AutoGlass only insurer allowed glass replacement - should I just pay Porsche?

[bn8959]

Im in a dilemma. Have a big (non-repairable) rock chip in my windscreen (its a thermal & noise insulated screen).

Admiral will ONLY allow AutoGlass to replace it. The AutoGlass website says:

Windscreen for your PORSCHE TAYCAN
We guarantee our vehicle glasswork for as long as you own your vehicle.

The glass we fit will match the same technical and safety characteristics of the glass we replace.

Important information
Your vehicle has been identified with an advanced safety system that uses a camera. Examples of advanced safety systems include Lane Departure Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking.

Small unexpected changes in the angle of a camera are very common with glass replacements and can be the difference between a vehicle avoiding an accident or not.

For your safety, this will have to be recalibrated in a workshop environment as the slightest bit of wind, moisture or imbalance could stop us from recalibrating your safety systems, which then becomes a safety risk.

I checked with Admiral if I can go direct to Porsche. They said:

I am unsure who advised you but all I can do is apologise if you have been misadvised , any glass queries would normally come to us for review and contact from this email. Do you know what time and date you contacted and who you spoke with?

Autoglass are fully qualified to do the job and would calibrate the glass if needed, Autoglass would also order OEM glass directly from Porche itself so there will be no difference in the glass supplied. Due to the terms and conditions of your policy we would recommend contacting and booking in with Autoglass.

These seem to be in conflict. Insurance excess is £135. Going to Porsche is around £2,300.

What should I do? Would AutoGlass actually give me an OEM replacement, and even if they do, would the install quality be up to standard and would they actually be able to calibrate everything? Im minded to just cough up and make sure its done properly by Porsche. I bet I'd get screwed at insurance renewal time anyway!

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[alexsas]

Both Porsche and Autoglass can mess up - I had less than positive experiences in my short taycan ownership with the workmanship and attitude at a posh dealer.

I would do Autoglass and if they do not do it well give them a chance to put it right, and if they still fail, do it Porsche and claim from them/Admiral.

 

[AllanG]

I very much doubt that an OPC would actually fit a new windscreen themselves………however, I may be wrong ?

 

[W1NGE]

Im in a dilemma. Have a big (non-repairable) rock chip in my windscreen (its a thermal & noise insulated screen).

Admiral will ONLY allow AutoGlass to replace it. The AutoGlass website says:



I checked with Admiral if I can go direct to Porsche. They said:



These seem to be in conflict. Insurance excess is £135. Going to Porsche is around £2,300.

What should I do? Would AutoGlass actually give me an OEM replacement, and even if they do, would the install quality be up to standard and would they actually be able to calibrate everything? Im minded to just cough up and make sure its done properly by Porsche. I bet I'd get screwed at insurance renewal time anyway!

Not the first thermal / noise insulated glass replacement - has been around for many years.

Camera calibration is the concern so I'd contact Autoglass and ask specifics and how they do the job.

Ask your dealer too as they will have come across this before and if anywhere transparent they won't be looking for a sale per se.

Taycan is no different to other Porsche models in this regard.

 

[bn8959]

The Porsche price is a fully fitted price from my local OPC.

If AG can’t confirm they will use an OEM part, then I’ll def just pay Porsche. But if AG do do the job, then things like calibration is a real concern for me - especially if some goes awry later down the line and Porsche refuse a warranty claim.
The AG fitting station is in a gazebo in a Makro car park - not somewhere I expect them to be able to properly calibrate everything. My car has pretty much every option (HUD, PID, night vision, thermal glass - VLC roof too, eek imagine if they damaged that!).

And ultimately I’ll likely end up paying through my premium anyway.
Quality over cost is my primary concern here.

 

[Porsche-Guru]

The Porsche price is a fully fitted price from my local OPC.

If AG can’t confirm they will use an OEM part, then I’ll def just pay Porsche. But if AG do do the job, then things like calibration is a real concern for me - especially if some goes awry later down the line and Porsche refuse a warranty claim.
The AG fitting station is in a gazebo in a Makro car park - not somewhere I expect them to be able to properly calibrate everything. My car has pretty much every option (HUD, PID, night vision, thermal glass - VLC roof too, eek imagine if they damaged that!).

And ultimately I’ll likely end up paying through my premium anyway.
Quality over cost is my primary concern here.

The calibration is done by software, so the location ( a dirty garage or a posh Porsche dealership) is unlikely to affect this.

I have had all bells & whistles on the camera systems, HUD, thermal glass etc. on many a BMW (3 series, 5 series, 7 series, M5, M4), and it has always been Auto Glass who have replaced the windscreens. If I recall correctly, out of the 6 or 7 windscreen replacements in the last 15 years, only once did I have an issue. The issue was not the fitting but the glass itself had some manufacturing fault. This was promptly replaced by AG.

The Taycan is such a new car (relatively) that the windscreen is probably manufactured by just 1 or 2 manufacturers, so both Porsche & AG are likely using the same supplier.

