the Cost of Replacing a Car Windshield

The price was the insurance price to replace a stone-damaged windshield on my mother's car at a insurance-approved auto glass place.

They do all sorts of auto glass, and even do repairs and replacements on site. Insurance is mandatory around here so the cost for glass replacement is usually $0.

It took some time to get them out, we'd just had a bit of a dust storm that blew rocks on the road, which got kicked up by cars on the road, damaging lots of windshields.

Other than that, they did a pretty good job. They popped off the old windshield, put in a new one, and replaced the weather stripping (there's a bulge in the seam where the two ends of the strip meet, meaning they cut it a bit too long, but it doesn't leak). It all took about 20 minutes and they did it at my mother's place while we waited.

Beware the "auto glass and 20 free steak dinners" deals you see on TV. The dinners aren't free, they're included in the price of the auto glass!

Also, having the glass replaced shouldn't cause your insurance to go up as windshield damage is entirely random. Unless your car is regularly attacked by people with a baseball bat.

And if you have a fancy windshield, the dealer may be the best choice. Some cars have electronics like radio or car alarm antennas integrated into the windshield, some even have membrane heaters for defogging, similar to the way back window defrosters work, but without the lines. Those need to be replaced correctly and with the right part, otherwise they might not work, or, even worse, leak.