[Oranga]

Over the weekend, I got a rock chip that grew to a pretty long (20") crack. I scheduled a guy to come out, and one of the first things he did was take the black moldings on the sides of the windshield off. I noticed that some of the clips on the retainer that hold the molding had broken off, so I had him stop the work. He called his shop and asked them to call a Ford dealer to get a quote on the parts. They called back and quoted $150ish :shocked::crying:. I asked if they would cover the cost since it happened during the repair and they said no because they "never know how these things might go". I told them I'd think about and the guy put the car back together(ish) and left.

What are my options here? Are they really not responsible for the damage done to the car?

 

[ddfred]

Over the weekend, I got a rock chip that grew to a pretty long (20") crack. I scheduled a guy to come out, and one of the first things he did was take the black moldings on the sides of the windshield off. I noticed that some of the clips on the retainer that hold the molding had broken off, so I had him stop the work. He called his shop and asked them to call a Ford dealer to get a quote on the parts. They called back and quoted $150ish :shocked::crying:. I asked if they would cover the cost since it happened during the repair and they said no because they "never know how these things might go". I told them I'd think about and the guy put the car back together(ish) and left.

What are my options here? Are they really not responsible for the damage done to the car?

I'm willing to bet they marked that price up a bunch, and, it seems to me that they should be liable for something that they broke...video would be handy.

 

[SHOdown220]

Some of those clips almost always break off when removing the molding, not anything you can do about it. So i wouldn't say that he caused the damaged, its just one of those things you can't help. That being said I always quote those clips in with a repair anytime the molding has to come off. And yes, they are quite expensive (although $150 seems a tad high). So yes, they should have quoted you a higher price for the initial repair, and I doubt they will take care of it. Either way you would end up paying for them unless filing under insurance.

 

[Unfitproduct]

"they never know how things might go" RED FLAG. Those blokes better pay for it.

 

[Oranga]

I was looking at the clips more closely, and the way they are built, it seems like the molding should be SLID in and out, not pried up like he did.

Again, realistically, what are my options here? I can ask them to cover the cost, but they can just as easily tell me to pound sand. I don't want to sue them over a few hundred bucks because lawyer fees alone would cost more.

 

[Captain]

a. Who were you using? Sounds like a small local. I've used SAFELITE many times over the years with no complaints. They have a very good warranty. It is who my insurance recommends. IME they bring NEW trim pieces with the glass.

b. Small claims court .... no lawyers involved ....

c. Have you looked into getting insurance that covers glass? For me, glass falls under comprehensive part of the coverage, costs little for a ZERO deductible. I've never had a rate increase after a front glass claim, and I've had at least a dozen over the years.

d. In Florida (and some other states), if you have insurance that covers glass, the insurance can not charge a deductible on front glass no matter what your policy says. State law. Considered a safety issue.

 

[Oranga]

a. I'd rather not put their name on here just yet, but they are a national chain as well.

b. okay, didn't realize no lawyers there

c. I had never thought about it until this incident - never had any issues with windshields in my other cars! I tried calling my insurance first to see if I had any such policy in place, but they told me no and no, and since my deductible is $1k, it wouldn't make sense to make a claim. I will look into it now though!

 

[hoffmaw1]

They are pretty much impossible to remove without breaking. I had my windshield replaced but knew about this before and bought new ones which I installed after the tech removed the windshield. $150 is way too high. I got them both from TASCA with shipping for $41. The P/N are BM5Z-5803179-A and BM5Z-5803178-A. They are held on with some heavy duty adhesive tape so it takes some effort to pull them off and you'll probably break the old ones. They are a pain to install because the tape wants to stick to everything so adjustments are difficult. Make sure when the new ones are placed in they are aligned perfectly before the windshield is installed because there is no adjusting them after that.

 

[Lou64]

Don't think it's worth the trouble to take anyone to court. If you feel it was due to their negligence, then I would let them know that if they won't cover it you will not be using them again and giving them negative reviews on all the websites you frequent.

 

[Oranga]

I should clarify, that the quote for $150 was mostly because the moldings were expensive, the retainers themselves were about $15 each. But I wanted to ask about the moldings too because some of the rubber had started to dry rot.
@hoffmaw1 - thanks for the lead on TASCA!

 

[Blindeye_03]

How can anyone say they werent responsible for braking these when they physically had their hands on the part and broke it? No offense but to hell with them if they wont replace them, and their tech is an idiot that should have either known better or been prepared to replace them.

Sounds like a shady company to deal with.

 

[hoffmaw1]

No problem. Tasca and Tousley Ford Parts are two good places to order parts. I think you can order all the trim for the window for less than $150.

 

[Basia1023]

a. Who were you using? Sounds like a small local. I've used SAFELITE many times over the years with no complaints. They have a very good warranty. It is who my insurance recommends. IME they bring NEW trim pieces with the glass.

b. Small claims court .... no lawyers involved ....

c. Have you looked into getting insurance that covers glass? For me, glass falls under comprehensive part of the coverage, costs little for a ZERO deductible. I've never had a rate increase after a front glass claim, and I've had at least a dozen over the years.

d. In Florida (and some other states), if you have insurance that covers glass, the insurance can not charge a deductible on front glass no matter what your policy says. State law. Considered a safety issue.

We used Safelite and they broke one on my son's car, went back and they did nothing. They said it happens sometimes, you'd think they would replace it and charge the insurance

 

[909cobra]

And this is why my windshield is still cracked