Luckily this is the first time I’ve had a cracked windscreen.
The crack is in the corner and probably 10cm long. The car is due back to the lease company shortly by coincidence. Question is, repair/replace before they assess their fair wear and tear policy? I doubt this will be considered fair wear but happy to hear from some knowledgeable people.
It is a Seat Leon if that matters.
If it's an MOT failure then you will need to get it repaired or be charged for it by the lease co. It may give more specific detail in your lease documents.
Windscreens generally don't count as a claim on fully comp insurance.
So it's a question of whether the excess is greater or smaller than the fee the hire company will chage you
Get it fixed asap for your own safety
Most companies use the the same guidelines:
So no cracks at all - even if not an MoT fail, or you will pay a fee for repair. Your insurer may cover for free or low cost.
Whatever it says in your lease agreement.
As per what Poly said, there will be guidelines. When my Honda went back they presented me with a a list of fails, I contested well over half of it and they dropped everything I challenged without further argument.
You will probably be partially covered by your insurance for windscreen replacement (ie excess of 100-150 quid, no no claims impact IME). If you send it back to the lease company like that they may simply replace it with a dealer part and charge you full whack for that. Windscreens, especially the ones with 'features', and with modern driver aids which then need recalibrating, are expensive to buy and to fit.
So if you are considering just leaving it, find out what their approach will be. I doubt it will be cheaper than your excess.
Plus, if it's in a certain part of the screen, it's deemed unroadworthy.
I used to work in end of lease vehicle collections. The key thing you need to check is the criteria in your lease and any guidance from the leasing company about acceptable damage. The collection agent doesn't have any discretion, they are just required to report any damage they see and it's up to the company to decide whether or not they charge you. For peace of mind, refer to the guidelines and get it sorted if the damage is outside what is allowable. If I remember rightly, cracks up to 25mm tended to be acceptable for fair wear and tear if they were outside of Zone A on the windscreen, but it does depend on the different companies.
For what it's worth with repairs/new windscreens mine got cracked from a stone flying up from a lorry when travelling to a company event before christmas, was a horseshoe crack and too big to repair on a Seat Ateca, Autoglass quoted me £890, Auto Windscreens quoted be £380 and National Windscreens quoted £290.<br /><br />Thankfully I did some research whilst away as my initial choice was to go with National Windscreens until I read the reviews and ended up going with Auto Windscreens which use OEM glass and the service was fantastic, however this was on a car that at the time was 4 weeks into a brand new lease, if you're giving the car back and dont really care it's likely the cheapest option will be National Windscreens but have heard horror stories about damage to the surrounds and poor qualty glue/leaky windows afterwards
The windscreen on my Superb got cracked. Cost £75 via my Direct Line insurance for a new screen fitted by Autoglass. Looks identical to the original. Didn't affect my renewal.
Do people get insurance without windscreen cover? I wouldn't even have though this was a question, just get it replaced on your insurnace, it doesn't affect your NCD and as above excess is usually ony aorund £75ish.
Not for OP, but if it's a newish lease and you're going through insurance, you can request dealer-part glass rather than an aftermarket manufacturer one. Again, check the terms of your lease in case you have to use official parts for repairs, even for windscreens (VWFS didn't for us)
Just done this for my Skoda, was expecting a fight, but the insurer approved it with no resistance.
As regards glue not going off, was strongly advised not to jetwash it for a few weeks after fitting when I got mine done just before Christmas.
Whatever is in your lease agreement, which can vary massively.
We had one lease car fully maintained and they did it under that. Others not fully maintained we have done it under our insurance.
@ads678 some only cover chip repair and not full windscreen replacement it seems
Get it fixed asap for your own safety
I have an email from Autoglass saying that they over-egg the safety element because marketing and sales, and that my V70 (1 month in with a 35cm long crack) was perfectly safe to drive...
Funny how the Auto glass website says a 40mm crack is an MOT failure anywhere in the wiper swept area
You did mean 35cm, ie over a foot long not 35mm?
Try some of that crack filling liquid from Halfords first. May just mask it enough to be a non issue.... as long as its not Zone A as you describe.
Funny how the Auto glass website says a 40mm crack is an MOT failure anywhere in the wiper swept area
. https://www.autoglass.co.uk/glass-repair-and-replacement/windscreen-repair/mot-windscreen-rules-and-regulations/ < You did mean 35cm, ie over a foot long not 35mm?
I mean 35 cm, L-shaped crack from passenger side to halfway across the window.
EDIT: here you go: Thread from 26th April to 4th June - and still later than that to get it fitted.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/cant-get-a-new-windscreen-for-my-car/
