Windscreen replacement cost NZ

As with many other services, the cost of a replacement windscreen for your vehicle can vary upon many factors. Such as the company providing the service, to the requirements of the windscreen that is specified for your vehicle.

Here's the price range and where your vehicle may fit in...

The cheapest windshields:

Used Windscreens

At the very bottom of the price range is the used windscreen replacement option. Typically, these are front windscreens removed from cars in wrecking yards, panel beating shops or even for demolition derby purposes by auto glaziers. These are typically priced at $250 fitted, however in some cases where the windscreens are purchased from an auto parts dealer this can be more expensive as the auto parts store inflates the price. This price is not the same for rear windscreens either, as they are not as mass produced to the same quantity as the front and are tempered glass, with tint codes and not laminated like the front windscreen. These rear windscreens may price anywhere from $300 - $900. Used windscreens are normally not going to be available for newer vehicles as the glass only becomes available once the vehicle ends up in the wrecking yard. (Note that if the glass is rare the auto parts dealers inflate the price and you're at the mercy of the laws of supply and demand. In these cases, the costs can rise into the thousands, so if you own a rare or classic car, don't expect things to be cheap.)

New windshields without any technology attachments:

New windscreens without any accessories or attachments can range in price anywhere from $300 - $700. The prices are generally decided by the manufacturer of the windscreen. The factors that go into deciding these prices are supply and demand or size of the windscreen. The cheapest windscreens are typically going to be for small common vehicles e.g. Toyota Corollas and Honda Fits. However, you should keep in mind that newer vehicles are going to be less common and therefore supply, and demand is going to raise the price. On the other end of the higher price range is going to be made up of mini vans and other less common vehicles such as Peugeot or Fiat.

Windscreens with technology attachments including Rain Sensors, De-Vapour Brackets, Heating Accessories, ADAS Camera and Heads Up Display:

De-Vapour Sensor, Rain Sensor & ADAS Camera Attachments

Vehicles fitted with technology attachments on the windscreen started to be produced around the 2000's in most cases. This started with rain sensors, de-vapour sensors and heated windscreens with plug in attachments. If your vehicle has any of these, the cost of your windscreen replacement can go anywhere from $500 up to around $900.

After around 2010 onwards, we had the arrival of vehicles produced with ADAS cameras (Advanced-Driver-Assistance-Systems). ADAS cameras had already been invented, however around this time they began to become a more common accessory on windshields. Although this came with the unfortunate consequence of more financial expense. Not only is the windshield itself more expensive, but the camera also requires a recalibration if the windshield is replaced and no it's not just included in the windscreen replacement. This is another service entirely. Expensive equipment is required to carry out these recalibrations as well as training for the auto glaziers. This cost needs to be covered somewhere and that's by the customer. The cost of a recalibration itself can be anywhere from $175 to $460 alone. So be prepared for a fairly big bill if you're planning to get your ADAS windscreen replaced. The total cost is anywhere from $800 to $2000 once you add everything in there.

Heads Up Display Windscreen

Last but not least we have the most expensive windscreen replacement option. This is the Heads Up Display windscreen. These windscreens have a special film coating on them that allows a projector from your vehicle's dashboard to display the speedometer on your windscreen, and these windscreens are typically going to have ADAS cameras as well. These windscreens can price anywhere from $1000 to $3000 to replace.

Although I just said that was the most expensive windscreen type out there to replace, there is still a way you can spend more...if you really want to.

Genuine or Aftermarket Windscreens

This is by getting your windscreen genuine, direct from the manufacturer.

This is where the costs get so high that it almost seems like a joke. We are talking about adding on an extra 2 or 3 or even 4 thousand dollars extra to the price. Yes, it seems quite ridiculous but that's how much it can be. You may think well the insurance will just cover that cost, I pay them, so I'm entitled to it. Well, you'd better check the fine print of your insurance policy. Most insurance policies will not cover the additional cost of genuine windscreens. Full glass cover policies typically only cover the cost of aftermarket replacement glass, and any additional costs will be up to you the customer to cover yourself.

The best advice I can give is if you have any technology attachments or ADAS camera on your windscreen it's probably worth getting glass cover insurance for your vehicle. But make sure you read your insurance policy carefully, because sometimes you may think it's all covered, but actually there is a $500 excess fee or a maximum amount of cover, meaning your expensive windscreen isn't really covered by your insurance policy. But don't worry too much, if you're concerned about getting an aftermarket replacement windscreen, I can assure you that whether it's genuine or aftermarket they will both crack when hit with hard objects.

If you want to get a more accurate idea of what your windscreen replacement will cost. Follow the link here to our free online quotes page.