Get the estimate and calibration result
California's newly signed Motor Vehicle Glass Act adds rules for windshield work, insurance claims and advanced driver-assistance-system calibration. October 1 trade reporting describes SB988, signed September 27. Its consumer-money provisions include cost estimates and safeguards around claims-related promises.
The legislative text requires applicable glass shops to tell customers whether the vehicle has ADAS and whether manufacturer-recommended calibration is needed. After calibration, a written notice must say whether it succeeded. A windshield repair and a completed calibration are not necessarily the same service.
An insurance claim is not proof the repair is free
For specified insurance-paid work, the framework requires a claim or referral number, a good-faith cost estimate and an updated estimate before service, then an itemized invoice and receipt. Shops cannot claim the insurer will pay everything with no cost to the customer unless coverage has been verified.
The text also makes covered assignments of policy duties, rights or benefits under contracts entered on or after January 1, 2027 void and unenforceable, while preserving authorization for direct payment to a provider. These are different concepts. Keep the estimate, claim number and written calibration result; do not assume a "free glass" offer establishes coverage or that authorizing direct payment must transfer every policy right.