Car Window Repair:

I am one of the unfortunately few that has had to have my car windows replaced a few times. The first time it happened was a few years back and some guy pulled out of a parking space and hit the back passenger side door of my car which in turn popped the passenger window. I had to temporarily cover the window with a plastic cover and tape until I could get the glass replaced. The auto glass replacement company was able to come out the next day and repair the window rather easily. Just pop off the door panel and vacuum up the glass shards, then remove the remnants of the old window and replace it with a new one. The process seemed easy enough and the guy who hit me paid for the entire thing. Just recently I had my car broken into by some pathetic thieves who decided that they would break my passenger side vent window (the little one on cars that doesn't roll down) and then unlock the door. That window is one of the hardest to replace and therefore the bill to fix that one was much higher than the repair job on the larger (main) window a few years ago.

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Most of these auto body and glass repair companies deal with windshields that need replacement after getting cracks and this is big business. We live in the Portland, Oregon area and during the winter months with rain and bad weather, rocks and other debris often fly up onto cars windshields on freeways like I-5 and break glass or at least crack it pretty good. I was talking to the owner of one of these shops and he said on peak days he was doing 5 windshield repairs (at $500 a piece that's pretty good). Most of the time you can get your insurance to pay for it depending on your deductible and policy. In both my cases, the deductible would have been $500 and I would have risked the fact that the insurance rates may even go up after dinging them for such a minor claim. I did not report either of these things to the insurance company. The good news about all these car glass repair companies is that they have mobile service so they come right to your vehicle. After the crooks had broken into my car and I had filed the police report, I called the glass repair guys and they were out to the my house within a day. Trying to do a job like that yourself is near impossible since it requires some training and skill to fit the glass panel in exactly.

Broken Car Window Cost:

I've had two episodes in my life where I had to replace the car window glass - the first was about $200 and the second time I forked over $280. You can get an estimate pretty much over the phone from these glass repair shops. They go off your car make, model and which window was broken or needs replacing. The small vent windows take the most time since you have to remove practically the entire door to get access to it. The glass was roughly $150 and the labor (it took 1 hour) was $80/hr. That was standard - I check with 2 other glass shops to see what they charge. All were within a few dollars of each other. What took me by surprise was that the small vent window (a triangular shape) that is maybe 8 inches wide at most and 12 inches high could cost so much. It's a custom fit and harder to get - especially on older cars. The price is even higher for the back glass as that takes more time to do. On my invoice they tried to show me that the list price for the glass was $245 and they gave me a deal as they only charged me $150 for the materials. I don't believe that pricing, but what can you do when all the shops in town are charging the same prices to fix a broken car window.

Auto Glass Replacement:

Auto glass replacement and repair is a huge business. An old high school friend worked for one of these companies for 10 years and he said business was booming most of the time. Whether it's a cracked windshield or a broken quarter glass, owners of cars don't have much of a choice and they pretty much have to repair it. Insurance companies are involved in many of these repairs - especially for those of you that have lower deductibles on your policy. I see commercials where I live for windshield repairs where they claim to handle all the paperwork with your insurance company and even give you something like $200 in dining credits at a local restaurant. When you live in an area with lots or rain like Portland, you can't just drive around with a broken car window. There are windshield repair kits you can buy that help seal up cracks or "stars" as they often look like, but eventually they need replacment.

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