Car windscreen cracked

Jamies_Mum

When I bought this car second hand 3 months ago it came with a cracked windscreen which was a advisory on the MOT. It's about 2ft long and goes across the bottom of the window, it arches in 2 places like a big wiggly line and doesn't restrict vision ect, I've been meaning to repair it but hadn't yet.
It's icy this morning and I didn't have any deicer so I just used the heater for about 10 minutes, window cleared up + i went to take my partner to work, pulled up at the petrol station and the cracks just got twice as big!

Now OH is on one because I drove back home (2 minutes from petrol station) as I wasn't gonna drive 40 minutes if the cracks expanding! I have no idea if it would of got worse had I continued or even shattered completely and I had my 5 yr old in the back in his pyjamas.

But, now I don't know, would it have been ok too drive still? I drive for about 6 hours every day for work. Then errands when I'm not. So I'm really gonna miss it untill I can get some cash together. Payday isn't for 2 weeks yet and with Christmas round the corner I can't afford 2 weeks off work nor £300/400 for a new windscreen.

I'm with Tesco insurance which has a £75 excess for windscreen replacements BUT it says for 'damage done whilst under their insurance' and the crack was there before I bought it.

Any advice?

New_determination

Idk I doubt it's going to shatter.. I'd still drive it. But that's just me.

Glassypaul

Jamies_Mum wrote: »

Payday isn't for 2 weeks yet and with Christmas round the corner I can't afford 2 weeks off work nor £300/400 for a new windscreen.

Shop around for a cheaper quote?

Jamies_Mum wrote: »

I'm with Tesco insurance which has a £75 excess for windscreen replacements BUT it says for 'damage done whilst under their insurance' and the crack was there before I bought it.

Any advice?

It appears that you are simply looking for someone to tell you that it is OK to scam your insurance company.

Alatariel75

You're right to be concerned about it shattering, particularly as you are having extreme temperatures. Cold makes it shrink and then when you blast hot air on it, it expands rapidly. Couple that with there being a meeting of warmth on one side and extreme cold on the other while you drive with the heater on, there's actually a reasonable chance it could go.

I'd shop around, but I'd not be driving it. Particularly as the crack is already showing instability.

Glassypaul

Alatariel75 wrote: »

You're right to be concerned about it shattering, particularly as you are having extreme temperatures. Cold makes it shrink and then when you blast hot air on it, it expands rapidly. Couple that with there being a meeting of warmth on one side and extreme cold on the other while you drive with the heater on, there's actually a reasonable chance it could go.

I'd shop around, but I'd not be driving it. Particularly as the crack is already showing instability.

Please resist from giving advice especially when you clearly/evidently do not know what you're talking about.

Toughened windscreens, or 'zone' toughened windscreens (or the ones that used to shatter) disappeared as standard features in cars around 30 years ago. All production cars now have laminated windscreens (two layers of 'float' glass sandwiching a Polyvinyl Butyral layer in between).

Of course, there's a possibility that the OP is driving a 1954 Austin of some extraction, but the fact she says her windscreen has cracked pretty much confirms that the car is most probably post-millenniuml besides, anyone driving a classic or vintage car probably wouldn't have asked the question in a fitness forum, in all fairness.

_incogNEATo_

Glassypaul wrote: »

Jamies_Mum wrote: »

Payday isn't for 2 weeks yet and with Christmas round the corner I can't afford 2 weeks off work nor £300/400 for a new windscreen.

Shop around for a cheaper quote?

Jamies_Mum wrote: »

I'm with Tesco insurance which has a £75 excess for windscreen replacements BUT it says for 'damage done whilst under their insurance' and the crack was there before I bought it.

Any advice?

It appears that you are simply looking for someone to tell you that it is OK to scam your insurance company.

I read that as making a statement that insurance couldn't fix it because it was already there. You're not doing very well at this Paul.

Glassypaul

_incogNEATo_ wrote: »

Glassypaul wrote: »

Jamies_Mum wrote: »

Payday isn't for 2 weeks yet and with Christmas round the corner I can't afford 2 weeks off work nor £300/400 for a new windscreen.

Shop around for a cheaper quote?

Jamies_Mum wrote: »

I'm with Tesco insurance which has a £75 excess for windscreen replacements BUT it says for 'damage done whilst under their insurance' and the crack was there before I bought it.

Any advice?

It appears that you are simply looking for someone to tell you that it is OK to scam your insurance company.

I read that as making a statement that insurance couldn't fix it because it was already there. You're not doing very well at this Paul.

What advice is left to give in that case? The first part of the dilemma was to say she couldn't justify that kind of spend in her current circumstances; the second was to say that she is [however] insured (but the Terms & Conditions say it [quite rightly] does not cover any loss which occurred before the policy was incepted).

Give it a little bit of time and someone will be along to say what really happens, and that is, the insurance company have no way of knowing when the damage occurred and therefore will have to rely on the honesty and integrity of their client.