The SE Idaho Windshield (Blackfoot, Rigby: rental car, rental, insurance)

[norcalmom101]

I'm curious about folks experience with cracked windshields in SE Idaho. In the areas I'm familiar with, from Bannock to Fremont counties, crushed rock is used during the winter for traction on the roads. Last Spring or early Summer a little rock came flying out of nowhere and cracked my windshield. I couldn't see the crack at first, but by the second day it was over 6" long.

I had the windshield replaced right away, but then the exact same thing happenned about 2-3 weeks later, again, a tiny rock flying outta nowhere.

This time I didn't bother to replace the windshield. I had a co-worker with a broken windshield and hadn't fathomed why he didn't fix it, even though he had insurance.

Since then I notice that a significant number of vehicles have cracked windshields. I read awhile back about a stretch of highway where you could claim your windshield was cracked and due to the highway conditions the county would pay the damages. I'm too honest for that (darn!) since it didn't happen there.

I've heard about some expensive coating for the glass that prevents chips/cracks, but it was around $400.

Does anyone have any advice? Should I just accept the cracked windshield as part of life here until I sell the car?

[abbie132]

We live in Blackfoot and yep it is a problem. We have lived here 2 years now and have 4 autos. Every single one of them has gotten chips and cracks from flying rocks and such. If the chip is just a little dink we dont do anything about it. If it turns into a huge crack then it is taken care of from the insurance. But it has happened so much that little chinks dont warrant a fix for us anymore. LOL

[norcalmom101]

Does your insurance just keep paying? Mine is third party out of state, and the copay was 100 bucks.

[abbie132]

You know I need to check it cause I am not sure. We have no pay on the windshield but only have changed out one so far as it was the only one that resulted in a huge crack.

[Hootie&theBlowfish]

i dont live in idaho, but i did drive thru it before (for all of a few hours) and this was the only time i have ever gotten a cracked windshield. it was in a rental car too. what is it about idaho's rocks?

[norcalmom101]

It's not the rocks, it's the guidance system.

[pw72]

Little secret about insurance windshield policies...there usually is no cost (zero) to the consumer for dings, becuase quite simply, dings turn into cracks, and eventually replacements. So the insurance companies are actually trying to protect themselves by offering this free service (still billed, but no cost to consumer). Interestingly, though, I had a ding that I didn't notice that eventually became a crack, and still my insurance only billed me a $100 deductible (my normal deductible is 500), for complete replacement. I think the insurance companies are handling these issues quite well, but mostly for their own benefit.

As for the incidence of these issues occuring in E. Idaho, yes, I have never had so many dings in any other part of the country I have lived in. However, I drive I-15 on a daily basis and what with all the truck traffic and weather-related issues, I guess I am not surprised. I wonder if there are any "clean-up" efforts along the freeway. My guess would be negative.

[cleosmom]

My insurance no longer covers the cracks/chips, they do cover replacing the windshields though.

NCM101, regarding the treatment you're talking about. Had I bought my Toaster a few months later that would have been an option, darn. My salesman was telling me about once when I was out for an oil change. He said that it was guaranteed for 5 years I think. Don't know if that stands true everywhere or just at that particular dealership.

[skidaho]

My insurance is $500 deductible and they pay to fix rock chips. Some years back I had $100 deductible and I could actually get windshields replaced free. But after I had 2 windshields replaced my premium went way up. So I went to $500 deductible.
I have a vehicle that I bought new over 3 years ago. I have gotten about 8 rock chips in the windshield and after I paid for the first few I found out my insurance paid for rock chip repair. The last chip I got was worse and had a crack coming out of it. My usual glass shop couldn't or wouldn't fix it.
I have another vehicle that I bought a year ago that had a new windshield. I got a chip in it this Spring and it became a crack about 6 inches long. Then I heard about a shop that can fix cracks up to 12 inches long. I had my doubts but I got both of my windshields fixed and you can barely tell there were cracks there. And my insurance paid for it. My original equipment 3 year old windshield still looks pretty good.
I got almost every rock chip on Highway 20. There are 2 sections that were resurfaced, each a few miles long, between the south end of Rigby and the Thornton area. There is a big strip in the middle where the surface rocks all came loose. Every time someone would change lanes anywhere in front of you and drive across the center, rocks would come flying up. It's not as bad now. Most of the looser rocks have already come off.
The shop that fixed the cracks in my windshield is Windshield Rescue. They are on the corner of 3rd & Holmes.

[Hayduke777]

Last time I had a windshield replaced I got it done at the Toyota dealer and got a high quality PPG windshield for the same exact price ($250) as my co-pay for a generic piece of junk windshield that Windshield Doctor had installed previously. That cheap, generic glass is so bad you feel like you're underwater with all the rippling and bubbles in the glass. It also chips and breaks much easier so you'll be constantly repairing them as opposed to quality glass.