Your windshield got hit. Here's exactly what to do next.

A rock hits your windshield on the Langley Bypass and you watch a small chip appear in the glass. What you do in the next few minutes and hours has a measurable effect on what this ends up costing you.

This guide walks through the practical steps in order, from the moment of impact to getting the vehicle back, with the goal of giving you accurate information rather than generic advice.

Step one: what to do (and not do) immediately after the damage

Before anything else, do not run your defrost on high and do not go through a car wash. These are the two fastest ways to turn a small, repairable chip into a crack that requires full replacement.

Defrost works by heating the glass from inside. If the outer surface is cold and the inner surface heats rapidly, the thermal expansion differential creates stress that concentrates at the existing chip. On a cold morning, this can propagate a chip into a running crack in minutes. Use defrost on a low, gradual setting if you need to clear the glass, or clear it manually.

A car wash subjects the windshield to high-pressure water, jets, and flexing forces from the vehicle going over rollers and brushes. An existing chip is a stress concentration point. Car wash damage that worsens a chip is not covered under most ICBC claims.

The first constructive step is to photograph the damage before anything else. A clear photo with a coin or finger for scale gives you documentation of the original damage at its smallest extent. If anything happens before you get to the shop (the chip spreads, the vehicle is involved in something unrelated) you have a before record.

Step two: figure out what coverage you have

In British Columbia, auto glass coverage comes through ICBC Comprehensive (for most drivers) or through a private insurer if you carry coverage outside of ICBC.

ICBC Comprehensive covers all glass damage. If your policy includes Comprehensive, chip repairs have no deductible and cost you nothing. Windshield replacement is covered subject to your Comprehensive deductible, typically $300, $500, or $1,000 depending on what you selected.

ICBC Basic-only policies do not include glass. If you’re on Basic, any repair or replacement is entirely out of pocket.

The fastest way to check what you have is your ICBC pink slip, the document in your glovebox that proves insurance. Look for the “Optional” section. If Comprehensive is listed there with a deductible figure, you have it. If it isn’t listed, you likely don’t.

If you can’t find your pink slip or aren’t sure, call us before you come in. We can look up your coverage with your licence plate and driver’s licence.

Step three: call the shop, not ICBC

This is the most common misconception among drivers who haven’t been through a glass claim before. You do not need to call ICBC first. You do not need to obtain a claim number or wait for authorization before booking your appointment.

Snowline Autoglass is part of ICBC’s Repair Network and participates in the Glass Express program. We initiate the claim authorization directly and electronically from our end when you arrive. For most glass jobs, authorization comes back within minutes. You need your driver’s licence. That’s it.

Call our shop, describe the damage, and book an appointment. Bring your vehicle and your licence. We handle the claim from there.

Step four: act before the chip spreads

The most expensive mistake BC drivers make with windshield damage is waiting. A chip that would have been repaired for nothing under ICBC Comprehensive has a habit of becoming something more if left alone for two or three weeks.

Temperature swings propagate micro-fractures. Vibration from driving concentrates stress at existing damage. Rain gets into the chip, freezes on a cold night, expands, and pushes the crack further. The chip you noticed on Monday morning can be a crack that runs into your sightline by the following weekend. At that point, you’re looking at replacement, not repair.

The repairability threshold is roughly 24 mm for the damage diameter and no more than about 150 mm for any crack length, with additional criteria around location and the condition of the glass. A chip that meets the repair criteria today may not meet them in three weeks. Once damage crosses into replacement territory, the math changes: your deductible applies, the appointment runs 60–90 minutes instead of 30, and you may need ADAS recalibration depending on your vehicle.

Glass claims also do not affect your claims-rated scale, the factor ICBC uses to set your premium based on your claims history. This surprises a lot of drivers who delay filing because they’re worried about “affecting their insurance.” Glass is specifically excluded from claims-rated scale calculations. Filing a chip repair claim, or even a full windshield replacement claim, has no effect on your premium. Waiting to protect your record is based on a misunderstanding.

Understanding the deductible difference

Chip repair under ICBC Comprehensive carries no deductible. None. If the damage is repairable, you pay nothing.

Windshield replacement applies your Comprehensive deductible. The most common deductibles are $300, $500, and $1,000. If your deductible is $300 and the replacement costs $500, you pay $300. ICBC pays the remaining $200. If the replacement costs $1,200 (as it does on vehicles requiring ADAS calibration), ICBC pays $900 and you pay your $300.

The deductible on replacement is a one-time cost per claim, not per visit. If you’ve already met your deductible in the same policy year through another Comprehensive claim, the subsequent glass claim has no additional deductible.

For vehicles equipped with ADAS cameras mounted at the windshield, ICBC includes recalibration as part of the replacement claim when it’s required. We perform calibration in our shop bay.

Edge damage and sightline damage: the two override rules

Two factors override the standard size criteria for repairability.

Sightline damage (a chip or crack in the driver’s direct line of sight, the area immediately in front of the steering wheel) requires replacement regardless of size. Repair resin leaves a small optical artifact; it’s acceptable in most areas of the glass but not in the zone where the driver’s vision is critical.

Edge damage (anything within roughly 50 mm of the windshield’s perimeter) requires replacement almost without exception. Edge damage compromises the windshield’s structural bond to the vehicle body, and edge cracks grow under almost any stress.

If your chip or crack involves either of these conditions, replacement is the answer, and acting quickly to prevent further spread is still worthwhile.

Private insurance: what’s different

If you carry glass coverage through a private insurer, the process is broadly similar but varies by provider.

Snowline direct-bills TAG Network, BCAA Insurance, and Family Insurance Solutions. For these carriers, you don’t pay out of pocket and wait for reimbursement; we bill the insurer directly, similar to the ICBC Glass Express process.

For other private insurers, we provide complete repair documentation (a detailed invoice with the damage description, the work performed, and parts used) that you submit to your insurer for reimbursement. You pay us at the time of service. Most private insurers process these claims straightforwardly, and the paperwork is a single page.

If you’re not certain what coverage you have or who your insurer is, bring your pink slip and we’ll sort it out at intake.

The short version

Take a photo immediately. Don’t use aggressive defrost or a car wash before the repair. Check your pink slip for Comprehensive coverage. Call our shop, not ICBC. Book the appointment promptly, before a chip has the chance to become something more involved. Show up with your driver’s licence.

That’s the whole process for most BC drivers. It’s significantly less involved than most people expect.