Free windshield replacement offer - anyone tried it ?

I wouldn’t replace it unless it was cracked or the chips were large and distracting. There is always some risk of damage when replacing a windshield, calibration issues etc.

Plus we all end up paying higher insurance prices if everyone replaces a $800 windshield when it gets a few chips.

 

that's quite a little profit center the dealer and safelite have going on.
MA is the same way. but i would contact my insco first, and tell them what they said, for their opinion on the windshield structural integrity. maybe they have an inspector who can look at it.
calibration makes me nervous too. i would want to be covered if there were any problems.

 

I would say wait for a crack.
In my experience, once you get a little crack, it gets big in a hurry.
The sensors add complexity and $.
First it was tires, now, windshields. Nevermind mirrors.

 

I'm kinda wondering why they are behaving like ambulance chasing lawyers.

If those divots aren't bugging you or directly in your field of view; I'd probably wait until it cracks. Windshield are two pieces of glass, sandwiched with a thick plastic coat in the middle. It's designed to not 'blow-up' and throw shards everywhere. Anyone who had something solid hit it can attest to that. Cracks usually run across ONLY the outer layer of the glass, so it's not an emergency to get it replaced right away. It would be an emergency if you could feel that crack-line on both sides of the glass - structural integrity is compromised.

 

That contradicts the "Free" in your thread title.

Instead of raising your individual rates, they raise everyone's rates evenly.

Windshields continually collect ever more tiny dings and pits, especially in winter climate zone conditions. All my windshield cracks have been traceable to not-so-tiny dings, especially to ones very close to the edge. I very strongly doubt that earlier replacement for the numerous smaller dings away from the edges would have prevented the eventual cracks.