Cracked Windscreen

Datastorm · Oct 16, 2016

Woke up this morning to find a huge crack on my windscreen (see pic). This was not present when I parked my car on the drive last, and I don't recall anything hitting my screen whilst driving yesterday which would account for it being weakened. Also I can't see a point of impact on the crack.

Now, this may seem like a silly question.... But could there of been a manufacturing defect in my screen? If so, would this be covered under the Audi warranty, my car is only 18mths old.

I feel glass is probably excluded, but thought I would ask. Failing that I'll have to claim on my insurance and pay the excess on windscreen cover.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, experiences appreciated.

Jeff

Scottyg · Oct 16, 2016

You might be lucky. Can't hurt to ask the question. Particularly if there is no specific impact point.
If it has been hit or something dropped on it, it could still crack if hit on the seal around the screen. Can't really see from that picture.

Datastorm · Oct 17, 2016

Datastorm said:
Woke up this morning to find a huge crack on my windscreen (see pic). This was not present when I parked my car on the drive last, and I don't recall anything hitting my screen whilst driving yesterday which would account for it being weakened. Also I can't see a point of impact on the crack.

Now, this may seem like a silly question.... But could there of been a manufacturing defect in my screen? If so, would this be covered under the Audi warranty, my car is only 18mths old.

I feel glass is probably excluded, but thought I would ask. Failing that I'll have to claim on my insurance and pay the excess on windscreen cover.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, experiences appreciated.

Jeff

Scottyg said:
You might be lucky. Can't hurt to ask the question. Particularly if there is no specific impact point.
If it has been hit or something dropped on it, it could still crack if hit on the seal around the screen. Can't really see from that picture.

A couple more images, this time from outside the vehicle. Will phone my local dealer and enquire.

Datastorm · Oct 17, 2016

Southampton Audi say it's not covered by the warranty, so Admiral here I come!

Scottyg · Oct 17, 2016

Looks like it's been hit by something in the top left of the crack. That's were it looks the deepest.
Good luck.

Neil C · Oct 17, 2016

Make sure you insist on a genuine Audi screen, and be prepared to dig your heels in if the insurance company refuse.

Datastorm · Oct 17, 2016

Neil C said:
Make sure you insist on a genuine Audi screen, and be prepared to dig your heels in if the insurance company refuse.

Good point, Neil

I have an S-Line maybe a slight tint to the glass, also thought it was an acoustic screen too (designated by the 'A' identifier)?
I've attached a pic if this helps anyone identify it?

GSB · Oct 17, 2016

Also with admiral. While I was having a chip repaired the auto glass tech told me that because the car was less than a year old, they're more or less obligated to supply OEM glass if you ask for it.

BarryG79 · Dec 29, 2016

Datastorm said:
Good point, Neil

I have an S-Line maybe a slight tint to the glass, also thought it was an acoustic screen too (designated by the 'A' identifier)?
I've attached a pic if this helps anyone identify it?

How did u get on getting OEM glass through insurance?

395miles on clock and the windscreen has cracked grrrrrr!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Audi S3 FL Stronic
Ibis White

paradigital · Dec 29, 2016

Never had a problem insisting on OE branded glass, even on my (at the time) 5 year old A6 avant.

Neil C · Dec 29, 2016

BarryG79 said:
How did u get on getting OEM glass through insurance?

395miles on clock and the windscreen has cracked grrrrrr!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Audi S3 FL Stronic
Ibis White

Had no problems with the insurance. Just asked politely but firmly for genuine glass, and they agreed. Had to wait a few days for it to arrive, but otherwise straightforward.

GSB · Dec 29, 2016

My insurance company farms it all out to autoglass. The fitter who attended my last repair told me that when the car is less than a year old, they're actually obligated to use OEM if you ask for it, and won't usually put up much opposition if the car is up to three years old. Older than that and you may have to twist arms, but it's usually not a problem.

