Roadworks in the Whangarei area have caused many damaged windscreens that need replacing
Demand for windscreen repairs and replacements in Whangārei has skyrocketed with many putting the blame squarely on roadworks.
Northlanders have reportedly been told they will have to wait until March at some companies to get their windscreen replaced.
More than a hundred people responded to a Northern Advocate facebook post about the issue, sharing their various windscreen chips, cracks and wait times.
Brandan Williams said his wife was driving their new car south from Whangārei to the Mangapai turnoff on Monday when a stone smashed the driver's side back-seat window near Oakleigh.
The roadworks also chipped the car's windscreen. That has been repaired, but he said they had been put off until mid February for a new rear window.
Double Glazing & Glass Northland's Luke Botica and James Komene replace a windscreen at their South End Ave shop. Photo/John Stone
Robert Bullians travels between Whangārei and Ruakaka twice a day.
He said over the past week with the roadworks at Oakleigh, he has got three cracks on his windscreen - one spanning nearly halfway across his dashboard. He is still waiting to hear when it will be repaired.
Wayne Wikaira from Waynes Autoglass said the number of jobs he was receiving had tripled.
"The boys are just run off their feet at the moment."
Wikaira said the surge had happened in the past few weeks.
"There's windscreens getting broken left, right and centre."
However he added they were "picking them up from both ends of town" with roadworks north of Hikurangi also causing some damage.
James Eliasen, co-owner of Double Glazing & Glass Northland, said they are "flat out doing windscreens".
He said they were doing "significantly more" windscreen replacements and chip repairs than normal, around four or five windscreen replacements a day and chip repairs on top of that.
A Smith & Smith spokesperson said there were several reasons contributing to the backlog.
They include a good summer and the price of petrol dropping which gets more people travelling and for longer distances, and roadworks.
"Depending on the type of damage we could help a customer the next day or it could take up to four weeks."
The spokesperson said motorists should call or go to a branch and depending on the type of damage, they would be helped as soon as possible.
Chips and cracks from roadworks are being blamed for a surge in demand for windscreen repairs. Photo/John Stone
The New Zealand Transport Agency has had four complaints alleging windscreen damage from roadworks south of Whangārei this year.
The agency said it sweeps the road to remove loose chips and encourages motorists to drive at the speed limit and keep a safe following distance because this limits the possibility of stone damage to their vehicles and windscreens.
"If there is damage, drivers are advised to seek recourse through their vehicle insurance policy."
The re-sealing between Whangārei and the Brynderwyns is part of the Northland summer state highway maintenance programme. Re-sealing is best done in hot dry conditions.
Vehicles travelling at the temporary speed limit of 30km/h help press the new chips into the seal. Road sweepers regularly go over the new seal to remove loose chips.
Tips for driving on freshly-laid chip seal • Get ready: slow down to the temporary speed limit before reaching the coned area • Leave space: keep at least two car lengths from the vehicle in front • Avoid braking: tap the brakes lightly if required • Don't drive too fast: your vehicle will scatter road chips and may damage other vehicles • Don't drive too slow: your vehicle will sink into the road surface causing bitumen and chips to stick to your wheels • Avoid heavy braking: keep moving and avoid sudden braking to avoid damaging the fresh surface
