Motorhome windshield damage & insurance

If I have a broken windshield, what do I do? On my Jeep, I can easily swing the $175 replacement. I did it 3 other times before my move to Florida when my deductible was a whole lot more than that. On my coach, which I had to do last year when a flying rock made an instant 4 foot wide crack, it's a whole lot more. I don't know how much the glass was, the insurance company sent it to Safelite, but the labor bill was around $1000.

If I don't report it and replace it myself, I get to pay the exorbitant premium AND the expense of the windshields. My premium will always go up. I realize that is not a given, but after more than 50 years of buying insurance, I have yet to see it go down.

I understand that I may be shooting myself in the foot, but I only have control over myself. I can either take advantage of the zero deductible rule AND become a victim of it or I can just be a victim of it. What else is there to do?

The victimization effect just seems to be much smaller with the $0 deductible rule. Or at least the gain is spread out over a much larger span of time, compared to coming up with $1000 or the entire repair cost... which is what you are currently facing this time.

I'm not advocating self-insurance.  I'm suggesting there is a price to pay for buying insurance with minimal deductibles.  Florida may have mandated a no-deductible glass insurance policy.  But trust me, the insurance industry is not eating the cost of every glass claim they pay. 

When I moved to Florida, I had a policy with The Hartford in Washington. When I called to give the details of the move, they told me the exact same coverage in Florida would be more than double what I paid in Washington. I started shopping around and managed to get insurance from Progressive for only 50% more than I paid in Washington. 

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Anyone able to connect the dots here. 

JD I suspect the reason RV insurance has went up so much in Texas are all the  thousands of RV's that were totaled due to flooding around Houston from hurricanes the last few years.  So far I am still paying the same $55 per month for mine here in Louisiana, I just got the rate change renewal statement email a day or two ago, and it had only changed by a couple of cents. I think it went up something like $3 per year.

As to the Florida rates, keep in mind for the last 30 years Florida has been a no fault accident state, so everyone's insurance pays the damages.

p.s. while we are on the topic of insurance, make sure you have enough in case you get hit by an un-insured or under insured driver.  This happened to us driving home from our Anniversary dinner a couple of years ago, we got T-Boned by a teenager in a Yukon that ran a red light, totaling my wife's 3 year old car.  He only had minimum insurance which is only $20,000 liability as the state has not raised the minimum level in 30 years.  The car was valued at $27,500 by in the insurance company, so we ended up having to file against my wife's insurance coverage for the remaining $7,500.

I saw some other Jeep Owners out there commenting on the Thread. 

If you need to replace the Jeep Windshield you may want to consider,

Gorilla Glass.

My Jeep Owning Neighbor Told me he put it in his Jeep on his 4th windshield.

Just Throwing it out there...semi on topic.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29214448/gorilla-glass-windshields-pricing/

JD

Holy moly! That windshield is going to cost almost as much as the 4 windshields I have already bought combined! Not for me. I'm too cheap.

As to the Florida rates, keep in mind for the last 30 years Florida has been a no fault accident state, so everyone's insurance pays the damages.

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Yes Florida is a no-fault state, but that only affects liability rates. Collision and Comprehensive are strictly for your own vehicle and rates are based on two things: (1) your own statistical profile, and (2) uninsured motorist accident rates in your region.  There is a wide rate spread between South Florida where uninsured motorist accidents are rampant and northern or central Florida where they occur far less often.  Insurance rates in the more rural parts of Florida are similar to other states.

Windshield insurance in Florida: State law prohibits any deductible for windshield insurance, but that coverage is part of a comprehensive insurance package.  Vehicles are not required to have comprehensive insurance, so not every vehicle is Florida has free (insurance pays everything) windshield replacement.

Isaac-1 said:

JD I suspect the reason RV insurance has went up so much in Texas are all the  thousands of RV's that were totaled due to flooding around Houston from hurricanes the last few years.  So far I am still paying the same $55 per month for mine here in Louisiana, I just got the rate change renewal statement email a day or two ago, and it had only changed by a couple of cents. I think it went up something like $3 per year.

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Ike,

My Insurance actually went down on my Class C this year.  ;D

Last Year $513

This Year $500

I have Full Coverage but not 100% sure If got Replacement Value if it gets totaled.  I need to brush up on the specifics but I vaguely remember talking to the guy at length on the phone when we were setting it up initially.

I would rather eat the cost buying Glass for a Ford Van than on of those Big Class A, but I need to look at that again on my policy.

JD 

I never would have gotten another quote because I was happy with State Farm. When I was signing the paperwork which I paid cash, the guy asked about insurance. I told him my insurance would transfer and was automatically covered for 30 days just like a car. I told him I was happy with State Farm and he asked me if I ever had a claim and said no. He said that's why I was happy with State Farm.