BarryG79 · Dec 29, 2016

Good to here, thanks guys

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Audi S3 FL Stronic
Ibis White

SamR92 · Dec 29, 2016

Not sure if Audi Ensurance covers windscreen replacement? But if they do they guarantee OEM replacement and cover the difference if insurer wont foot bill

BarryG79 · Feb 5, 2017

BarryG79 said:
How did u get on getting OEM glass through insurance?

395miles on clock and the windscreen has cracked grrrrrr!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Audi S3 FL Stronic
Ibis White

Finally and now with 900miles on the clock my windscreen was replaced this morning with OEM glass. Originally made a booking with autoglass at stat of Jan requesting Audi glass to then find out the day before fitting that this had not been ordered! 2weeks for correct glass to come in by which time I was away on hols for 16nights. Got there in the end and all seems good, still to drive it yet so hopefully no issues with fitment, wind noise etc

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Rob2k68 · Feb 23, 2017

GSB said:
My insurance company farms it all out to autoglass. The fitter who attended my last repair told me that when the car is less than a year old, they're actually obligated to use OEM if you ask for it, and won't usually put up much opposition if the car is up to three years old. Older than that and you may have to twist arms, but it's usually not a problem.

About to put this to the test with Axa (via Adrian Flux) - car is two years old. Waiting for a call back but it's looking like I'll have to pay the difference which I'm fine with.

GSB · Feb 23, 2017

I may have to test it myself, 4 months old and a ****** great chip in the windscreen already...

AudiNutta · Feb 23, 2017

Don't go through insurance, you still have to declare it as a claim!

I replaced mine in my A3 for £190 cash. Much better option.

I parked mine up at work, 3 hours later it was cracked like yours. But, I know I had a chip on the black part of the screen below the wipers somehow and it stemmed from that. It was a cold morning then I parked it in the sun, sudden change in temperature must have done it.

Never understood how I got the chip, it was below the level of the bonnet on the screen :/ Anyway, £190 and it was replaced with no issues. Company I used is in South Wales area.

GSB · Feb 23, 2017

AudiNutta said:
Don't go through insurance, you still have to declare it as a claim!

Ive heard of this before, but it's not been my experience. Windscreen claims are not the same as other reported incidents, and they're often deliberately excluded from the questionnaire when you get a quote. I've never been asked to declare them before, and even when I've had them replaced in the past, I've never seen my premium increase or my NCB reduced.

Mind you, I am now of the age where insurance is relatively cheap. I think my premium is about £300 a year for an S3, fully comp, parked on a driveway in a bit of East London that's usually on fire.

Rob2k68 · Feb 23, 2017

AudiNutta said:
Don't go through insurance, you still have to declare it as a claim!

I replaced mine in my A3 for £190 cash. Much better option.

I parked mine up at work, 3 hours later it was cracked like yours. But, I know I had a chip on the black part of the screen below the wipers somehow and it stemmed from that. It was a cold morning then I parked it in the sun, sudden change in temperature must have done it.

Never understood how I got the chip, it was below the level of the bonnet on the screen :/ Anyway, £190 and it was replaced with no issues. Company I used is in South Wales area.

If I could do it for £190 rather than have the faff, wait a week and pay £75 excess I think that would be a good option. Acoustic screen with shade band is £301.64 - will be more if you have lane assist camera brkt on top of that.

Was the £190 OEM glass ?

AudiNutta · Feb 24, 2017

GSB said:
Ive heard of this before, but it's not been my experience. Windscreen claims are not the same as other reported incidents, and they're often deliberately excluded from the questionnaire when you get a quote. I've never been asked to declare them before, and even when I've had them replaced in the past, I've never seen my premium increase or my NCB reduced.

Mind you, I am now of the age where insurance is relatively cheap. I think my premium is about £300 a year for an S3, fully comp, parked on a driveway in a bit of East London that's usually on fire.

I read up on it in detail before claiming, because my insurance is so sensitive to claims being young. Apparently some companies ignore them, others treat them as a damage claim. The uncertainty was too much for the sake of an extra £100 upfront cost.

