A RANT...Windshield replacement.. you won't believe this!!

[illion]

Well... about 2 weeks ago coming home, a gravel truck threw a rock.. you guessed it- right into my new Smart's windshield. It hit and immediately began spreading right across my line of sight. So...... I called the dealership- PARK PLACE in Dallas- to see about getting it replaced. They transferred me to two different people which I now know one was in the parts, the other in the service department. I asked what it was going to cost me and was told $543. Now I thought this was a bit high but since they both said it had to be ordered in, I thought "well, ok.. that makes sense."

Anyway, they called yesterday and said it was finally in (after the first one arriving broken and having to reorder it again) so I took it in to have it replaced. They kept it overnight and I went to pick it up today.

Imagine my shock when the girl at the counter said "That'll be $1272.15".

I nearly fainted!!!!!! I finally sputtered.. "but.. both Bill and Jed said it was $543". She said she'd call the service rep up and he explained that that was JUST the cost of the windshield itself. I asked "well did they think I was going to install it myself????" I was livid!! They actually charged an additional $318 for the rain sensor, which they never bothered to mention on the phone, $122 for a "repair kit" whatever that is, and even $5.96 for GLASS CLEANER!! Adding to that was $160 labor, plus all the taxes. They even told me that it would have to have a new inspection sticker (39.95) and the new one would only be good for ONE year instead of the two years on the original sticker.

So as you can imagine, I'm feeling pretty screwed right about now. Just a word of caution to others: if you take your Smart in for anything be sure to check with the dealer and even get a quote in writing. I assumed since TWO employees told me the exact same price, that I was pretty safe in accepting their verbal quote. I paid their invoice, but they haven't heard the end of this yet. I feel like they should have honored the price given by their 2 representatives or at least offered SOME kind of discount.

[SmartCard]

Why didn't you use your insurance? Most states mandate that insurance companies cover windshield replace without a deductible! Afterall, its not a warranty issue.

[msjohnson1974]

Originally Posted by SmartCard

Why didn't you use your insurance? Most states mandate that insurance companies cover windshield replace without a deductible! Afterall, its not a warranty issue.

You sure about that "most states" comment?

[illion]

I'm only carrying liability coverage on it.

[Iceberg]

We had a simular experience w/ our smart. When I call my insurance company, USAA & their glass sub-contractor Safelite informed me that they could not replace the windscreen. It was not in their database? I called our dealer, smart center Portland and they quoted me $240 for the winshield and $250 for installation. This is not really much more than the cost of windshields on previous cars that we have had. Smart USA towed the car to the dealership for us and we had the car back by the end of the day. Great service and not really a bad experience, except for my $100 deductable. That sure was an expensive rock!

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by msjohnson1974

You sure about that "most states" comment?

ok, some states....none the less, it doesn't matter in this case. Ouch!

[DeInNC]

We had a similar issue with our service department in Cary, NC - is wasn't the windshield but same unhappy "surprise!!!" at pick-up.

The service guy seems VERY inexperienced; like the M-B dealer put his B-team on the smart duty. I haven't had communication problems with ANY other service department I have ever worked with, but this guy just "forgot" to quote the entire cost of the work. And he gave us incorrect information about the parts to boot.

My better half told me to calm down, that they just don't know the labor time yet. So, I am supposed to give them a blank check and let them just bill me whatever labor cost they come up with??? At M-B labor rates of $94/hour, it's a big deal.

Lesson learned - now I know what I am dealing with. I hate feeling like I've been rolled by a service department. It hasn't been a good experience.

If your dealer has his act together, thank your lucky stars.

[mmmeat]

How are you guys getting surprised by this stuff? When you drop off your car, they're supposed to write it up with a price and you're supposed to sign it. If the price is going to be higher, the dealership is supposed to call you for authorization.

If you don't authorize it, they can't charge you for it.

I've had many different cars at many different dealerships and this has always been the case.

Your pal,
Meat.

[unicycle]

I was extremely relieved to find that I had total glass coverage on my Aztek (my previous car) because it needed TWO glass replacements in under a month. First I had the ol' rock-vs-windshield crack, then I had a break-in where one of the rear windows was shattered. Happily, I paid NOTHING for these windows. Phew. The windshield for this particular car would have been over $1200!

If you drive any kind of commute, as I do, you have to get glass coverage. It's well worth it.

[angel]

Makes me feel glad my insurance covers windshield replacement.

Did you ask to talk with someone in charge of the service dept? When ever I have an issue that I feel is not being resolved I move up the chain of command.