Our first windscreen chip

Fully Charged Sydney + Victoria 2023

We got our first chip in the windscreen, late yesterday, on the long road between Jerilderie, New South Wales and West Wyalong, New South Wales.

It’s about 2.8cm x 2cm. A windscreen repairer (O’Briens) has since told me that they only fix them (by filling the crack) if smaller than 2.5cm. Actually, they said it had to be smaller than a one dollar coin, but couldn’t tell me how big that is in cm. I had to measure a coin to discover that it’s 2.5cm.

Time to contact NRMA Insurance. Glad we got the extra windscreen cover.

I tried to claim through the NRMA app, but it seems to not facilitate claiming for a business policy, or any policy number with the prefix “MOT” 😞. Same limitation for the website. I tried emailing, but eventually only got a reply to say that I would need to call. I tried to call, listened to the hold music with interjected recorded spoken suggestions that I lodge a claim through the website. After over an hour of being told by a recording to do what the website won’t let me do, it sounded like it tried to connect me with a human. But then it dropped my connection 😞.

Tesla has quoted $1393.40 to replace the entire windscreen.

I’ll try contacting NRMA Insurance again…

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13 comments

  1. I imagine the Newell Hwy has claimed many windscreens over the years
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  2. A quick stop at a windscreen place for a chip repair, before it extends. You’ve done well considering the amount of rural kms you’ve done. I’m surprised that with nearly 9k Km rural that I’ve yet to have a chipped screen. I’ve had a couple to the bumper, and will no doubt keep adding character to my MY.
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  3. Tesla Tripping if it is smaller than a $1 coin you absolutely should go to windscreen O'Briens for a chip repair
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  4. March 7 update: I called NRMA Insurance again, on 132 132, menu sequence 121111 to get through to motor insurance claim for a windscreen.

    That put me through to Windscreens O'Brien. I told them that the longest diameter of the crack is 2.7cm (after we dutifully purchased a 50c ruler to measure it yesterday). The guy on the line asked if it was bigger than a one dollar coin. I said "Do you know how big is a coin?" He didn't. So, I rummaged through the car to find a dollar coin and amazingly had one (from the day at the coin laundry). It turns out that a one dollar coin is 2.5cm, so our crack exceeds the limit. He said they won't repair a crack bigger than a coin, so replacing the windscreen is the only option. He took my details so he could prepare a quote, which he said they would send me some hours later.

    I then asked him to put me through to NRMA. I spent another hour on the phone on hold to NRMA. The NRMA operator took my details. I said I already had a quote from Tesla, so she asked me to forward that to them. I asked why I couldn't lodge the claim online (since the NRMA portal just says to call). She said that there is some ongoing IT problem that is not allowing on line claims. She also apologised for the long wait on the phone. I said that the two are obviously linked, since if no one can lodge a claim on line, then they are all going to call, clogging the queue. And the infernal on hold recording just keeps telling us that we're better off lodging on line. I asked her to record a complaint from me that the web site doesn't stipulate that there is currently a problem.

    Later, Windscreens OBrien SMSed me asking for a photo of the windscreen and the drivers mirror so they can "confirm if your vehicle has eye sight technology". I have no idea what that is, but I emailed the requested photos.

    I haven't yet heard back from NRMA about the Tesla quote or from OBrien with a quote.

    Meanwhile, the booking of the replacement with Tesla was quite seamless. All in the Tesla app, mostly multiple choice. Booked in for Friday morning at Chatswood.

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    1. Tesla Tripping I'm tired after reading that lol

      That chip doesn't look bigger than a $1 coin, did you put the coin over the top of the chip or did you measured the coin with the ruler?

      Maybe the photo is deceiving, we've had 3 windscreens replaced with O'Brien and I've never measured the coin but simply placed the coin over the chip.

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      1. Kylie Gilroy Yeah, I placed the coin over the chip. The top and bottom protrude out by a total of 2mm. I would happily just have it filled, but O’Brien said they don’t do it

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      2. Tesla Tripping yes they are very particular, we have a tiny hole in our windscreen where if you position the car correctly the sun shines through it, booked the car on and took it to O'Briens only for them to tell us it's too small and it won't get worse, moths later it hasn't changed.
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  5. Update: Tesla replaced the windscreen for us today (March 23). Blogged in this later post:
    https://www.facebook.com/tesla.tripping/posts/pfbid02MT9D…

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  6. So, NRMA offers windscreen option in insurance, but makes it virtually impossible to access this feature?
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    1. Luke Edward I didn’t find it easy. But, as I mentioned, it might have largely been due to a temporary problem with the NRMA Insurance website.

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  7. I just got a big ass crack on my windscreen this arvo, spoke to NRMA and they said since I'm going through Tesla, I'll need to pay it myself first, and then get reimbursed, is that the case for you? Tesla Tripping

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    1. Jared Chen Yes. That’s exactly what we ended up doing. All went through with no dramas.
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      1. Tesla Tripping thanks for prompt reply ❤️
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