ICBC glass claims in Port Coquitlam

It depends on the damage. We can usually perform a windshield chip repair in Port Coquitlam if the damage is smaller than 3 inches. If the crack is larger or right in your line of sight, a full replacement is safer.

We make it easy. You can visit our service centre, or use our mobile service where we come to you. We offer convenient auto glass repair in Poco and surrounding areas like Coquitlam at your home or work.

The repair is structural first and cosmetic second. While the scar won't vanish 100%, it will be much less visible. More importantly, our glass repair in Port Coquitlam restores the strength of your windshield so the crack doesn't spread.

The year, make, model and body style of the vehicle, plus which glass is broken and how it happened. Tell us whether there is a camera or sensor behind the mirror, rain-sensing wipers, a heated windshield or a heads-up display, because those change the part we order. Your VIN helps us match the exact glass. If you are not sure what your vehicle has, we can look at it at our Port Coquitlam shop.

We take the damaged glass away with us. A windshield is laminated — two layers of glass bonded to a plastic interlayer — so it is handled separately from ordinary waste and sent for recycling or proper disposal. Mouldings, cowl covers and clips have to come off to reach the urethane bead. Some of those parts are reusable and some are one-use items that get replaced. We tell you which before we start.

Not always — it depends on the adhesive. The windshield is bonded to the body with urethane and is a structural part of the vehicle: it backs up the passenger airbag and helps the roof keep its shape in a rollover. The urethane has to reach a rated strength before the car is safe to drive, and temperature and humidity affect that. Your installer gives you the exact safe drive-away figure for the product used on your job.

Rain is not a problem. Urethane makes a waterproof seal once it has bonded, and normal weather will not disturb it. Car washes are different — a pressure wand or an automatic wash with brushes can work at new mouldings and at the bond line, so leave those alone until your installer tells you the adhesive is fully set. Hand washing is gentler. Leave any retention tape where we put it, and avoid slamming doors.

It is worth dealing with while it is small. A chip is a break in the outer layer of glass, and every temperature swing, pothole and door slam works on that break until it runs out into a crack. Once it spreads past repairable limits, the whole windshield has to come out. Dirt and moisture also settle into open damage, which affects how clear a repair finishes. Bring it in and we will assess it honestly.

Size, location, depth and contamination decide it. Long cracks, damage that reaches the edge of the glass, breaks sitting in the driver's line of sight, damage that has gone through to the inner layer of the laminate, and several cracks running out from one impact point are generally past repair. Older damage packed with dirt and water is also a poor candidate. We inspect the glass and give you a straight answer before any work begins.

Yes, a great deal. Windshields vary by acoustic interlayer, tint band, heating elements, rain and light sensors, heads-up display and camera brackets, and one model can use several different parts depending on how it was optioned. Back glass usually carries a defroster grid and sometimes an antenna. Door glass may be tempered, laminated or encapsulated in its own frame. Vehicles with a forward-facing camera need ADAS calibration once the windshield is replaced. We service cars, trucks, SUVs and commercial fleets.

Yes, that is how it is designed to fail. Back and side windows are usually tempered glass, which breaks into small blunt fragments rather than long sharp shards. The trade-off is mess: pieces travel into door cavities, seat tracks, the trunk well and heater vents. We clear the glass we can reach as part of the job, but fragments can still work loose from inside a door shell afterwards, so a thorough vacuum of the interior is worthwhile.

Glass damage is handled under the comprehensive part of your policy, not collision or liability, and comprehensive claims are generally treated differently from an at-fault accident. Policies differ, though, so ICBC is the one who can confirm it for yours. Either way, nothing is filed until you tell us to.

It comes down to two numbers: your comprehensive deductible and the price of the glass. If your deductible is $250 and the replacement is $550, claiming saves you $300. If your deductible is $500 and the glass is $420, paying directly is cheaper — and there is no claim on your record. We will price it both ways before you decide.

Often, yes. Damage smaller than a dollar bill, outside the driver’s line of sight and away from the edge of the glass can usually be repaired rather than replaced. A repair is quicker, costs less, and keeps the original factory seal. Send a photo with your quote and we will tell you straight — including when it is the smaller job.

If there is a camera mounted behind your windshield — lane keeping, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise — the manufacturer generally requires recalibration after the glass is replaced, so the system aims where it is supposed to. Your VIN tells us whether yours has one, and if it does we include it in the quote up front rather than after the job.