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A cracked windshield is a nightmare for many car owners. The misfortune of having a cracked or shattered windshield is something that cannot be predicted. Many drivers have experienced this situation where their car windshield cracks either while driving or while parked.
6 Causes of Cracked Car Windshield
For your information, car windshields are usually designed and made of tempered glass that has undergone a heating process to strengthen the glass structure to make it durable and less likely to shatter. This tempered glass is also safe for public use because when it breaks due to an accident or being hit by a hard object, it will not break into sharp glass pieces. It will break into tiny granules instead.
Car windshields are indeed designed to be strong and less likely to break. However, why do some car windshields still crack? Here are some of the reasons:
1. Cracked Windshield Caused by an Impact From a Stone or Rock.
One of the factors that can cause a cracked car windshield is driving on a gravel road. This is because the rocks on the road can bounce up and hit the car windshield, causing it to crack.
To prevent this from happening, it is important to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front, especially when driving behind heavy vehicles such as trucks. This is to reduce the risk of a cracked car windshield caused by rocks bouncing off the road. Many drivers mistakenly assume that their car windshield is cracked due to excessive heat, when in fact it may have already been damaged by small stone chips or gravel, and the crack may worsen over time due to the pressure and vibrations of driving.
2. Improper Car Windshield Installation
When a car windshield is not installed properly, it can also pose a risk of cracking or shattering. The wrong size of the windshield that does not fit the frame can also cause it to crack or shatter easily. This is because our car windshield can become loose due to the incorrect size, and when driven at high speed, it can result in impact pressure and vibration.
3. Poor Quality Car Windshield Glass
The quality of glass plays a significant role in determining the durability of a car windshield. This quality depends on the quality of the glass from the supplier or manufacturer. When low-quality glass is used in car windshields, it is more susceptible to cracking when hit by an object.
Generally, the concern for low quality is commonly found in car windshields that are repaired using low-quality glass or in secondhand car windshields.
4. Cracked Car Windshield Caused by Construction Trucks
If you are driving near heavy vehicles such as trucks carrying construction materials such as soil, sand, small stones, wood, or anything hazardous, please make sure to maintain a safe distance between the truck and your car.
This is because the hazardous objects carried by the truck can fall onto the road and bounce towards your car unexpectedly. When the road is clear, it is advisable to overtake the heavy vehicle to avoid unwanted incidents.
5. Car Window Shatter From Heat
Extreme temperatures, whether it’s excessive heat or cold, can also affect the tendency for car mirrors to crack. Although it rarely happens, sudden changes in temperature such as going from scorching heat to heavy rain over an extended period of time can cause the front mirror to crack, especially around the edges.
Therefore, it’s recommended to avoid parking your car in direct sunlight. Hot temperatures can cause the edges of the mirror to expand faster than the center, and the hot weather can also cause small cracks (which may not be visible to the naked eye) to spread and become larger.
6. Tree Falls on Your Car
Parking a vehicle under a tree or in close proximity to a tree is also not recommended. This is because the branches of the tree can slowly break and fall onto your car’s windshield. There have also been cases where trees fell and crushed cars when the wind was too strong.
Car Windshield Insurance: How to Make an Insurance Claim
Can you claim insurance for a broken car mirror? Imagine you are driving carefully and calmly when suddenly a rock comes out of nowhere and hits your car mirror, causing it to shatter into a thousand pieces. You must be feeling panicked, right?
When this happens, the first thing you need to do is to calm down and go to a car workshop to replace the car mirror. The cost of replacing a front car mirror usually starts at RM1,000. However, if you have the best car insurance that also covers your car mirror, you can make an insurance claim.
To make a claim, you need to contact your car insurance provider and ask for the location of their panel workshop that is nearest to your place. After getting the information, bring your car to the workshop to replace the car mirror. The process of replacing a car mirror usually doesn’t take long.
Among the documents required to make a claim for a broken car mirror are:
- A copy of the car owner’s MyKad;
- A copy of the car owner or driver’s driving license;
- A copy of the car’s grant;
- A copy of the invoice and insurance certificate.
Once you have all the required documents, simply leave the task of replacing the mirror to the car workshop. Everything is easy without you having to spend any money, even a penny.
Insurance Coverage for Car Mirrors for Peace of Mind
Before that, you need to know what car mirror insurance is. Mirror insurance is an additional insurance that can be added to your annual car insurance. It covers not only the front mirror of the car, but also the back mirror, side door mirrors, and sunroof mirrors. However, the sunroof mirror will only be protected if it is the original one. If your car’s sunroof is an additional modification, it cannot be protected.
If we look at cases of cracked and broken car mirrors, they often occur on the front mirror of the car. With vehicle mirror insurance protection, you don’t have to worry about such problems. Claims on vehicle mirror insurance will not reduce your annual NCD.
If your car does not have mirror insurance protection, you will have to bear the expensive cost when something unwanted happens. The cost of replacing a car mirror ranges from RM1,000 to RM30,000, depending on the type and model of your vehicle. With car mirror insurance, you no longer have to worry when your car mirror is damaged.
However, you need to ensure that the amount of your car mirror protection is sufficient. It is feared that the amount of contribution is not enough to make the mirror replacement. You can make a claim as many times as the maximum limit of the contribution is not exhausted. For example, for RM1,000 protection, there is no problem to claim RM250 four times. But if your mirror is badly damaged and no longer safe to use, the workshop will advise you to replace the car mirror.
The process of making a car insurance claim is not complicated. Once your car mirror is protected with insurance, you no longer have to worry about spending a lot of money when your car mirror is cracked or broken. To find out how much you need to pay based on the car model, you can check it here.
If you are interested in taking out mirror insurance, here are some important things you need to know:
Under and Over Insurance
Under insurance means that you pay insurance premium less than the actual value of your car, which could result in a loss for you in the event of an accident. This is because the insurance company will only pay compensation for the insured amount. The remaining balance will have to be borne by you.
As for over insurance, you pay excess insurance premium to the company. Even though you pay a higher premium, the amount of loss covered by the insurance remains the same. Both under and over insurance can also affect the amount of mirror insurance that needs to be paid. Therefore, you must ensure that your premium payment is accurate, not too little or too much.
Policy Expiry Date
It is different from car insurance policies. Car insurance policies expire after a year and need to be renewed every year. Additional policies such as car mirror protection will also expire after a year when a claim has been made.
For example, in March you renewed your comprehensive policy with an additional RM 180 for mirror insurance with a sum insured of RM 1,200. Then, in August, your car mirror was slightly cracked and sent to a workshop for repair. Due to the minor damage, you only need to make a claim for RM 350.
In this case, your mirror insurance protection still has a balance of RM 850 until the policy expires in March next year. This means you can make a claim of up to RM 850 until March, or your protection for broken or cracked car mirrors will expire at that time if there is no claim.
Car mirrors must be taken care of so that they can last longer. Cracked car mirrors must be replaced immediately to prevent them from becoming worse.
Hope all your questions have been answered through this article. If you want to renew your road tax and car insurance at a reasonable price, you can do so here. Hope it helps!
