It was a Thursday night. I was returning to the hotel after an enjoyable time being a tourist at ByWard Market.
I was looking through the right side of my windshield, making a right turn. I noticed something odd on it. I wasn't sure if it was dirt on the outside or my windshield had a chip.
When I got to the underground parking lot, I inspected my car's windshield. It was indeed a stone chip.
Fortunately, I have experienced the worst case getting a stone chip, as weird as this statement sounds. Years ago, I was driving to park my car at work. I was heading to the airport on highway 401 and heard a stone hit my windshield. I saw the crack. It started off small. By the time I had parked my car, it was roughly 3.5 inches in length.
That issue required replacing the entire windshield. It wasn't the ideal situation going on vacation halfway around the world and having to deal with a glass issue. I had to wait for the windshield to arrive before I could take my car in. It took an entire day to complete once I was back.
I didn't know whether I'd end up with that scenario again or if this stone chip was more self-contained. I decided to file a claim with my insurance once I got to the room.
My insurance policy covers stone chips. Since this chip was no larger than a quarter, the woman on the phone at my insurance said that it could be fixed immediately. She looked up auto glass places near the hotel where I was staying. She found this UniglassPlus. She booked an appointment for noon the following day.
I dropped by this store at around 11:30 am on a Friday. It took me four minutes to drive over here. Easy! I backed into a spot and headed inside.
I was immediately greeted by Mark, who was extremely chipper and had a lovely personality. He let me know that he saw my appointment when he walked through the door at 6 am.
Man, I wish that I had a smidge of his enthusiasm. I wonder if it's fuelled by caffeine or if he is naturally like that all day long.
He asked for my car's key fob. He immediately contacted a technician to fetch my car that I had parked at the front. He said that it would take thirty minutes or so.
I sat down and relaxed. You could get coffee or water in the corner facing Cyrville Road. This place has a Keurig machine, so you could technically bring your own pods in if you're that type of coffee or tea drinker.
I had an energy drink with me, so I was good. I still think that energy drinks do nothing for me. My demeanour is consistent with or without consuming an energy drink. I even wrote a Yelp review while I waited because I had nothing better to do!
Mark let me know that my car was done and the technician drove the car to the storefront. He said that there was a tiny dot left where the chip was and that this fix was under warranty for life. Cool!
He gave me the printed details. A copy of it automatically went to my insurance company. I thanked him and left.
I headed to my go-to Starbucks about two minutes away. While lined up at the drive-thru, I could barely see the spot where the chip was. The fix was great.
I have since driven back home and the fix continues to hold up.
It's never great having something odd like a stone chip happen while you are on vacation. Thanks to my insurance setting up the repair at UniglassPlus, it was peace of mind getting it done before I headed home. I got in just before the weekend had started. Service was excellent and customer service was stellar.
I hope that you never encounter glass issues with your car. However, if you do and are in the Gloucester area, I highly recommend coming here.
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