Lease Return- windshield replacement- Can file through insurance or must replace at a Tesla dealership Out of Pocket?

[Lolacat99]

Hello- I have a lease return due in a Few months and have a huge crack in my windshield that needs replacement. My insurance would completely cover the replacement service. My question is, would it violate my lease to service it through a 3rd party like “Safelight” Autoglass repair and use my insurance or will Tesla recognize and give me a penalty when I turn in my leased vehicle for not going directly through them and their shop? Thanks for any help and info provided.

 

[PLUGZIN]

I had to have the windshield replaced due to a 3rd party damaging it when doing PPF. In this case the 3rd party paid for the repair in full. It was set up as a Tesla mobile service and the 3rd party paid Tesla directly. The tech who did the work (it only took a little over an hour or so) said that the windshield can only be provided from Tesla as the mounting for the front facing cameras is part of the windshield. He said that there aren't any 3rd party windshield providers like on other cars. The replacement was done in Sept '22 and the total cost including sales tax was $1,053. If you have it done by Safelite, if the Tesla tech was correct - they would need to buy the windshield directly from Tesla. I suggest just setting up a Tesla service appointment and avoid any problem on lease return.

 

[jjrandorin]

No, actually your lease agreement says that you will need to get it fixed / replaced on your own dime, so if your insurance covers it then thats what you should do.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Windshield replacement is usually covered by the comprehensive part of your insurance policy, not the collision, so a claim shouldn't affect your insurance rates

 

[The Other Dan]

And there really is no 3rd party glass. Tesla is single source supplier, and you either get it done at Tesla or Safelite. From the quotes I have from both places, Tesla was cheaper too. Safelite also tries to tell you they must do a camera calibration at the tune of $600 extra.

 

[PLUGZIN]

Other Dan brings up an excellent point about calibration. When the Tesla tech finished replacing windshield he selected camera calibration form the service menu. After some driving the cameras were calibrated.

 

[Wrenching Fool]

I had Tesla replace mine. Got a rock chip that almost instantly spread to a large crack on my previous 2021 M3LR within a few months of purchasing it, so I didn’t want to replace the glass with aftermarket and risk having any sort of camera misalignment or issues. I got an estimate from Tesla, which was about $800, and submitted that to my insurance. Insurance approved it, so I got the work done, paid for out of pocket (just put in on a CC) and submitted to my insurance for reimbursement. They sent me a check within a week, which I used to fully pay for the bill on the credit card. Very easy, zero (net) out of pocket cost.

As for whether or not you could use a non-Tesla part without penalty, as long as the non-OEM windshield looks, fits and functions just the same as the OEM part, there would be no issue.

 

[Ericaw]

Hello- I have a lease return due in a Few months and have a huge crack in my windshield that needs replacement. My insurance would completely cover the replacement service. My question is, would it violate my lease to service it through a 3rd party like “Safelight” Autoglass repair and use my insurance or will Tesla recognize and give me a penalty when I turn in my leased vehicle for not going directly through them and their shop? Thanks for any help and info provided.

The windshield in my Lexus was broken by a rock and I had to have it replaced. I thought it would be a good idea to have it replaced at the Lexus dealership since it had many things in/on the glass like camera, wiper heater, etc. Well, the dealer outsourced the windshield replacement to a 3rd party and then brought it back to the Lexus dealership for the camera calibration. I doubt that Tesla would do a windshield replacement either.

 

[Tronguy]

Um. So, the SO's 2018 M3 met up with a rock in 2nd Quarter 2019. NJ has decent insurance, no problem getting insurance to pay for it.

Safelite is near here and had a good previous experience with them; the insurance liked them, too. Called them up. Again, this was four years ago. After some fumbling around, Safelite in Central Jersey reported that (a) they had trouble getting the glass and (b) nobody trained on how to calibrate the cameras. Switched gears and went for the Tesla Service Center in Springfield.

At that time, in that place: Nothing wrong beyond a chip in the windshield with some cracks, too low to allow for a repair. Drove the car until Tesla was ready, a week later. They had it for two days. No problems since then.

At that time, it was reported that Tesla in California was outsourcing windshield repair to the likes of Safelite. Wasn't true in NJ, obviously, but it was clearly coming.

So, as to who should fix your windshield: Call around and find out. The likes of Safelite is usually cheaper and there's nothing rocket science about it.