You should never drive around with a damaged windshield; the damage can quickly spread and can compromise your safety. Here is what you need to do in order to repair if you have comprehensive or windshield repair coverage on your vehicle.

Windshield Coverage

The first thing you need to do is determine if you have windshield coverage. Many insurance companies now offer windshield coverage that is separate from your comprehensive coverage. If you have windshield coverage, your insurance company will pay to have your auto glass repaired for free. It is important to take note of the word "repaired"; which in the eyes of the insurance company means any fixing any chips or cracks without replacing your windshield.

If your windshield needs to be replaced, depending on your windshield coverage, you may have to pay a small deductible or the replacement may be completely covered.

With windshield coverage, your rates will generally not be affected by you filing a windshield claim. However, your insurance company will keep track of your windshield claim just to make sure that you are not filing an unreasonable amount of windshield claims.

Comprehensive Coverage

If you do not have specific windshield coverage, the cost to cover the repairs will be covered your comprehensive coverage within your insurance policy.

Before you call up your insurance company in this instance, you may want to get a quote to figure out how much the repairs will cost you. If the repairs are less than your deductible, it does not make sense to file a claim with your insurance company. Essentially, all you will be doing is creating a record with the insurance company of a claim that they didn't assist you with.

Even if the repair is greater than your deductible, you need to weigh whether it is worth filing a claim and having it on your record. Since this is a comprehensive claim, there is a chance that this could affect your insurance rates negatively in the future. For example, if the bill to repair or replace your windshield runs around $300 dollars, and your deductible is $250, you need to decide if it is worth it to have your insurance company pay $50 worth of repairs and risk your insurance rates rising in the future.

Once you have determined what level of coverage you have, you need to contact a windshield repair company in your area. Many of these companies are mobile and will come to where you are located to fix your windshield. Repairing and even replacing your windshield is a relatively quick process that shouldn't cut into your day and require very much time on your part. For more information, contact windshield replacement and repair companies, like City Wide Auto Glass.