Best Windscreen Repairs in Dunedin: Chip Repairs, Replacements and Recalibration

Finding the best windscreen repairs in Dunedin usually starts with one question: can the chip be filled, or does the whole screen have to come out? The workshops below cover stone chip repairs, laminated windscreen replacement, side and rear glass, and the camera recalibration a modern car needs once a new screen is fitted. City Auto Glass on Ward Street and Aburns Glass on Otaki Street sit alongside teams offering mobile windscreen repair across Dunedin and the wider Otago region.

1City Auto Glass Ltd

City Auto Glass is an independent, locally owned auto glass business working from 69 Ward Street in Central Dunedin, with a team of qualified technicians and over 25 years in the industry. The workshop aims to repair a stone chip to warrant of fitness standard before a full replacement is quoted, and it stocks and fits laminated windscreens for a wide range of vehicles. It suits drivers who want an independent repairer, and operators of trucks, buses and farm machinery who need heavy commercial glass.

Services

• Windscreen stone chip repairs to warrant of fitness and certificate of fitness standard
• Windscreen and auto glass replacement, including sourcing glass not held in stock
• Heavy commercial glass for trucks, buses, earthmoving, farm and logging machinery
• ADAS camera and lane assist recalibration after a windscreen replacement
• Specialist and one-off glass for classic, racing and performance cars

Highlights

• 100 percent independent and locally owned in Dunedin
• Mobile on-site repairs across the Otago region, from Oamaru to Roxburgh and Gore
• All technicians qualified to carry out ADAS recalibration in house, and the dealer recalibration arranged on your behalf if a vehicle cannot be done there
• Works with every major insurer, including AA, AMI, FMG, NZI, State, Tower and Vero
• Fleet servicing partner to Custom Fleet, Fleetwise, LeasePlan, SG Fleet and Toyota Fleet Management

Location & Contact

Name: City Auto Glass Ltd
Address: 69 Ward Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 471 9265
Website: cityautoglass.nz

2Aburns Glass

Aburns Glass is a Dunedin glazier and safety glass merchant established in 1898 by Samuel F. Aburn, and it is the Dunedin area dealer for Novus Auto Glass. From its Otaki Street premises the team handles stone chip repair and windscreen replacement on all makes and models, including commercial vehicles, and it keeps a large range of older glass for vintage and out of production cars. It suits drivers of late model vehicles needing sensor calibration and owners of older cars whose glass is hard to source.

Services

• Stone chip repairs on all makes and models
• Windscreen and rear glass replacement, including commercial vehicles
• Door glass, black glass and rear vision mirror replacement
• Windscreen sensor calibration carried out in the Otaki Street workshop
• Sealants, window rubbers, mouldings and channels

Highlights

• Established in 1898 and still 100 percent locally owned and operated
• Dunedin area franchise for Novus Auto Glass, a partnership formed in 2013
• Registered member of AMN Master Glaziers since 2002, part of a nationwide network for 24 hour glass repairs
• Stocks hotline demist glass and laminated and toughened safety glass alongside standard windscreens

Location & Contact

Name: Aburns Glass
Address: 45 Otaki Street, Dunedin 9012
Phone: 03 455 6134
Website: aburnsglass.co.nz

3Instant Windscreens Dunedin

Instant Windscreens runs its Dunedin branch from Cumberland Street, close to the Oval, and repairs or replaces damaged glass either at the branch or at a customer’s home or workplace. The team works with most insurers, supports fleet vehicles, and backs its work with a nationwide guarantee. Its suburb list runs well beyond the city, taking in Mosgiel, Port Chalmers, Waikouaiti and further south, so it suits drivers outside the central city as well as those who can drop a vehicle off.

Services

• Windscreen replacement for cars, trucks and commercial fleet vehicles
• Windscreen repairs and stone chip repairs
• Mobile repairs at home, at work or at the roadside
• Automotive window tinting

Highlights

• 24 hour phone support for autoglass advice and bookings outside branch hours
• Nationwide guarantee on completed work
• Named coverage of Dunedin suburbs plus Mosgiel, Outram, Port Chalmers, Waikouaiti, Milton and Balclutha
• Insurance claims handled directly with most major insurers
• Afterpay accepted through its payment plan options

Location & Contact

Name: Instant Windscreens Dunedin
Address: 23 Cumberland Street, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 488 5577
Website: instantwindscreens.co.nz/stores/instant-dunedin

4Smith&Smith Dunedin

Smith&Smith is a national vehicle glass company operating from 114 Cumberland Street, three buildings down from Super Cheap Auto on the one way system just south of the central city. The Dunedin branch repairs chips and replaces windscreens and other vehicle glass, and handles the insurance paperwork as part of the booking. It suits drivers who want a branch appointment booked online and a claim managed end to end.

