The chip on my windshield is only about 1mm wide. And the cracks only spreak out about 1".
But it's the kind of crack that will definitely spread if I leave it alone.

Should I have it repaired, and live with the sight of it ?
Or should I have my windshield replaced ?

I have 100% glass coverage through State Farm.

But if I specify that I want AUDI brand glass, I can only do that at a dealer I'd have to pay up front, and State Farm would have to reimburse me.
And they said they might not pay the full amount, depending on comparable bids to do the work.
And it would have to be filed as a regular claim, which means it would go on my insurance record.
(Still no deductable, and it would not affect my premium. But it will show up as a claim.)

But if I go through one of their approved repair places, I'll get their warranty, they'll pay the bill without question and I won't have to put out any money. And it does not show up in my claim history.
The catch is that I cannot get AUDI brand glass.
I can get German glass, or PPG glass, but neither will have the Audi logo on it.


Should I take my chances with State Farm, and get the OEM glass ? Or should I follow their procedure and have it done their way with the aftermarket glass (albeit it would be a high-quality aftermarket glass) ?

Whether I go through the dealer, or whether I have State Farm deal directly with the glass shops, the same people would actually be doing the work. The difference is who pays whom and when. And where the glass is coming from -- the dealer or a third party vendor.

I'm starting to think that I should just pay the $40 in cash and have it repaired. Then put in a claim for replacement if it bothers me down the line.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks,
Peter


P.S. This glass issue is UNRELATED to the incident I posted a few lines down. But since my car is at the dealer for that other repair, I was thinking of having it done all at once.

 

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<B>-Ron, CT</B>

 

small chips easy to repair, deductible is waived. Archives say Audi glass is *not* preferred

 

Mine has a big chip too. Audi glass has pretty poor optical qualities. Vertical straight objects like telephone poles and signs are very distorted when viewed about 1/3 the way up the windshield, especially when turning. There are tons of defects in my glass.

 

I had a crack in the center that was spreading ± 3 in/day. I was worried about the integrity of the windshield and I drive on the freeway a lot. Dealer didn't have a windshield in stock and recommended that I go aftermarket. A local glass shop gave me the choice of "Standard" (PPG, I imagine) or "Premium" windshield. I went with the Premium to be sure it sealed OK and didn't increase wind noise. The installer said that State Farm would only pay for one tube of adhesive/sealant and two were required. Fine, go ahead, do it right... Well, it looks fine, no leaks, no gaps. Only difference is the color band at the top is greenish-blue, not gray. This Premium windshield is made by Sekurit Saint-Gobain at their Czech factory. This is one of Audi's OEM glass suppliers, although they have several European factories and I'll bet the Czech one doesn't supply the original Audi glass.

The optical distortion is similar to that in my old windshield. No better, no worse. I've heard various stories about the distortion -- it's thinner glass to save weight, it's under more tension because it's treated as a structural element, it's really _thicker_ glass. I'm not sure what to believe.

Oh, yeah. I wound up paying $140.00 out of pocket for deductible and sealant. The cost to the insurance company for that piece of glass was $950.00!!! Ack!!<p>Marty

99.5 2.8 Avant Casablanca/Ecru/Blue

 

I went with aftermarket Varicon for replacement; US glass noticeably less susceptible to rock damage, and has less distortion than German glass (have had several windshields replaced on Audis and Porsches.

You want more info, search the archives, lazybones.