AudiNutta · Feb 24, 2017

Rob2k68 said:
If I could do it for £190 rather than have the faff, wait a week and pay £75 excess I think that would be a good option. Acoustic screen with shade band is £301.64 - will be more if you have lane assist camera brkt on top of that.

Was the £190 OEM glass ?

It wasn't OEM no, but I had no issues with it.

When I had a quote, he did ask what options my car had but didn't suggest it would increase price it was just so the screen had the correct cut outs.

It's worth it if you could get a screen even for £300, just in case you do have to declare it for the next 5 years.. you might double that amount in savings in that time, never know. I read online that people haven't had to declare, it's been on the insurance database and the insurance have presented them with the glass claim being valid against a driver claim.

billy.rt · Feb 24, 2017

Had mine replaced 4 weeks ago and I'm with swiftcover and a 23 year old driver and it doesn't effect the NCB and in my case it was a £75 excess and it was OEM glass with the rain sensor.

Jassyo06 · Feb 24, 2017

ln Dire need of a new screen.....going to check my insurance.....if not l will buy one,l have never known or had a windscreen that marks as easy as the one on my car.......????

SILVAF0XX · Apr 3, 2017

I know this is an old thread, but felt compelled to comment.

In my previous 20+ years of driving I have never had to have a chip repaired or a windscreen replaced. This all changed in 2014 when I got my Audi A3.

I am currently on my 4th windscreen in 2.5 years!

Now I appreciate that there are a lot of variables, luck being one of them, but can't help feeling that the screens are just inherently weak.

My first screen was replaced by Direct Line with OEM glass and they obliged me on the second occasion with OEM, but stated they weren't prepared to do it again. This latest replacement is not an OEM glass for a couple of reasons:
1. I couldn't be bothered with all the phone calls to try to get them to play ball again
2. My lovely S3 is on order so didn't feel the need for the sake of a few weeks.

Autoglass fitter did warn me that it wasn't OE, but I just said don't worry and crack on. Funnily enough, even though the screen looks like the rest and all the auto lights/wipers work correctly, there is a defect on the screen. When I'm driving and look at something like the painted line on the road you can see it's slightly distorted. Same thing with the lines on my garage door when I pull on the drive!

.... only a few more weeks to go though!

CookD · Apr 3, 2017

I've only had my car 1 week and got a 3.5cm stone chip on Saturday... sods law. Not had a windscreen chip for at least 7 years.

rajeevx5 · Apr 3, 2017

AudiNutta said:
Don't go through insurance, you still have to declare it as a claim!

I replaced mine in my A3 for £190 cash. Much better option.

I parked mine up at work, 3 hours later it was cracked like yours. But, I know I had a chip on the black part of the screen below the wipers somehow and it stemmed from that. It was a cold morning then I parked it in the sun, sudden change in temperature must have done it.

Never understood how I got the chip, it was below the level of the bonnet on the screen :/ Anyway, £190 and it was replaced with no issues. Company I used is in South Wales area.

I claimed for a new windscreen and drivers side window on my S3 last July with a total cost of £600. All OEM glass including the recalibration of the lane assist camera by audi all paid for by Admiral. When I got my new insurance policy with churchill I forgot to put it that I've claimed last year, so i added it on before i finally got it and made no difference at all to the quote. Im 21 who lives in London so my insurance isn't the cheapest but they didnt seem to care that I have had a windscreen claim. My dad claimed 3 times in a year once for his windscreen and the price didn't go up. Thats why id say you might aswell claim on Insurance for OEM glass as paying cash would be money down the drain IMO.

AudiNutta · Apr 3, 2017

rajeevx5 said:
I claimed for a new windscreen and drivers side window on my S3 last July with a total cost of £600. All OEM glass including the recalibration of the lane assist camera by audi all paid for by Admiral. When I got my new insurance policy with churchill I forgot to put it that I've claimed last year, so i added it on before i finally got it and made no difference at all to the quote. Im 21 who lives in London so my insurance isn't the cheapest but they didnt seem to care that I have had a windscreen claim. My dad claimed 3 times in a year once for his windscreen and the price didn't go up. Thats why id say you might aswell claim on Insurance for OEM glass as paying cash would be money down the drain IMO.

