windscreen repair - Auto Windscreens

[Desmond]

Monday morning, took the car from the garage and there was  long crack from the edge of the windscreen to the middle of the glass, just at eye level. It appears a small sharp stone had cracked the glass right at the very edge and the crack had lengthened overnight so it was now about 12 inches or more. I've had plenty of replacement screens over the years though, so no worries. Called Auto Windscreens as I am currently with Lexus insurance. They accept the booking and your excess fee payment, send you an email and then you wait, and wait, and wait. After 24 hours I rang them again and was actually given a time for the appointment. Was a bit miffed that they couldn't attend until Wednesday afternoon but OK.

When the new windscreen appeared with a nice chap in the van, it had no markings, in other words not a genuine Lexus replacement. The chap explained to me that unless the customer specifically requests a Lexus stamped replacement when booking the appointment, it will be a pattern part that is fitted. However, nowhere and at no time do Auto Windscreens give you this option! You only know if someone tells you. So I'm telling you lot  in advance.

The story goes on. I have in the past had pattern windscreens and they have been OK on the whole. A couple have had faults that caused the wipers to judder but otherwise I've been lucky. The last replacement I had was on my IS 250 but that came as a Lexus part. This Lexus CT is less than a year old so it seems reasonable to expect the same and certainly that's what I want after spending my hard earned cash on a luxury hatch. So between us the nice man and I rang Auto Windscreens and Lexus insurance, got authorisation for an accredited windscreen and assurance I would be contacted forthwith and given a new appointment.

I waited and waited, no call, text or email came. So I rang. They were waiting for the glass. In fact they had not even ordered it at that time but promised to do so. In the meantime said the cheery lady, you can carry on driving the car. If the law stops you just tell them what's happened it'll be alright. Well, personally I am not too keen on driving with a bloody great crack across my line of vision, distracting and distorting. If a child runs out in the road or whatever, I am driving an illegal and some would say dangerous vehicle. I pointed this out to the nice lady at Lexus Insurance when I got fed up of waiting again for Autowindscreens to get in touch. She kindly donned the footie boots and gave them a kick and I did receive a phone call.

The soonest the new screen can be fitted (they say) is 19th May which is 10 working days from my first call to Auto Windscreens. The glass has to come (they say) via the scenic route to Birmingham and then be redirected to Norfolk.

In fact the whole operation is a scam for them and the insurers to avoid paying for genuine manufacturers parts. None of this would have occurred if they were honest and open in the first phone call but they won't, because obviously we would all choose the genuine over the pattern part. So be warned folks.

[Bluesman]

2 hours ago, Desmond said:

Monday morning, took the car from the garage and there was  long crack from the edge of the windscreen to the middle of the glass, just at eye level. It appears a small sharp stone had cracked the glass right at the very edge and the crack had lengthened overnight so it was now about 12 inches or more. I've had plenty of replacement screens over the years though, so no worries. Called Auto Windscreens as I am currently with Lexus insurance. They accept the booking and your excess fee payment, send you an email and then you wait, and wait, and wait. After 24 hours I rang them again and was actually given a time for the appointment. Was a bit miffed that they couldn't attend until Wednesday afternoon but OK.

When the new windscreen appeared with a nice chap in the van, it had no markings, in other words not a genuine Lexus replacement. The chap explained to me that unless the customer specifically requests a Lexus stamped replacement when booking the appointment, it will be a pattern part that is fitted. However, nowhere and at no time do Auto Windscreens give you this option! You only know if someone tells you. So I'm telling you lot  in advance.

The story goes on. I have in the past had pattern windscreens and they have been OK on the whole. A couple have had faults that caused the wipers to judder but otherwise I've been lucky. The last replacement I had was on my IS 250 but that came as a Lexus part. This Lexus CT is less than a year old so it seems reasonable to expect the same and certainly that's what I want after spending my hard earned cash on a luxury hatch. So between us the nice man and I rang Auto Windscreens and Lexus insurance, got authorisation for an accredited windscreen and assurance I would be contacted forthwith and given a new appointment.

