I've got a L-reg Corsa (5 door) with a reasonable amount of life left in it and, as befitting of a car of this age, Third Party Fire and Theft insurance.
Presumably exacerbated by recent cold spell, a crack has in the bottom-left corner of the windscreen (most of it is hidden behind the tax disc, so I suspect it's been there for a while), and seems to be growing - it's maybe 6 inches long at present. Clearly something needs to be done before a decent bout of frost or flying stone finishes it off catastrophically...
As I understand it, stone chips can be repaired for a modest sum, but a crack like this calls for a complete replacement of the windscreen. If I had fully comp insurance, this would be a simple case of 50 quid to Autoglass or similar and the insurance pays the rest, but with TPFT this isn't an option.
So the question is, given the value of the car and that the Book Of Lies says the job involves skill, sealant and a high risk of cockup, how much does a windscreen cost, and what's the cheapest way to get it fitted?
Presumably a local independent windscreen fitter is going to be cheaper than one of the big chains who come to you in a van? Is it worth obtaining a half-decent screen from a scrappy and finding someone to fit it?
TIA,
Kim.