Some insurance companies penalise you, some don't.

CookD · Apr 4, 2017

After reading this, I have informed the glass company I will be paying for the repair and not going through insurance. Can't be bothered being penalised for the next 3/5 years when my premium is already ridiculous. £66 for the repair instead of £25 excess.

richinsoton · Apr 4, 2017

Richard Tallis said:
When I'm driving and look at something like the painted line on the road you can see it's slightly distorted. Same thing with the lines on my garage door when I pull on the drive!

My OEM original fit screen is like that as well...

CookD · Apr 4, 2017

CookD said:
After reading this, I have informed the glass company I will be paying for the repair and not going through insurance. Can't be bothered being penalised for the next 3/5 years when my premium is already ridiculous. £66 for the repair instead of £25 excess.

Just had the repair done, not really concealed the chip. Luckily it isn't in my field of vision so shouldn't bother me too much

SILVAF0XX · Apr 4, 2017

richinsoton said:
My OEM original fit screen is like that as well...

Well that is surprising to hear... It probably is just pot luck then!?!

AudiNutta · Apr 4, 2017

CookD said:
Just had the repair done, not really concealed the chip. Luckily it isn't in my field of vision so shouldn't bother me too much

It won't totally hide a chip but should reduce the size and in theory should stop it from cracking in the colder months.

richinsoton · Apr 4, 2017

Richard Tallis said:
Well that is surprising to hear... It probably is just pot luck then!?!

IIRC there was a thread about it on here a year or so ago may be more?. Possibly it's due to the curvature of the screen but once you notice it it does become a minor annoyance. It is a known issue & a few early cars did manage to get screens changed under warranty, although mine was declined.

S32B · Apr 4, 2017

To be honest I think the screens are pretty good! A few weeks back a van flicked up a big stone which hit my screen, I saw it coming up (it was that big) and looked away as I thought it was coming through!!! :blink:

It made a hell of a bang, I looked back up expecting to see a cracked screen, luckily it had just left a very small scuff mark and a faint thin scratch. If it had hit the body of the car it would have left a dent.

Datastorm · Apr 29, 2017

Finally got my screen changes through my Admiral insurance (via Autoglass for £75 excess), after putting it off for so long. Can confirm an OEM screen was installed, tint, sun visor band and acoustic properties as the original Audi one it was replacing.

The guy only took about 40mins to do the job, very professional service. Installation looks great, no problems and my auto wipers are functioning!

Have included a pic of the stamp mark on the screen to show the make/model installed.

BarryG79 · Apr 29, 2017

Datastorm said:
Finally got my screen changes through my Admiral insurance (via Autoglass for £75 excess), after putting it off for so long. Can confirm an OEM screen was installed, tint, sun visor band and acoustic properties as the original Audi one it was replacing.

The guy only took about 40mins to do the job, very professional service. Installation looks great, no problems and my auto wipers are functioning!

Have included a pic of the stamp mark on the screen to show the make/model installed.

Where's the Audi badge though?

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GSB · Aug 22, 2017

GSB said:
Ive heard of this before, but it's not been my experience. Windscreen claims are not the same as other reported incidents, and they're often deliberately excluded from the questionnaire when you get a quote. I've never been asked to declare them before, and even when I've had them replaced in the past, I've never seen my premium increase or my NCB reduced.

Mind you, I am now of the age where insurance is relatively cheap. I think my premium is about £300 a year for an S3, fully comp, parked on a driveway in a bit of East London that's usually on fire.

Just to expand on this, I have tonight renewed my insurance, and the difference in quotes from declaring 2 windscreen repairs or not?

£4...

Scottyg · Aug 22, 2017

GSB said:
Just to expand on this, I have tonight renewed my insurance, and the difference in quotes from declaring 2 windscreen repairs or not?

£4...

Who you with Grant?

GSB · Aug 22, 2017

That was with AXA, who were half the price of Admiral's preposterous four figure "valued customer"renewal...

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