He taught me a few things and mentioned two direct insurers one of which was Geico. Although State Farm is competitive with cars, excellent on houses, not good on RVs or motorcycles. I assumed the RV would be depreciated and paid on that number if totaled. I was unaware you could get a brand new RV if it was totaled in the first five years.

It's been over five years and I haven't had a claim with Geico so they are making money on me for now but you never know about tomorrow. I missed my window of opportunity for a free new RV. I guess I'm considered low risk by now which is probably why they keep dropping my rates. My dad told me insurance is a waste of money until the day you need it. My dad was very smart. He passed away years ago but he taught me how to wipe my butt and to buy good insurance. LOL

Insurance is always worth shopping around every few years, since different catastrophe events (hurricanes, wildfires, floods, etc.) affect companies differently and will affect their rates across the board. Plus they react to societal events like COVID and offer discounts and other promotions to earn/retain business during those times too.

It is all about managing the risk as stated again and again. 

I will say that there were some Reputable Insurance Companies splitting hairs with payouts for Katrina Victims back in 2005 as some got screwed and left holding the bag becuase they were not covered for Flood where the Storm surge got them.

Even with Super-storm Sandy alot of people got "hosed over" and they actually had Gov Flood Insurance but the Payouts exceeded the Slush Fund amount in that pot of Cash. THis is years after the fact, and maybe the Gov came around to doing the right thing...but years later?  Who can hold out when their houses have all the sheet rock and insulation ripped out to the studs?

What do the Insurers do when they get caught off guard?  Screw over the policy holders, naturally!

JD

X-Roughneck said:

What do the Insurers do when they get caught off guard?  Screw over the policy holders, naturally!

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There is actually another part of the industry call "Reinsurance" for this... basically insurance for insurers, so a couple large catastrophe events don't wipe a company out. The insurance industry is also highly regulated on the state and federal levels, so they can't legally screw you out of coverage you pay for... but they can (and do) refuse to pay claims for damage caused by something other than what your policy dictates. That's why it's important to understand your coverage and make sure you're protected properly for risks in your particular locale.

I share JD's concern. In 2008, Insurance giant AIG had to be bailed out by tax payers to the tune of 180 billion dollars. They were selling unhedged insurance, and when the housing bubble burst, they couldn't cover all their losses. The Fed basically took them over. To their credit, they paid it all back, plus another 25 billion, by 2012.

We've got earthquake insurance, which is underwritten by the State of California, and I often wonder if the State would be able to cover all the losses if "the Big One" were to hit. This state isn't exactly known for its fiscal responsibility. It's more akin to a shell game. Premiums aren't unreasonable, but deductibles for earthquake insurance are high. Ours is $148,000.00 for a single residence.

Kev

I don't want to sound harsh but people build homes by rivers, lakes and oceans and then some act surprised when they get flooded. People who live below sea level like New Orleans are just asking for trouble. Same thing in CA when they build their home on a cliff or in a fire zone.

Off topic but I wish the US would build a 20' OD pipe with huge turbines from the Great Lakes to Lake Mead. The great lakes have too much water and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers flood which causes enormous damage to major cities.

Better to lay pipe than pay unemployment. Want an outdoor job? Are you available for the next three years... LOL

Off topic but I wish the US would build a 20' OD pipe with huge turbines from the Great Lakes to Lake Mead. The great lakes have too much water and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers flood which causes enormous damage to major cities.

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But neither the Ohio nor the Mississippi drain water from the Great Lakes - that all exits to the east via the St Lawrence.

Gary,  I realize the water would have to be forced by huge pumps depending on the direction.

The last time we went to Lake Erie and Lake Michigan some of the beaches we once enjoyed were gone. The Ohio and Mississippi Rivers flood quite often. Lake Mead had been low for many years. A pipe that could move the water around as needed sounds good but it would be a big project.

https://www.nhpr.org/post/water-level-lake-mead-countrys-largest-reservoir-historic-low#stream/0

https://www.eriereader.com/article/the-lowdown-on-high-water

https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/experts-say-humans-cant-control-great-lakes-water-levels/article_1223be0c-9605-11ea-bd39-67fd01f11327.html#:~:text=Lawrence%20River%20are%20the%20only,water%20levels%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.

This is a great idea.  We need more water in Lake Mead which feeds the Colorado and since that ultimately goes to Mexico, we'll get Mexico to pay for it. 

I think the Colorado river is a trickle after Las Vegas, the farmers and LA. The great lakes are about 20% of the earth's fresh water. We have too much and they need it. Of course Ohio and Michigan would have to charge them a buck a gallon. LOL

GaryB1st.  Uhh, I'm pretty sure the Colorado river feeds Lake Mead.

ChasA said:

GaryB1st.  Uhh, I'm pretty sure the Colorado river feeds Lake Mead.

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Yup and downstream there is plenty at Havasu