Services

• Windscreen chip repair
• Windscreen replacement
• Side and rear window replacement
• Windscreen camera recalibration for driver assistance systems
• Front and rear wiper blade replacement and rain repellent treatment

Highlights

• Workmanship on glass installations guaranteed for the lifetime of the vehicle
• Preferred supplier to most major insurance companies, with the claim paperwork handled for you
• Part of the Belron group, which operates across more than 35 countries
• Awarded an EcoVadis Gold rating for sustainability performance, and runs a vehicle glass recycling programme

Location & Contact

Name: Smith&Smith Dunedin
Address: 114 Cumberland Street, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 0800 48 33 88
Website: smithandsmith.co.nz/branches/dunedin

5Radiator Services and Auto Glass

Radiator Services and Auto Glass works from King Edward Street in South Dunedin and has been supplying the Otago motor trade for more than 30 years. Alongside its radiator workshop it replaces broken glass and windscreens on cars, trucks, buses and industrial vehicles, and cuts custom glass for restoration projects. It suits owners of vintage, custom and heavy vehicles whose glass has to be made rather than pulled off a shelf.

Services

• Windscreen replacement and stone chip repair
• Auto glass replacement for cars, trucks, buses and industrial vehicles
• Custom cut glass for restoration, vintage and race vehicles
• Radiator repair, re-coring and cooling system parts

Highlights

• More than 30 years serving the Dunedin auto trade
• Workshop able to fabricate glass and radiators for vintage, custom and industrial machinery
• Quality workmanship guaranteed across sales, servicing, repairs, fitting and spare parts

Location & Contact

Name: Radiator Services and Auto Glass
Address: 366 King Edward Street, South Dunedin, Dunedin 9012
Phone: 03 455 5028
Website: radiatorsandautoglass.co.nz

Windscreen Repairs in Dunedin at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Windscreen Repairer in Dunedin

• Ask whether the chip can be repaired before agreeing to a replacement, and check the repair will be certified so it passes a warrant of fitness re-inspection.
• Check the repairer can recalibrate your car’s forward facing camera in house, because most vehicles with lane assist or autonomous braking need it after a new windscreen.
• Confirm the glass is in stock or can be sourced quickly, particularly for older, imported or heavy vehicles where the screen may have to be ordered or cut.
• Ask who handles the insurance claim and what excess applies, since some policies treat glass separately from the rest of the cover.
• Decide whether you need a mobile fitter or a workshop appointment, and check the workshop can keep the vehicle out of the weather while the urethane cures.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Windscreen Repairs

Can a chipped windscreen be repaired instead of replaced?

Often yes. A small stone chip that has not spread into a long crack, and that sits outside the driver’s critical vision area, can usually be filled with resin rather than replaced. Repairers in Dunedin generally assess the size, depth and position of the damage first, and a chip that has already run into a crack, or that goes through more than one layer of the laminate, normally means a new screen.

Will a cracked windscreen fail a warrant of fitness?

It can. The New Zealand Transport Agency sets out the damage limits and where they apply in the glazing section of the vehicle inspection requirements manual, and a repair carried out after a rejection has to be certified to the relevant standard before the vehicle is re-inspected. Your repairer should give you an invoice recording the vehicle, the type and location of the damage and the standard the repair complies with, so keep it for the re-check. The rules are set out in the NZTA glazing inspection requirements.

What is ADAS recalibration and do I need it?

ADAS stands for advanced driver assistance systems, the cameras and sensors behind the windscreen or on the roof that run lane keeping, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking. Because those cameras look through the glass, they have to be recalibrated once a new windscreen is fitted so they read the road accurately. Several Dunedin workshops now do this on site, and if a vehicle cannot be calibrated locally the repairer will usually arrange it with the dealer.

Do windscreen repairers in Dunedin come to you?

Mobile fitting is common. Several operators listed here will repair or replace glass at your home, your workplace or the roadside, and coverage often stretches well past the city into the rest of Otago. Weather and temperature affect how well the adhesive cures, so a mobile fitter may still ask you to come to the workshop for a full replacement on a cold or wet day.

How do I find a windscreen repairer near my part of the city?

The trade clusters in two parts of Dunedin. Ward Street and Cumberland Street in Central Dunedin sit within a few minutes of the one way system and the Oval, which suits anyone working in town or coming off State Highway 1. Otaki Street and King Edward Street in South Dunedin are easier if you are coming from Caversham, St Kilda or the southern suburbs. If you are further out, ask about mobile service rather than driving a damaged screen across town.

Will my insurance cover a windscreen replacement?

Most comprehensive policies in New Zealand include vehicle glass, though the excess and any glass specific limit vary between insurers and between policies. Repairers in the city deal with the major insurers directly and can lodge the claim for you, so it is worth having your policy number and claim details ready when you book. It is also worth checking whether a chip repair is excess free under your policy, because many insurers waive it to avoid paying for a full screen later.

How long does a windscreen replacement take?

A stone chip repair usually takes under an hour. A full replacement is commonly done within the same day where the glass is in stock, but the vehicle then needs time for the adhesive to cure before it is safe to drive, and a car needing camera recalibration will take longer again. Glass for older, imported or heavy vehicles sometimes has to be ordered in, so ask about lead time when you book.