Your Insurer Recommended a Glass Shop. Must You Use It?

What the law says

The statute is G.S. 58-3-180. Its first line is plain: ‘A policy covering damage to a motor vehicle shall allow the claimant to select the repair service or source for the repair of the damage.’

It then deals with money. The amount the insurer owes ‘shall be paid regardless of the repair service or source selected by the claimant.’ In other words, the insurer cannot pay you less because you picked a different shop from the one it suggested.

And it deals with recommendations. If an insurer recommends a repair shop, it has to tell you four things: that you are under no obligation to use that shop, that you may use the shop of your choice, that the payment is the same either way, and whether the insurer has a financial interest in the shop it recommended. No insurer may require you to have the work done at a shop it owns.

The NC Department of Insurance puts it more simply in its own FAQ: ‘Can an insurance company tell me where to get my car fixed? No.’

Does it apply to glass?

The statute speaks of ‘repair service’ for ‘damage to a motor vehicle’, and it does not single out glass shops. It covers any policy that pays for damage to a vehicle, and a windshield claim under comprehensive coverage is exactly that. So the same rule applies whether you are choosing a body shop after a collision or a glass company after a stone on I-40.

What to say on the phone

1. Report the damage and confirm it is a comprehensive claim, and what your glass deductible is.
2. When the shop question comes up, say you have chosen your own shop and give its name.
3. If the insurer recommends someone, ask whether it has a financial interest in that company. It has to tell you.
4. Note the claim number and pass it to the shop you chose, so it can deal with the insurer on the bill.

Impex Auto Glass works with all major insurance providers and can handle the claim with your insurer. Choosing Impex for a windshield in Winston-Salem does not take you outside your coverage.

Why the choice can matter

Glass jobs are not all alike. On a car with a forward camera, the windshield is followed by a calibration, and I-CAR says calibration requirements vary by year, make and model. Some companies calibrate on the spot; others send you to a dealership afterwards. Impex says it calibrates on site after windshield replacement, static and dynamic in one visit. Where and when the work is done also varies: some drivers need it at home, others at work. Picking the shop lets you choose on the things that matter for your car, not on whoever answered the claims line first.

It also matters for repair versus replacement. A shop that looks at a small chip and fills it rather than replacing the windshield saves you a deductible and saves the car a calibration.

Will the claim raise my rates?

A comprehensive glass claim is not an at-fault accident, so it adds no Safe Driver Incentive Plan points. The NCDOI does note that many insurers consider how often you file claims, at fault or not, when they decide on renewals. North Carolina has no law waiving the deductible for glass, so for a small repair it can be worth paying directly.

Getting the windshield done

For the steps of a replacement and what it involves, see windshield replacement in Winston-Salem. For the camera step, see ADAS calibration.

Questions people ask