weil@dataio.UUCP (Steve Weil) (09/05/85)
A local glass shop (Novus on Lake City Way, Seattle) offered to repair the windshield and apply the repair cost (~$45) to a replacement job (~$150) if I was not satisfied. Seemed like I couldn't loose. The repair was just okay. The cracks were filled fairly well; they were only really noticable in strong light. But the center hole which they filled looked like a bug was squashed there. It wasn't bad, just not too great. So I had them replace the whole window, they did a fine job of that. I imagine that the cost to them of a repair is probably just a few dollars, so they had nothing to loose. None of the repair places I checked at could show me a sample repair, which makes me think they are not too proud of their work. My insurance company offered to waive the deductable if I repaired the window, this seems to be common. I guess it all depends on how perfect you like to keep your car. If you like to keep your windshield spotless you will probably not be happy with a repair. If you want to save money and your car is a little beat up anyway, go ahead with the repair. It does make the holes and cracks clear and smooth. Triple A is collecting stories like ours and trying to lobby for a bill requiring "loads carried by trucks on the highway to be covered". It sounds reasonable to me. If you agree, please send your broken windshield story (including cost) to: AAA Washington Public affairs 330 6th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 I have no affiliaton with AAA aside from being a member. Steve Weil Data I/O ucbvax!lbl-unix!uw-beaver!teltone!dataio!weil dual!unisoft!teltone!dataio!weil entropy!dataio!weil