Windshield repair - Where in Florida?

[Kidoo]

I am in Thalahassee Fl now and want to have my windshield repaired. I had a chip the other day, it is a little bigger than an quarter. I checked with a few places but seems like the only place they would do it is at Safelite Auto glass but the price seem to be on the high, $129.

Any other good places in Florida? I am going to Lake city then down south through Tampa.

Thanks.

[Jim]

jplante4 wrote:

Sam Spade wrote:

Jim@HiTek wrote:
Chips aren't usually repaired. No need.

Unless it's located in the path of the wipers......in which case it tends to eat a notch in the rubber and cause a BAD streak.

And, at least in Massachusetts, will cause you to fail the yearly vehicle inspection. I had 5 rock dings in the wiper path and called Safelite. They won't repair more than 2. I bought the RainX repair kit and a black light and did it myself. Have the stuff with me on the road in case I get another.

You should move over here to the Best Coast. Won't have to deal with that kind of silliness. 🙂

[long_hauler]

General RV of Tampa/Dover or Jacksonville/Orange Park has an award-winning service team. Couldn't tell you how much it'd be for JUST a windshield. I got maintenance done there and compared to other quotes, this was far worth it!

[jplante4]

Sam Spade wrote:

Jim@HiTek wrote:
Chips aren't usually repaired. No need.

Unless it's located in the path of the wipers......in which case it tends to eat a notch in the rubber and cause a BAD streak.

And, at least in Massachusetts, will cause you to fail the yearly vehicle inspection. I had 5 rock dings in the wiper path and called Safelite. They won't repair more than 2. I bought the RainX repair kit and a black light and did it myself. Have the stuff with me on the road in case I get another.

[Sam_Spade]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
Chips aren't usually repaired. No need.

Unless it's located in the path of the wipers......in which case it tends to eat a notch in the rubber and cause a BAD streak.

[Jim]

Chips aren't usually repaired. No need. If there are spider cracks radiating out from it, then yeah, need to repair that.

On Edit: I should expand on this I guess. A rock chip will not grow bigger. We're talking about a roundish, smooth hole in the glass. Even if it goes all the way through. Temporarily, in a rain storm, just put packing tape on the inside. When it's dry, just put clear silicon over the chipped out area. That's all that's needed. But, like I mentioned, if there are cracks radiating away from the chip, you do need to have that repaired or DIY.

I'd just check the local handyman listings on Craigslist or in the local paper. It shouldn't run more the $50-$70...and your insurance will cover that if you want. And no points against you with most insurance companies.

IMO, $125 is too much, unless they're driving over 20 miles or so.

[Kidoo]

Ok, I went to Safelite Tallahassee and they could repair the bulleyes but the hit also made a crack about an inch from the bulleyes and it could not be repaired. He said that this crack will probably extend once I go back north, but maybe not.

They charge $125 plus tax for one repair. This normally covers for a warranty and is deductible if you have to replace the windshield after. He told me they do not replace windshield on MH, so even if you pay for the warranty it would not be valid and told me to check a small business.

So I will check with suggestions made here, thanks.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

We had a mobile glass service come to us and repair a rock chip for our Phaeton @ Wickham Park in Melbourne FL for $65 in November of 2013. Super Windshield Repair, excellent service, prompt and the repair is holding 2 years later.

[JoeTampa]

Your insurance company may have a preferred vendor. Check with them.

[LadyRVer]

I used K&K Glass in Zephyrhills, about 25 NE of Tampa. Full, one piece windshield replacement and they also do repair work. Extremely satisfied with the company.

[Bill_Diana]

Click here to view the Satellite Glass repair and you can enter your zip code to get an estimate. I did it for my zip code and came with $129.95 like the OP did.

[rgatijnet1]

They do make chip repair kit that you can pick up at most auto parts stores. Maybe that is your best choice until you get home.

[psalm10720]

I got my 93 Winnebago windshield replaced at LazyDays in Tampa (sefner actually.) They do quality work but are not quick and do not have great customer service. In my case as soon as I drove it off a used RV dealer's lot in April 2014 the front right windshield developed a crack from top to bottom and the left had a pit right in the driver sight area. Florida insurance replaces cracked windshields for any reason but does not pay for prep work. In my case they had to remove a rusted out header and rebuild that and the padding above the driver and co-driver seats. It took a few days and the total cost was around $2500.00. I paid for the prep work which was about $800.00. It hasn't leaked since... They do quality work as I said but you have to watch them and keep on them if your not satisfied...

[Kidoo]

Safelite says they can do it if it is not bigger than a dollar bill, they probably have special equipement.

[downtheroad]

Call your insurance first...ours gladly pays for chip repairs.
$125 sounds reasonable.
We haven't had much luck repairing quarter sized chips...usually anything bigger than a nickle is bad news.

Good luck with it.