) and it was £1000 all in.

I'm afraid I can't help with the payment side of things as I didn't involve the insurance.

[silo24]

Most dealers will bring in a Company like Autoglass to do the actual work.

Admiral are OK to deal with, but Autoglass can be problematic. Wife's Hyundai Santa Fe needed a new screen and Autoglass kept fobbing us off until I complained to Admiral who then gave it to a smaller independent to do the work.

Seems that Autoglass get a fixed price for the screen and installation and if the car needs an OEM screen, they lose money.

Not sure you actually have a choice though. If you want your insurer to pay, you have to use their company or end up paying for the difference.

[nsa100]

Just had mine replaced through insurance company who use Autoglass.

This is the 2nd time I have had mine replaced in 4 years due to a stone chips that quickly developed into a crack.

I have the HUD, LED Headlights and Speed Limit Camera. Just make sure you tell them, but Autoglass seem to be on top of this as they had to order in the special screen.
(no BMW markings on it though like the Connected Drive logo)

[Glassman]

gtthree, can you take a picture of the damage and post here? One of the damage close up (place the tip of your finger next to the chip to help with the focus, or hold a coin next to it which will help with scale too). Also one of the whole screen to show the position of the damage.

[gtthree]

Firstly thank you everyone for your feedback and advice.

Glassman - please see below three pictures. Full screen, exterior close up, interior close up.
I struggled with the interior close up due to the low level of light but hopefully you can see the slight cracks.

[gtthree]

full screen

[gtthree]

Exterior close up

[gtthree]

Interior close up - apologies for low light

[gtthree]

apologies about the poor quality of the interior image, I've tried taking it again but the light level is poor today and I cannot get a better image.

[Glassman]

Almost seems wasteful to condemn a windscreen for what looks like a repairable chip. The problem with repair is that not many repairers know what a good repair looks like never mind how to achieve one.

Some links (information, not commercial) which I hope you will find useful:

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/the-wind...-didnt-repair/

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/to-see-or-not-to-see/

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/botched-windscreen-repair/

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/what-isn...creen-repairs/

[Glassman]

Almost seems wasteful to condemn a windscreen for what looks like a repairable chip. The problem with repair is that not many repairers know what a good repair looks like never mind how to achieve one.

Some links (information, not commercial) which I hope you will find useful:

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/the-wind...-didnt-repair/

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/to-see-or-not-to-see/

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/botched-windscreen-repair/

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/what-isn...creen-repairs/

[JOHNBMWM5]

You will not live with a repair there, it's right on the eye line, in sunlight will be a real pain, new screen required.

[Jon D]

Autoglass replaced the screen on my F12 (£175 excess with LV). No issues with HUD, auto-wipe or adaptive headlights.

[MrPogle]

Originally Posted by Jon D

Autoglass replaced the screen on my F12 (£175 excess with LV). No issues with HUD, auto-wipe or adaptive headlights.

I'm assuming that this was a non-BMW screen.

The issue isn't that the screen is likely to cause issues, it's that if issues arise BMW may say the screen is to blame and the only way you can prove it isn't is by putting in a genuine one.

I have read of 3 or 4 cases over the years where BMW refused to diagnose a problem due to the fact that it *might* have been due to a non-BMW screen.

e.g.
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/42816-...ew-windscreen/

[gtthree]

Thanks Glassman, I'll be in touch and we can take it from there when I am back in the South East.

Thankfully in this instance I do not have HUD, only adaptive xenons and rain sensor wipers. But the points around using a genuine screen are valid and widely publised.

Closer to the time, if upon inspection the chip is repairable. I'll post up some high definition before and after shots using the SLR for both the interior and exterior views. With interior being the key.

Thanks

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by MrPogle

I'm assuming that this was a non-BMW screen.

The issue isn't that the screen is likely to cause issues, it's that if issues arise BMW may say the screen is to blame and the only way you can prove it isn't is by putting in a genuine one.

Granted, BMW would have cause to attribute any faults to non-OEM parts and that's a perfectly valid point, but at the time it was a choice between £175 insurance excess or £1,400 at the dealer - economics won out on the day.
Of course, it could have turned out to be false economy but the car went last year so it's no longer an issue.
Were it to happen again I might reconsider and see how much of a contribution I could get from my insurer.

[gtthree]

Hi Guys

I promised to update the thread when I had my windscreen chip repaired, well I finally had it carried out two weeks ago after putting on over 2,500 miles since the rouge stone hit my screen.

I contacted Paul “The Glassman” as he’d been very helpful when I originally reach out for help, unfortunately as I was only back in the South East for 3 days he was unable to fit me in, but this was my fault because I did not give him sufficient notice.

He was kind enough to refer me to David of the GlassDoctors who is based near High Wycombe which was perfect for me. So thank you to Paul.

David was able to see me and repair my chip. Unfortunately, I did not take SLR pic’s before the screen was repaired on the day, but I have included various pictures at the end of the post.

I was satisfied with the work and should I suffer another chip I would certainly recommend David (and Paul).

I’ll let the picture do that talking, compared to the damaged screen. The quality of the repair was miles ahead of the repair my employer arranged on my old E92 company car where the guy turned up and appeared to just fill the hole with adhesive. I’m sure if the E92 had been privately owned and I’d visited a national windscreen replacement firm they would have broken the screen based upon the horror stories I’ve read online.

Anyway, the repair was very quick and David talked me through the process as he undertook his work

I’ll apologies to David here if I describe his techniques incorrect but it was akin to visiting a dentist:

He started by cleaning out the old chip and gentle dremeling out the glass around the chip to get a firm surface, he then vacuumed the chip to take out all moisture, followed up by a strong bonding adhesive, once that cured for a short while he applied a strong coating to the chip, cured it using UV light and then smoothed it off. Describing it as a textbook repair.

I’m very happy with the results and if I’m honest it looks as if a single drop of rain has hit the screen, but more importantly the windscreen is now structurally sound and will not fail an MOT test. The SLR pictures show the repair in great detail, but original pictures were poor.

Links to both Paul’s and David websites are below. Should you not be in the South East/London area then David actually has listing of recommended repairers in other areas. Anyone in Scotland?

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/

http://glassdoctors.co.uk/

Pictures below

[gtthree]

SLR resized

[Glassman]

[Piers]

My car suffered a small spider chip just above the speedometer at a mere 200 miles old from new!!! Anyway, £10 excess and Autoglass did an "almost" invisible repair.

He did tell me a new screen is standard BMW until the car is three years old, then they go elsewhere, standard practice as BMW screens are so expensive, but you can argue your case, as most won't.

[Piers]

My car suffered a small spider chip just above the speedometer at a mere 200 miles old from new!!! Anyway, £10 excess and Autoglass did an "almost" invisible repair.

He did tell me a new screen is standard BMW until the car is three years old, then they go elsewhere, standard practice as BMW screens are so expensive, but you can argue your case, as most won't.