I waited and waited, no call, text or email came. So I rang. They were waiting for the glass. In fact they had not even ordered it at that time but promised to do so. In the meantime said the cheery lady, you can carry on driving the car. If the law stops you just tell them what's happened it'll be alright. Well, personally I am not too keen on driving with a bloody great crack across my line of vision, distracting and distorting. If a child runs out in the road or whatever, I am driving an illegal and some would say dangerous vehicle. I pointed this out to the nice lady at Lexus Insurance when I got fed up of waiting again for Autowindscreens to get in touch. She kindly donned the footie boots and gave them a kick and I did receive a phone call.

The soonest the new screen can be fitted (they say) is 19th May which is 10 working days from my first call to Auto Windscreens. The glass has to come (they say) via the scenic route to Birmingham and then be redirected to Norfolk.

In fact the whole operation is a scam for them and the insurers to avoid paying for genuine manufacturers parts. None of this would have occurred if they were honest and open in the first phone call but they won't, because obviously we would all choose the genuine over the pattern part. So be warned folks.

Well done you, I always admire anyone who sticks up for their proper rights. Carry on the fight, your country needs you.

[Finzky]

If I havent read this post, probably I would ended up with chinese aftermarket windscreen on my lexux (touch the wood so far so good apart of couple of scratches on it, but still annoyn). I would like to wish you soor propper issue solving and personaly from me massive thanks for the information and once again good luck with your matter!

[Coxy]

All the glass franchises use aftermarket non OEM glass unless specified or in rare occasions where they use non manufacturer etched pilkington glass that is OEM quality but without the manufacturers stamp.

How else are they making a profit? 

Most of the glass is of Euro source (Nordglass, Polish), with some Chinese sourced becoming more common as the Chinese up their game.

NONE of the after markets will be OEM QUALITY, They will all claim and be factually correct that it meets OEM Spec (note the difference in wording), which will mean in terms of shatter specs, thickness, safety specs etc but it will not be up to OEM quality, especially Lexus'es quality control. 

Having said that I am using a Nordglass windscreen with perfectly acceptable results but only as I had to pay for replacement. If insurers were doing it I would be requesting OEM.

[Desmond]

Thank you for the supportive comments. I doubt there is anything I can do to prove that the new windscreen is not going to take 6 working days to find its way to Norfolk. My main purpose though was to warn people to ask about the authenticity of the part from the very start. In fairness to Auto Windscreens I would guess most other windscreen firms and insurance companies do the same thing and if my car was a lot older and dodgier perhaps I wouldn't be so bothered.

It makes you wonder though doesn't it? How about those "approved" bodywork repairers that you insurance company directs you to. If your new Lexus needs a new wing or door skin, will it be a genuine Lexus or a pattern one? How will you know the metal is that mm or 2 thinner or needed that little bit of filler here and there?

There are people more knowledgeable than me about such things on LOC who could maybe comment but to be honest, nothing would surprise me.

[steveledzep]

The communication standards from Auto Windscreens sounds awful. I have used Autoglass this week and they have been fantastic, cannot fault them.  My parallel thread entitled "Damaged Windscreen" reports.

 

You make a very good point about "approved" bodywork repairers Michael......just as I don't know the provenance of my new screen 

[rayaans]

17 hours ago, Coxy said:

All the glass franchises use aftermarket non OEM glass unless specified or in rare occasions where they use non manufacturer etched pilkington glass that is OEM quality but without the manufacturers stamp.

How else are they making a profit? 

Most of the glass is of Euro source (Nordglass, Polish), with some Chinese sourced becoming more common as the Chinese up their game.

NONE of the after markets will be OEM QUALITY, They will all claim and be factually correct that it meets OEM Spec (note the difference in wording), which will mean in terms of shatter specs, thickness, safety specs etc but it will not be up to OEM quality, especially Lexus'es quality control. 

Having said that I am using a Nordglass windscreen with perfectly acceptable results but only as I had to pay for replacement. If insurers were doing it I would be requesting OEM.

I suggest you read the original post again

OP said he is with Lexus Insurance

Lexus insurance specifically say that the car is repaired with OEM parts should something happen and they charge a handsome insurance premium for the privilege. 

Therefore if I'd forked out £1.5k (what I was quoted for Lexus insurance) I'd be wanting an OEM screen with the Lexus markings on.

