Windscreen replacement - as close to OEM as possible?

Autoglass have told me Direct Line automatically refuse OEM glass. I've told them fine, but I will be inspecting the glass before anything is fitted. It needs to match the climate comfort spec (acoustic, solar blue, etc) and ideally be a brand I've heard of.

The woman at Autoglass was helpful, and I did ask her (thinking of this thread) what insurers tend to approve OEM glass, and she said Liverpool Victoria are usually fine with it... not that we often have much of a choice when it comes to insurance in this market.

Edit :: Oh, and Autoglass did give me the option of paying an additional amount for OEM, but it was £900, so not exactly cheap...

Why not go with them in the future?
 
Autoglass have told me Direct Line automatically refuse OEM glass. I've told them fine, but I will be inspecting the glass before anything is fitted. It needs to match the climate comfort spec (acoustic, solar blue, etc) and ideally be a brand I've heard of.

The woman at Autoglass was helpful, and I did ask her (thinking of this thread) what insurers tend to approve OEM glass, and she said Liverpool Victoria are usually fine with it... not that we often have much of a choice when it comes to insurance in this market.

Edit :: Oh, and Autoglass did give me the option of paying an additional amount for OEM, but it was £900, so not exactly cheap...
Any fitted screen is warrantied for the life of the car. If there are any issues it's their problem.

My combo was also Direct Line/Autoglass, I made them keep putting new screens in until everything was fine. If the heating elements fail again (Touch wood fine so far) then they will be fitting another.
 
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I was able to pay auto glass extra on my X3 for genuine BMW glass, It cost me an extra £400. That was just the start though because when they changed it they didnt fit the sound deadening foam strip at the bottom of the screen and it wasnt fitted to the body level, causing rattles and squeaks. They had a second go at fiting it as their head quarters in Egham. Again not a very good job and in the end they agreed to pay BMW to fit the screen. BMW then had two goes at fitting it before getting it right. The whole episode was a right balls up and over the first covid lockdown to so I had a Mini as a courtesy car while mine was locked away in the dealership.
 
I had Autoglass replace "their" windscreen 3 times before I told them that they should just give me a BMW windscreen because I'm going to be calling them multiple times a year and costing them however much in call-outs because their windscreens are crap. The rain sensor section bubbles and peels away on the inside whereas the BMW windscreen does not. They sent me a BMW windscreen after that and it's been fine for like 7 years since that time.
 
The woman at Autoglass was helpful, and I did ask her (thinking of this thread) what insurers tend to approve OEM glass, and she said Liverpool Victoria are usually fine with it... not that we often have much of a choice when it comes to insurance in this market.

My renewal is coming up so just had a quick look through my current policy document with LV - presumably could get BMW/Mini to source a genuine screen for £295 then if reading this correctly?

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Yep, that sounds good, so you'd just contact your local BMW/Mini dealer and they'll give you an estimate to give to LV.
 
When I had a cracked windscreen on my Skoda Fabia I rang my insurance they gave me 2 options.

One option was a £75 excess and use their approved repairer (national windscreens), the other was if I wanted a different company to do so then I paid a higher excess of I think it was £150. It might be worth asking insurance if thats an option they offer.
 
tbh i really wonder where the windscreen trade is going , daughter coming home from shopping tonight and by the looks of it someone threw some stones at her galaxy.
result broken pass front window and broken front quarterlight in the body.....plus very shook up daughter and kids.
phones autoglass, (not expecting then tonight but maybe tomorrow) after loads of questions can she take the car to derby(about 20miles)....on thursday afternoon.......no earlier dates. anyway they supposed to be coming out now on thursday, what a shambles.
shes going to ring her insurance up tomorrow (admiral) but apart from being unhappy i doubt she will get anywhere.

the glass is in there system but they cant transfer it before thursday, blimey when i worked the glass we sent someone in a van and fetched it , hey ho.

oh and police ....dont bother scene of crime number and we dont attend vehicle damage unless its a rta....
 
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In the past I have simply gone to BMW and Audi and paid them to replace the windscreens n question (M5 + RS6). It wasn't just the spec of the screen I was concerned about, but the fitment and any potential damage. On both occasions I got a courtesy car as they kept the cars for a couple of days to allow the screens to fully seal/bond and then they checked the fitment for wind/water leaks and issues with any of the associated tech.

Both times the insurance companies involved would not entertain an original manufacturer branded screen. This was the costly option but I've didn't have any subsequent issues in either case.
 
I guess there's an argument to be had with an insurer about them trying to force you accept an "OEM spec" screen as opposed to agreeing to an OEM screen.

A principle of insurance is to indemnify you, so putting you back in the same situation as before is better than putting you back in nearly the same situation as before.

If I wasn't happy with a the replacement then demanding OEM and escalating a complaint might yield a result to save you going to FOS.
 
When I had a cracked windscreen on my Skoda Fabia I rang my insurance they gave me 2 options.

One option was a £75 excess and use their approved repairer (national windscreens), the other was if I wanted a different company to do so then I paid a higher excess of I think it was £150. It might be worth asking insurance if thats an option they offer.

Tried that, Direct Line will not budge. I pressed them on it but they weren't interested.

I guess there's an argument to be had with an insurer about them trying to force you accept an "OEM spec" screen as opposed to agreeing to an OEM screen.

A principle of insurance is to indemnify you, so putting you back in the same situation as before is better than putting you back in nearly the same situation as before.

If I wasn't happy with a the replacement then demanding OEM and escalating a complaint might yield a result to save you going to FOS.

This was the argument I made, but ultimately by purchasing their insurance I agreed to their T&C's - which states an Autoglass 'OEM spec' screen, not an actual OEM one. This is fair enough and they are correct, but I did express my disappointment in their supposed flagship insurance product, when others like LV are much more reasonable.

In the past I have simply gone to BMW and Audi and paid them to replace the windscreens n question (M5 + RS6). It wasn't just the spec of the screen I was concerned about, but the fitment and any potential damage. On both occasions I got a courtesy car as they kept the cars for a couple of days to allow the screens to fully seal/bond and then they checked the fitment for wind/water leaks and issues with any of the associated tech.

Both times the insurance companies involved would not entertain an original manufacturer branded screen. This was the costly option but I've didn't have any subsequent issues in either case.

I've thought about this, but I just know I'll pay £1800 and get a crack after a month. Sod's law!
 
It is a chunk of money, I would shop around and see if you can get it cheaper. Then get the preferred BMW dealer to price match.

Unless you tend to drive inches off the bumper of the car infront (isn't that Audi drivers now?) I'd suggest you'd be unlikely to ruin another screen during your ownership.
 
I guess there's an argument to be had with an insurer about them trying to force you accept an "OEM spec" screen as opposed to agreeing to an OEM screen.

A principle of insurance is to indemnify you, so putting you back in the same situation as before is better than putting you back in nearly the same situation as before.

If I wasn't happy with a the replacement then demanding OEM and escalating a complaint might yield a result to save you going to FOS.

The full indemnity is for third parties, not you. You are bound by the terms and conditions you agreed to, with the stated limits in that cover. The third party you crashed into isn't and should be put in the same situation as before.

All insurers make it clear to their policyholders, that for claims made by them, they will use equivalent parts.
 
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