Windshield Repair – "Free" Rock Chip Repair What is The Catch?
Reader Question: Hi Austin,
I just found your site, I love it thanks so much! I have a question. I live in Houston also and I see these guys on the street corner with “Free Windshield Rock Chip Repair” I know that nothing in life is free, so what is the catch?
Keep up the good work,
Tim R.
Hey there my fellow Houstonian,
You are correct, there IS a catch. You will get your windshield rock chip repaired and it will be FREE – meaning you don’t actually pay them on the spot, but your insurance company sure will. Now this might still sound like a great idea…you get your windshield fixed and your insurance company picks up the tab…Yahoo! Well, hang on my friend you might not want this to happen, and for good reason.
The charge for the average windshield rock chip repair is about $40 – 55 which really isn’t a lot of money…right? They will bill your insurance company for the repair, and your insurance company will then count that repair as a “claim” against your policy. Most insurance companies raise the rate they charge the customer because of number of claims submitted, not necessarily the amount of the claims.
Your auto insurance company figures if you are going to submit multiple claims to them, regardless of the amount of each claim, you are probably a higher risk for them in the long run, and will either not renew your policy or raise your rates. So, are you willing to risk cancellation or a rate increase over a $50 windshield repair? I think not.
You can buy an aftermarket repair kit at your local auto parts store, but I have NEVER been able to make one of them work for me. I would suggest you visit one of the corner “free” rock chip guys and pay them in cash, and not make the claim. They will still repair your chip even if you don’t give them your insurance info…there are a few people in this world who still take cash.
BTW – small “spider” cracks do not repair very well, small chips by rocks that make a small hole in the glass repair the best. Thus the term “rock chip repair”… but you knew that!
Austin C. Davis
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Filed under: Exterior Care
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Hello Austin,
Thank you for your interesting article. It is true that windshield repair is generally a $50 charge to the insurance. However, insurance companies refer their policy holders to us for repairs all the time. The insurance company prefers the inexpensive repair over the expensive replacement. In fact, by repairing a damaged windshield it actually helps keep a policy holders rates from increasing. Repairs will help the insurance company save money. The insurance companies that we work with (all except for State Farm) have thanked their policy holders for getting the repair done. Also, windshields are not biodegradable and not recyclable. Therefore Mother Earth thanks the windshield repaired customer also.
Christian,
You are an idiot. Gieco just dropped my sister after having one of these “free” rock chip repairs. I think your reply is not only misleading but hurtful to the victims of your ruse. Especially in hard financial times like this. READERS— Stay far away from these Grifters!!! Unless you just wanna pay the cash.
Gene,
I have to say you are a pretty decent troll. The idea that your sister would be dropped because of one $50 windshield repair is a joke. If this scenario is actually true, which I doubt, she undoubtedly had other claims against her already and were probably the cause for her cancellation and had nothing to do with the repair…
READERS– Rock chip repairs are usually flagged as no-fault claims and will not go against you. Call the number on your insurance card there’s often no wait and an agent will answer your question promptly. If you’re especially paranoid don’t give them your name or policy number, haha. Or search Google for windshield repair no fault claim.
I have contacted over 25 different insurance companies within the past 2 weeks and every insurance company has said basically the same thing “Windshield repair is included in comprehensive coverage and submitting a repair will not jeopardize your policy in any way.”
If you have dental insurance you would have no problem having your dental insurance take care of your dental work. Right?
Gene is right. If you have any concerns, call your insurance company. We get referrals from them all the time. I hope they refer Gene to us. You can also specify what shop you would like to make the repair. Please choose Quick Fixx Rock Chip. You will be glad you did.
I was an Insurance Agent for two years, I also own a R/C Repair Business! Yes GENE YOU are an idiot! There are always two sides to every story! And yes, some of us will always need someone to blame! But Repairs in NO way make your rates go up or affect ur standings with you Insurance company!! Now to many replacement claims are a different story!! Yes Insurance prefer repair costs over replacement you ignorant uneducated people!!
Your rates will not increase for a chip repair. Here is how it works. Every time you pay your insurance premium a percentage of that money goes to a pool that is designated by safelite or lynx services. That money is used for windshield repair only. This is how it is for most insurance companies. Not all. I have been repairing and replacing glass for 8 years now and when I get a check in the mail it is not from the insurance company direct. It is from safelite or lynx. So, if you pay for full coverage insurance you have already paid for your windshield to be fixed. It is all part of your policy that you pay for every month or six however your setup. So yes, take advantage of this good benefit because you have already paid for it.
X-PRESS… Be careful who you call “ignorant uneducated people”.
“affect ur”
“with you Insurance company”
“Now to many”
BUT… you are correct, these claims will not “affect” your rates (at least you got that part right).
Hello everyone,
Our company offers Free!! Windshield Repair.
RLB ENTERPRISES WINDSHIELD REPAIR (225) 733-0122
BATON ROUGE, LA AND SURROUNDING AREAS
If you do not exceed over 3 windshield repair claims per year,
most insurance companies will not raise your rates.
We have never had a customer tell us that their auto insurance was raised because of a windshield repair.
We always ask our customers, before we make any repairs, if they have submitted any windshield claims. If so, how many?
The author gave everyone great advice. If you are concerned about rate increases: Pay cash! It’s only $40-65. Remember, windshield repair is an option to prevent you from having to replace the windshield and possibly saving you hundreds of dollars on replacement.
The author gave another excellent suggestion: Do not attempt to repair your windshield. Store bought windshield repair kits will leave you dissapointed and angry. Remember, the resin used in those repair kits are permanent.
The Author of this article should be ashamed of him self
! #1 who says $40-$60 isn’t a lot of money. #2 why should someone who either chooses or is required to pay extra money for full coverage insurance not use it? #3 How DARE you say “Small “spider” cracks do not repair very well” do you know how many people have read this and NOT fixed a small spider crack because of you? I bet it’s quite a few, and those people probably ended up needing to replace their windshield for something that could have easily been fixed. SHAME on YOU! Do you have any idea how important it is to maintain the factory seal on a windshield? Not only can a replacement lead to leaks and rust damage, but even a perfect replacement will not have the same bond to the frame of the car as the original window. Therefor by telling people to not fix “spider” cracks, you are putting peoples lives at risk. You might not realize how important of a safety feature the windshield is but it protects you from ejection in a crash and acts as a support in a roll over. This article ranks very high in a lot of searches about windshield repair, so I hope someone reads this and realize how False this info. is and does something about it!
As an insurance agent, anyone that says insurance claims don’t matter because of the size should really get a clue. Literally. Look at a CLUE report on your next renewal and see how many of these little suckers hit your insurance record and what that does to your rate. I DON’T CARE WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM… it’s eventually coming out of the carriers pocket, and in turn, the consumer.
Absolutely correct in the reply though… one of these every year or two probably won’t even register. 2, 3, 4, 38 (we just had one of these show up at renewal) a year will DEFINITELY alter your rate. I blogged about this at our website… click my name for the link.
My wife’s sister and husband had a rock chip repair four months ago following a cross country trip. Their insurance renewed last month and their policy went up $450. No other accidents or tickets during that policy period…only the rock chip repair. While the increase likely did not result solely from the rock chip repair, the rock chip repair was the claim that pushed their rates into the next tier. They verified this with their agent. I don’t think the bottom line gets any clearer than this.