GEICO Windshield Replacement Policy (What’s Covered + Claims)

Do you know what GEICO Windshield replacement policy is?

GEICO has been providing various forms of insurance for nearly a century now. Otherwise known as the Government Employees Insurance Company, GEICO has since gone from covering just government employees to covering 24 million vehicles, regardless of status.

So, what is GEICO Windshield replacement policy? Most GEICO comprehensive policies cover windshield. Coverages that are not comprehensive are not likely to include windows. Also, in most states, you will have to pay a deductible to get your windshield or windows replaced or repaired. However, that’s not the case for all policies, and it’s important to read through the fine print on your policy to determine whether or not GEICO will have your back when you file a claim.

Of course, if the windshield is damaged in the event of an accident, it will be repaired along with the rest when you file a collision claim.

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How Does GEICO Comprehensive Coverage Work?

When it comes to Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky, insurance companies (in this case, GEICO) are required to waive the deductible for windshield repairs and replacements.

That just means that you will see the deductible amount but it will be waived before the repair or replacement is initiated.

Minnesota, Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York approach things from a different angle. In these states, insurance companies are required to offer a $0 deductible windshield coverage in one of their many plans.

What this generally means, is that the coverage that has a $0 option is likely to be a little more expensive to make up for the balance of risk/reward that comes with purchasing insurance coverage for anything but specifically for windshields in this instance.

Words are important and this is how insurance companies were able to get away with not covering hurricane damage after events like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ivan, and Hurricane Opal.

Most people who lived in these areas did not purchase flood damage because their homes were well above the water line.

Along comes a hurricane and rips the roof off, allowing rain to pour in and even though there was no local flooding, insurance companies were able to avoid payouts by claiming that the rainfall in the houses with torn-off roofs constituted flood damage.

That’s why it’s always important to read the fine print and make sense of the words that are used to explain what your coverage is and how it works.

Can a Windshield be Repaired?

Believe it or not, in some cases, you may not have to have your windshield replaced at all. If the damage is pretty small (as in smaller than a 50-cent piece) then it can be filled and repaired without having to replace your entire windshield.

The problem is, if you live in a state that doesn’t require insurance companies to waive the deductible or offer a policy that provides for cost-free windshield repair, then you will have a choice to make, depending on the deductible.

Oftentimes, when a windshield is simply cracked, getting GEICO to pay for it will cost you more than the replacement itself because the deductible will be higher in cost than the repair of the windshield will be.

In the states where the deductible is supposed to be waived, so long as the windshield falls under your coverage, GEICO will waive the deductible and the price of the repair will be paid, even if it is a relatively minuscule price.

How Does the Repair Process Work?

Once GEICO waives the deductible, it won’t take much longer than 30 minutes or so to have your windshield repaired or replaced. Both processes are streamlined and, in some cases, automated.

The good thing is, that repairing the window through official channels maintains the warranty on the vehicle, so you don’t have to worry about your warranty getting voided for something that you can’t control.

When you get a repair done on a windshield, the evidence that there was a repair done is hardly noticeable and it even improves over time.

GEICO is generally the one that will choose the technician or business that will conduct the repair or replacement on your windshield.

How Does Windshield Repair or Replacement Work in an Accident?

There’s a big difference between a dump truck kicking up a rock that cracks your windshield and getting into a T-bone accident in a busy intersection.

When it comes to vehicle accidents, there are three, different types of coverages here that may or may not apply.

Comprehensive Coverage
Collision Coverage
Liability-Only Coverage

Comprehensive Coverage

This kind of coverage is an optional coverage; kind of an add-on. Most comprehensive coverages mop up all of the little things that your primary plan may not cover which, in this case, is windshield damage.

You have to have some sort of comprehensive coverage if you want to use your GEICO insurance to cover the costs of repairing or replacing your windshield.

Collision Coverage

Collision coverage is coverage on your own vehicle and nothing else. It doesn’t cover repairs on another vehicle if you get into an accident that is your fault.

If you get into an accident, your collision coverage will cover all of the damage on your vehicle, which includes damage to your windshield.

You can separate collision coverage from comprehensive coverage when you understand that comprehensive coverage is more targeted coverage.

If a rock hits your windshield and cracks it, comprehensive will cover it, not collision.

Liability-Only Coverage

Liability is the bare minimum that is required in all states. It does not cover anything that happens to your vehicle if you get into an accident. It only covers damage and bodily injury for the other party and nothing else.

All Things Considered

As they say, ‘the devil is in the details,’ and nothing could be closer to the truth when it comes to going over your insurance coverage.

GEICO offers comprehensive coverage and, for the most part, that will be more than enough to take care of damage to your windshield.

However, it’s important to dig into that fine print before you purchase comprehensive coverage. That way, you will never get cough unaware.

References

https://www.geico.com/claims/glass-claims-guide/