Chip & Crack Free (Autoglass)

Member Name: sweetdaisy

Product:	Autoglass
Date:	05/01/08 (1645 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: professional service, experienced company, open 365 days a year

Disadvantages: none

I first heard about Autoglass on a TV advert and vaguely remember hearing that any windscreen chips would not cost a penny to be repaired as the cost would be covered by your insurance company. Little did I know that a few months later within a space of 2 months I had to call out Autoglass twice, for a window replacement and a chip repair!

A few weeks ago I was driving along when I heard a loud bang. It scared the living daylights out of me and I instinctively put a hand up to my face as I heard glass shatter. After the initial bang I looked at my driver's side window and there was a small hole in the corner of the window and the rest was starting to crack in a rippling effect. It didn't take long for the whole window to resemble a mosaic picture of glass, about ready the fall into the car.

I looked around and there was no one around so couldn't really understand what had happened and what caused the glass to smash. Fortunately I pulled over and within seconds the whole window imploded into my lap. I was lucky enough that I was only about 5 miles from my house and able to drive home.

As a company, Autoglass have 121 branches throughout the UK and 1,200 glass technicians. Technicnas can come to your home, place of work or at the roadside to carry out repairs. They are also open 365 days a year and help over 1.5 million motorists per yer.

You can book and appoinment with Autoglass either by phone on 0800 011 3676 (which I did) or you can book online at www.autoglass.co.uk. Repair costs vary and these depend on whether you have a chip or a crack in the window, whether it is a side window that has broken or a windscreen/rear window (heated or not) and most importantly if your car insurance covers you for glass damage. Autoglass will always try to repair windows which have are chiped and is free if you have fully comprehensive cover, however I was told that if a chip is larger than a 5 pence piece then it is likely you will have to have the window replaced.

I contacted Autoglass around 4:30pm on a Sunday afternoon (why is it that when anything goes wrong with a car it always happens when local garages are shut?). Their number can be found in the Yellow Pages and my call was answered very quickly without having to go through a list of options, which makes a welcome change.

I was told I would be contacted within an hour and 20 minutes later I was phoned by an Autoglass technician who said that availability for my replacement window was not a problem (I have a Ford Fiesta) and that they could replace my window the same night between 10pm - midnight. I was asked if I wanted this option or if I would prefer if it was fixed the next day. I needed my car to be done the same night as I needed my car for work the next day and was not made to feel guilty at all considering they offered to replace the window late at night.

I had to pay a £75.00 excess charge which was paid over the phone and the rest was covered by my insurance company - no need for me to contact them as this was sorted by Autoglass. The best thing is that it doesn't affect my no claims or my insurance this year when I renew. I was informed by the technician that if I didn't have glass damage cover on my insurance it would have cost me around £150.00 for a replacement driver's side window.

Autoglass came to my house around 9:45pm and it took around 45 minutes to replace the window. The technician was very helpful and I did apologise because it was so late, he said it wasn't a problem as he was working the 3pm - 1am shift. He vacuumed up the glass and also any that fell on the drive and made very little mess.

A few weeks later I had to take off the door panel, but only because my door was rattling as there were still pieces of glass in there and I am still finding little bits of glass in my car even though I have vacuumed lots of times!

I have also used Autoglass was when I had a chip on my car windscreen and though it was about a ¼ size of a 5 pence piece, it was big enough so that it needed to be repaired quickly so that it didn't turn into a crack. This was done for free through my insurance and Autoglass sorted it all out.

Overall, I would highly recommend Autoglass. Their service is very professional and efficient. When you contact them by phone you are not placed in a queue and get to speak to an advisor straight away and they will do their best to have your window repaired or replaced as quickly as possible. In terms of cost, there are no charges for glass chips or crack repairs (if you have the cover on your insurance) and I paid £75.00 for a replacement driver's side window - which to me is reasonable. Also, all repair work does not affect my insurance or no claims which is a bonus. There are other companies out there who provided window replacement, however I won't hesitate to contact Autoglass again (however I do hope that I don't have any more chips or broken windows!)

Thanks for reading xx
© sweetdaisy 2008

Summary: Professional glass repair/replacement service