Odd one this.
We were driving back from London yesterday on the M40 somewhere around Banbury when the drivers window of the van in front exploded out.
He was in the middle lane and we were about 50 yards behind overtaking and it sent a shower of glass against our car.
At first it didn't seem any sort of a big deal, the sound was similar to a shower of hailstones or something. The driver of the van pulled to the inside but carried on going, and my wife and I decided to carry on to the next services to stop.
Silly really, we should have pulled over immediately. Anyway the upshot is the windscreen (passenger side) has a very small chip and lots of tiny pin-pricks, and the front bonnet has quite a lot of tiny little scratches - again just pin-pricks really, you'd have to be told they were there.
Autoglass have been out and reckon it's a new windscreen job, so my wife is set on claiming through the insurance and re-doing the paint too, even though it's not really noticeable. The accident wasn't logged (we phoned the police on returning home) so if we go that route it's going to cost her the excess and I presume affect her no-claims too. She thinks otherwise because it wasn't her fault.
To be honest I'm at a loss, does anyone have any advice here? I've no idea what to do. In hindsight, stop and ring the police would have been top of the list, but thinking back I'm sure the hard shoulder was in use as a fourth lane at the time - I'm probably mistaken.
Worst case scenario, it's a bonnet respray and new windscreen on a 15 plate Qashqai which surely wouldn't be worth cocking up the insurance for would it?
I'm going to get some prices tomorrow. My wife is in a right flap over it though which means I'm going to be miserable for the rest of the week I suppose.
Sounds like wifey is making a drama over nowt!
a small chip and pin pricks doesn't mean a new screen, just a chip fill if you want to and as for the bonnet I bet a t cut would shift all the marks.
would you pull over a car in front that's thrown up a chipping and made a small chip in the screen?, I know I wouldn't. Tell her to move on.
mike
New windscreen doesn't normally affect no claims or excess.
Respaying bonnet - beat to get a few quotes, but would agree either not worth doing or not worth making a claim for
Get the screen filled as someone suggested and try machine polishing the bonnet if the marks are light. Doesn't sound like it is worth getting insurance involved at all.
Even if your wife doesnt lose her no claims, any accident/claim/repair etc to the car , will have to be declared to the insurers.
Im pretty sure, that even in a no fault claim, the pesky insurers still up the dividends come renewal time...........(for up to 5 years usually).
Windscreens should not affect NCB, and most don't view it negatively as a claim when it comes to quoting for renewals. I have replaced several windscreens and paid my £70 excess for the windscreen.
As for the tiny pin pricks, get someone like the Chip Wizard or similar mobile painter to do it. I scuffed a car on a dry stone wall in Snowdonia, once they'd finished you couldn't even tell.
Agreed, windscreens dont affect your no claims...but a claim for any paintwork certainly will!!Originally Posted by IdiotAbroad
A bit of kidology might help: spend an hour or two T-cutting the bonnet, then repolish using one of those coloured polishes that supposedly fill scratches. Tell her it's now all sorted and the chances are she'll agree with you. You'll probably find the T cut will work because the damage is likely to be in the lacquer and (hopefully) hasn`t penetrated to the paint. Either way this is probably worth considering. It really isn't worth losing no-claims bonus for etc.
As for the screen, it may or may not be repairable. All depends how bad it is and whether it's deemed to be in the line of vision. I got a local screen repair buy to sort one out a few years back when selling my stepson's car and I was impressed.
Paul
It shouldn't be recorded as a fault claim if you went through the insurers however as it wouldn't be possible to claim from the third party it will have a negative affect come the next insurance premium.
It sounds like the windscreen needs replacing as per Autoglass' recommendation so get that done via insurance, for the paintwork I'd get a couple of quotes from mobile SMART repairers - a quick machine polish may have it looking like new again. You could have a go at polishing out the marks yourself however you'll need to take care and use the correct products, T-Cut for example is a relatively harsh abrasive and many "polishes" that you'll need to use after using T-Cut have fillers in them (Autoglym Super Resin is a good example) i.e. instead of refining and smoothing off the swirls that T-Cut will create they'll just fill them in. Over maybe a few weeks these fillers will break down and you'll be left with the micro-marring that the T-Cut creates, catch those areas in bright light and they won't look pretty.
Please don't put T Cut anywhere near the car, as correctly mentioned above it will make a real mess.
It's such an old school compound these days.
If you don't know anyone with a DA machine to buff it out, you could try by hand but will be hard work.
I'd give a mobile detailer a call & explain it - might be able to sort you out quickly.
Failing that, get a smart repair person over to sort it out.
Amazing what polished out with the right tools.
Well, thanks for the replies chaps but one of the little nibbles on the windscreen I dismissed as nothing is now a 15" long crack!
New one being fitted on Monday. Whoops, should have listened to the autoglass chappie.
As far as the paintwork, the machine polish worked a treat so many thanks for the suggestions.
That reminds me of a stone chip I once got as I was leaving Eastbourne.Well, thanks for the replies chaps but one of the little nibbles on the windscreen I dismissed as nothing is now a 15" long crack!
New one being fitted on Monday. Whoops, should have listened to the autoglass chappie.
As far as the paintwork, the machine polish worked a treat so many thanks for the suggestions.
I watched it growing as I drove and by Birmingham it was the full height of the windscreen.
Wifes fault or not, she lose no claims unless there's another party your insurer can claim from, same as car park damage or vandalism, it's a claim your insurer has to pay out for. Even if the other driver was traced and their insurer paid, your premium will still go up and you'll have to declare it at every renewal for the next 3-5 years.
Traveling to the airport along the M60 one early morning to catch a flight I overtook a tipper truck, as I did a half brick flew out of the rear tyres it must have been caught between the double ones at the rear, I watched it fly over my car narrowly missing it then land on a cars windscreen that was following me in a similar overtaking manoeuvre.
Which was very unlucky because there was only the 3 of us on the section of motorway at 3am.
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Last edited by Fords; 30th July 2017 at 06:54.
^^^^^
Goes to show, there's advantages for not being tight and paying for decent flight times.
Its highly likely that Highways England have video footage of the other vehicle parked up after the incident.
If you wish to pursue the other driver, they will release the details if you can provide the time and approximate location of the incident.
DVLA are always very willing to disclose driver details if you have 'due reason', which is how parking scammers find us so easily :(
Spot on, I was thinking about the possibility of this happening at the time I booked the flight, silly mistake, I've learned my lesson.
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