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NJ Windshield replacement (Geico): Need advice

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So, my 2 month old Tesla was vandalized by a group of teenage looking boys šŸ˜­. One of them deliberately threw a stone at the windshield and it got damaged and will need to be replaced (it was parked and we weren't inside, in case you were concerned).

Luckily, we already have a service appointment on Sat the 15th and they agreed to add windshield replacement to it. I talked to Geico and they said pay out of pocket and then submit a reimbursement, but labor won't be covered for more than $40.
My guess is that I am looking at ~$1,500 bill with labor around $400 (will know for sure on Saturday). With $250 deductible plus most of the labor, I am assuming I will have to pay out of pocket $600-700 or so.

Other than going through Tesla, is there any other option? Is it recommended?
Also, if someone has gotten it done recently, would appreciate if you can share the approx cost and experience.
 
So, my 2 month old Tesla was vandalized by a group of teenage looking boys šŸ˜­. One of them deliberately threw a stone at the windshield and it got damaged and will need to be replaced (it was parked and we weren't inside, in case you were concerned).

Luckily, we already have a service appointment on Sat the 15th and they agreed to add windshield replacement to it. I talked to Geico and they said pay out of pocket and then submit a reimbursement, but labor won't be covered for more than $40.
My guess is that I am looking at ~$1,500 bill with labor around $400 (will know for sure on Saturday). With $250 deductible plus most of the labor, I am assuming I will have to pay out of pocket $600-700 or so.

Other than going through Tesla, is there any other option? Is it recommended?
Also, if someone has gotten it done recently, would appreciate if you can share the approx cost and experience.
Thatā€™s crazy, your comprehensive insurance should pick up the bill on the whole windshield. Call Tesla to replace the windshield, your insurance company will try to get you a generic windshield replacement so they can save money, but you may have issue with the front camera. Your paying for insurance, go OEM. Donā€™t go to safe light, they fixed my Camry windshield 4 times till they got rid of some weird wind noise. I changed my insurance to AAA, $620 for six months vs Geico wanted $1600 for 6 months. Call the Tesla service department.
 
Thatā€™s crazy, your comprehensive insurance should pick up the bill on the whole windshield. Call Tesla to replace the windshield, your insurance company will try to get you a generic windshield replacement so they can save money, but you may have issue with the front camera. Your paying for insurance, go OEM. Donā€™t go to safe light, they fixed my Camry windshield 4 times till they got rid of some weird wind noise. I changed my insurance to AAA, $620 for six months vs Geico wanted $1600 for 6 months. Call the Tesla service department.
So far the plan is to go through Tesla. Geico simply wanted me to get it done myself and file a claim. They said they will cover the cost of windshield after deductible and labor up to $40.

Thanks for the feedback on Safelite. Can you share which location was that?
 
Do you have glass coverage? If so I wouldn't worry, from my experience the Geico claims reps seem to be a level 1 help desk reading a script written to minimize your claim amount.
Thanks. I do have glass coverage. The policy states that the comprehensive coverage covers windshield and glass.
when you say I wouldn't worry about meaning I should be able to get most of the claim covered?
 
I just had my MYLR's windshield replaced last week (10/06) at Tesla in Richmond/Glen Allen, VA.
Labor was $282.75. Here's a copy of the invoice as a reference.
I checked with Safelite too, and they wanted $1705 for their "economy service".


Windshield Cost.jpg
 
Had my windshield replaced by Farmers in August. Worst part was the 10-week wait for parts as the crack spread, but insurance covered it all except for my $100 deductible. I paid Tesla and insurance reimbursed me the rest, minus deductible. Does not make sense that Geico is requiring you to pay labor. Do you pay labor too if your car needs collision repair? Is it some specific clause in your policy?
 
Thanks for all the inputs and sorry for the delayed response.
My total cost was around $1,250 and Geico ended up reimbursing $1,000 after the $250 deductible. When I had called to report the damage, they said they only cover labor up to $40/hour. When I submitted the info online, there was a disclaimer stating the same again. So it wasn't just a random customer rep making up stuff. However, once I submitted the claim, they promptly reimbursed $1,000 without any fuss.
Also, I got the repair done at Tesla service center. Luckily I already had a service appointment and they took care of it in the same visit ( I gave them a heads up). The only thing I didn't like about the experience was that they said the car will be ready in 24 hours, but they didn't mention that they are closed, so I had to wait a couple of extra days. But I am overall happy in the end.
 
Live in NJ, also have Geico, had my windshield replaced by a local Tesla certified repair shop with OEM Tesla windshield (apparently there are no 3rd parties yet) for the cost of my deductible - $50. Had to wait 2wks for the windshield to arrive.
 
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