[scudney]

hi, I had a cracked windscreen(IS 200) a few years ago,luckily I had read a lot on this forum regarding problems with non Lexus labelled windscreens not fitting properly,letting water in etc. Consequently when I first contacted my insurer they were  a bit reluctant to accept my request for a Lexus labelled windscreen,however after refusing to accept anything else and insisting that's what I wanted,a few days later they agreed to my request. I then had to wait 2 weeks and equally had to phone auto glass to inform them of my request and make sure they didn't bring anything else.

[Coxy]

1 hour ago, rayaans said:

I suggest you read the original post again

 

Thanks.

[Glasstec_Paul]

On 5/11/2017 at 2:31 PM, Desmond said:

In fact the whole operation is a scam for them and the insurers to avoid paying for genuine manufacturers parts. None of this would have occurred if they were honest and open in the first phone call but they won't, because obviously we would all choose the genuine over the pattern part. So be warned folks.

An interesting read, and thank you for sharing your experience. It's a subject I look at from two vantage points: one, like yourself, as a consumer and the second as someone involved in the industry (as a repair and replacement service provider). It's frustrating on both counts as there is so much misleading going on; so much misinformation being spread and worst of all, most brokers/insurers/underwriters - as well as their nominated repairers - are getting away with it without being challenged. 

Over the quarter of a century I've been involved in the industry, I've arrived at a few conclusions. It can get quite tiring, but I will gladly converse with anyone who is facing these issues: the unwaivering insurance companies; the lying repairers; the misinformation etc.

In the OP's case, there is actually a requirement BEFORE the insurance proposal is accepted:

'ICOBS 6.1.5' is a requirement:

"A firm must take reasonable steps to ensure a customer is given appropriate information about a policy in good time and in a comprehensible form so that the customer can make an informed decision about the arrangements proposed".

6.1.7(2) is guidance (but usually followed) and "policy terms, including its main benefits, exclusions, limitations, conditions and its duration" should be shown.

Annex 2 suggests a policy Summary to be included (it must for a life policy), and to show :-

Significant features and benefits.
Significant or unusual exclusions or limitations, and cross-references to the relevant policy document provisions.

They don't require the summary (i.e. not the small print) to show everything, just things that may not normally be found in comparable contracts.

i.e. enough information to allow them to make a informed decision.

 

All this should be made avaialble BEFORE inception. As a consumer, I've experienced this with my own policies, and they do not make those salient points known before you accept. Frankly speaking, who is going to read a 64 page booklet full of jargon and hard-to-understand, grammatically verbose 'terms' when there's a deal to be closed?

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/motor-insurance-windscreen-cover/

 

MODS: it's a blog, and not a commercial link (it just helps to link rather than type it all out again). 

[bobmc]

8 hours ago, Glasstec_Paul said:

http://www.glasstecpaul.com/motor-insurance-windscreen-cover/

 

MODS: it's a blog, and not a commercial link (it just helps to link rather than type it all out again). 

Very interesting reading

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowlege and experience

 

[Rednotdead]

I can endorse Glasstec_Paul.  I had cause to use his services for my previous car, he's a chap that knows what he's on about and is passionate about his craft.  Highly recommended.

[Desmond]

Things have moved on a little. The date for fitting the replacement screen is 19th May. Auto Windscreens are only allowed by contract to use certain suppliers. So while I as a private customer can get a windscreen and ancillaries delivered from either of two main dealers I called within 48 hours, it takes Auto Windscreens 6 working days to do the same.

I am indebted to Glasstec_Paul for backing up almost exactly what I said to Auto Windscreens about the customer being given all the options on the first booking.

Now here is the key bit - Auto Windscreens have different service level agreements with different insurance companies. For some of those companies (they won't say which) the agreement says Auto Windscreens must fit a factory replacement screen by default.

For others, including Lexus Insurance, there is no such stipulation. Under Lexus Insurance the onus is entirely on the customer to request the part, Auto Windscreens are 'instructed' not to mention it at all.

The above I discovered by raising a complaint with Auto Windscreens whose staff I must say have been as friendly and co-operative as could be on a personal level.  I have also raised a written complaint with Lexus Insurance as I feel the responsibility lies at least equally with them and we'll see what they have to say.

Incidentally, does anyone happen to know what the LOC Insurance's policy is on windscreens and replacement parts?