Just make sure that you inform AG that your car windscreen has fully loaded options (HUD, Thermal, Camera, ADAS) so that they book a ‘qualified engineer’ for the replacement.

Regarding warranty; what in your view do you expect the AG guy to get wrong that it becomes a warranty issue later in time. If all systems work once the AG guy has fitted things; there isn’t much to it. The cameras behind the windscreen are snap fit, so not much to go wrong. Only bit is calibration and that is mainly software.

Just check that the HUD display is clear and uniform after the fitting, that is the one place you may notice any aberration (if any in the glass).

In my view, I would go AG route and not spend the extra £££ for no real perceivable benefit, other than Porsche posh tax !

————————

Update:
I seemed to recall that there was was another thread on here on the same subject….

Found it here For reference.

 

[Boss Hogg]

Try to get in writing from Admiral that they will cover the cost to fix any driver aid system problems (list the systems) and any connected diagnosis and warranty issues that may arise with Porsche. If they also confirm OEM glass will be used in writing (as they already have ) then risk is low, go for it and save £2,175. Take a photo of the old and new screen identification details to be sure the new one is OEM.

 

[bn8959]

Thanks for the comments and reassurance @Porsche-Guru and @Boss Hogg
Ill book AG and see what happens!

 

[Uknown]

In my limited experience the local-ish dealer contracts out the glass work, but does the calibration. I would be surprised if a glass shop calibrates a Taycan. It appears pretty involved compared to my Subaru.

You can also tell if it is oem glass by the saint gobain marking I think.

 

[DSB]

I had a new windscreen on an A7 a few years ago, it had the LED matrix headlights and camera etc. Same day for the windscreen replacement at a specialist, but it was stuck in a dealership for over a week for calibration. It was all ok when i got it back, but it was a company car so I wasn't that fussed about the process at the time.

 

[tigerbalm]

The calibration requires a specific bit of VW kit. It's like a little mini white-board with black dots on it. I chose my current insurer specifically as their policy makes it clear that they'll cover glass replacement by dealer.

I reckon your best bet is for autoglass to replace the screen with an OEM part and go to the dealer to confirm/redo the calibration.

 

[jonjon808]

My experience, with Aviva as the insurer. Called up the insurer's glass replacement number, went straight through to National Windscreens. Told them that my car had the noise/thermal insulation and they said it would be a Porsche screen that they would order from the local dealer, go and pick it up and then fit at the National Windscreen site. Perfect job, and my Porsche dealer said that there was no calibration needed and I've had no issues since.

 

[Dave Birch]

Thanks for the comments and reassurance @Porsche-Guru and @Boss Hogg
Ill book AG and see what happens!

I had my windscreen replaced at Autoglass in Plymouth. I was sceptical at first as they are in a supermarket car park. I had visions of a gazebo with two young lads in the rain. I should not have worried, their drive in special ‘container’ was well equipped, clean and well lit. Calibration was not an issue. Job done while I went shopping. The exact thermal glass windscreen had been delivered to them for installation. The vin number enabled them to select the right one. In one way I would rather a specialist like auto glass fitted my windscreen than a generalist technician at Porsche. Now I have to sort out a cracked roof, but that is another story. Good luck.

 

[bn8959]

Now I have to sort out a cracked roof, but that is another story. Good luck.

I don’t know if you jinxed me, but my VLC roof just cracked! ???

 

[D00notD00d]

I had a similar situation with my Cayenne.
Both Admiral and Autoglass Customer Service were awful. Admiral fully sub contract all things windscreen to Autoglass and don’t get involved. I think other insurers do the same.

I asked Autoglass for the price difference to fit an OPC OEM part, it was about £2k.
Autoglass Customer Service were unhelpful in advising the windscreen brand they would use. I asked a fitter at the local branch and discovered the screen would be manufactured by Sekurit, the OEM manufacturer, but may not have Porsche branding. I decided that wasn’t worth £2k. I also concluded that Autoglass would have far more experience than a Porsche shop of ensuring that all the driver assistance gubbins in the windscreen continued to work. I did get Autoglass & Admiral to confirm that contrary to their small print T&Cs they would be liable should Porsche help be needed.

I needn’t have worried. Autoglass fitted a Sekurit screen and everything continued to work. And it only cost me a c. £100 excess rather than £2k.

it is unlikely that other non OEM manufacturers will be manufacturing Taycan screens because it is a newish relatively low volume model

The bigger lesson was finding that Admiral won’t necessarily use a Porsche Approved accident repairer. That may affect resale to a Porsche franchise.
Next renewal I shopped around but found that using an insurer that would agree to use a Porsche approved repairer was v. Expensive.
I asked my local Porsche Approved Repairer which insurers they dealt with directly. Their answer was Aviva. Aviva helpfully confirmed that their approved repairer for my area was the same Porsche Approved repairer. So I switched to them rather than renew with Admiral. The prices were not much different

I’d suggest visiting your local Autoglass depot and chatting with them.
Same approach, visit your local Porsche Approved Body shop and find out which insurers have them on their list.

I’ve since moved all our cars away from Admiral.

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