So I got a brand new car, less than a year old, and a stone hit my windshield on the highway. I went through the app and chose the dealership (it was listed as approved).
My windshield has sensors that need recalibration (for lane assist, etc.) and the dealership quoted me around $1900 for everything. But Geico is only covering half of it. They say they pay $40/hour for labor and $300 for recalibration, which doesn’t make sense because no one charges that little, especially for sensors that need to be done at the dealership for the warranty.
What are my options here? Can I take them to small claims court?
Dealerships are known for overcharging, and a lot of times they don’t even do the work themselves—they send it to local shops and just act as the middleman. Insurance usually only covers the average local rate. You can get it done wherever you want, but if the cost is higher than the local rate, you’ll have to pay the difference.
Dealerships usually don’t handle glass installs. Their techs aren’t trained for it, and most don’t even have a body shop on site. They usually call in a third-party glass company like a local one or sometimes Safelite. Then they slap on a markup for being the middleman.
It doesn’t really matter though—Geico is only going to pay the standard rates, and it sounds like your shop charged more. You picked the shop, so that’s on you. Did you talk to an actual Geico adjuster, or did you just go through the app and pick the dealer?
@River
Yeah, they’re pulling the labor rate at $40/hour, which is lower than even Safelite. The going rate here is like $160/hour, and the dealership charged $270.
And the calibration is usually done at the dealership, but even independent shops charge a lot for it. Anyway, I’ve already appealed with Geico, so we’ll see how it goes.
@Vic
$40 is probably the local rate Geico pays, even to Safelite. Calibration isn’t always done at the dealer—they use independent contractors sometimes, and Safelite can handle it too.
But did you actually involve Geico in the process, or did you just file the claim and tell the dealership to handle everything?