Alpine one piece windshield

[Danny Gayhart]

Basil & Sue Shannon sent me this picture of the new one piece windshield at the Hilton Head Rally. I don't have any details as to when they will be in production.




Danny

[Danny Gayhart]

Basil & Sue Shannon sent me this picture of the new one piece windshield at the Hilton Head Rally. I don't have any details as to when they will be in production.




Danny

[Gary M. Smith]

Wow! Very nice; is this a 2007 or early 2008? Bet this will be a costly dude to replace after a run to Alaska!

[Ted III]

Danny & Gary, we were at the pre rally at Hilton Head, as a matter of fact we are still here as we really enjoy it. As I understand from Burk Morgan the single piece windshield is going in production now on all of the late 2006 & 2007 units and it really makes a difference. It makes the inside of the coach appear larger when you look out. Cost was an issue that I had brought up previously, but I am told probably 1200.00 or less. I had a Monaco prior to the Alpine and replaced that windshield and it was just under $ 1200.00.

[Dave Fernandez]

The one piece windshield looks nice I hope Guaranty RV will have one at the Hemet Rally for us to look at.

[swansnest]

We just went through the Country Coach Factory tour and looked at the different kinds of 1 piece windshields. Our concern is that with the amount of flex the Alpine Coach has in it's chassis - the 1 piece isn't practical. They (CC) put a steel rod down the center of their floors that gives more rigidity. Our flex is part of what gives the coach such a comfortable ride?

[Tom and Patty]

I don't think an Alpine would flex anymore than a Monaco or a CC. In fact the way Alpines are built, I think we would have less flex...better ride .

But read the Monaco forum and they have some one piece windshield cracking.

Still that one piece windshield looks great!!

BTW, I paid $500 and Progressive paid $650 for one side .

[OldForester]

Well, I can't resist a few comments on this because I haven't seen one new feature on Alpines in the last year that upset me more. The last one was the new dash on the SE's that reduced one cup holder spot and put the SmartTire indicator so far away from the driver's reach.

1)When we were on the factory tour with Burk Morgan in April, 2006, before we bought our coach Burk led the tour and when I asked him about one piece windshields he said they were not in Alpine's long term plans because they required a much stronger, more expensive, heavier front end cap and didn't add that much view, and also cost a lot more to replace. Apparently long term is not even one year at WRV; where I come from in business it as least 5 years or more. Or maybe these windshields have gotten a lot cheaper, or don't need as strong or heavy a front end cap. I'm inclined to agree with the Swan's one doesn't want a lot of twist with those windshields, however.

2)We met a guy in Alaska last summer with a one-piece windshield in an HR Navigator and he had a bad crack in front of the driver's side that had to be replaced. He told us his cost to replace was going to be about $3,000. Obviously didn't see his bill but he said he had several quotes and this was his best. Perhaps that is an "Alaskan" price but the fact remains, one bad rock chip in the wrong location and you're replacing the whole windshield instead of half.

3) I don't know about the rest of you but I get enough bugs on my windshield in most day's drive except in the middle of winter that the partition in the middle is usually not even noticed. When they're clean they give you a little more vision, but I haven't noticed a view problem with the big windshields we already have. Perhaps this is because I came from a class C with less view, and the Alpines have great view even with the partition.

So, I think this is a nice to have feature if the cost to replace isn't substantial, but it wouldn't make the difference in buying or not buying an Alpine. There are too many other things to consider.

Tom and Patty, for the comment on flexibility and strength of a Country Coach chassis vs. Alpine -- have you looked at the Country Coach chassis or driven one? They are one intensively welded, highly framed chassis. One of our relatives who has a CC insists they flex a lot less than Alpines, and I believe him on that. However, there are good and bad things that come from lack of flex in the frame, one of which is ride on rougher roads and movement of stuff in the cabinets.

In summary, it's nice to have a one piece windshield but there are a lot of other quality issues that need to be fixed before continuing to introduce new features and potential new warranty liabilities. I wouldn't want one of these until it had been well tested with a lot of road miles and I don't think that's the case. I'd rather the quality perception improve first. Look at Lazy Daze Class C's -- still no slides and they still sell a lot of them because the quality is there. If you provide the quality and service to start with people beat a path to your door and don't have to constantly be hammered with new features.

[Oregon Coyote]

Factory Floor March 15,2007

[RVDude]

Just think what those one-piece Imax Style $2,000+++ windshields are adding to our vehicle insurance costs.
I agree, it is one very expensive style amenity I can do without... Unfortunately the market must be demanding it as many coaches now have them.

[Cruzer]

I've had the one piece windshield on my 2004 Allegro Bus and now have it on my 2007 Bus. I find that there are lots of pre-conceived worries going in that really aren't anything to worry about. We love our one piece windshield and I'm sure you will too. They don't have any issues with breaking or popping out of the cap any more than a two piece windshield. As to the replacement cost, I had a stone chip that turned into a crack. A replacement windshield ran $1800 but all I had to pay was the deuctible on my comprehensive policy through Progressive Insurance. My premiums did not go up after that. Actually, they even went down. The view is excellent and it's easier to clean because you don't have to squeege around the center bar. Also, the horizontal wipers are a benefit. They stay put during oncoming bow wakes from other large vehicles and the defroster ducts keep them warmer in winter so they don't ice up as bad.

I think you'll find that once you have them there really are no drawbacks and you will like them. Plus, they make a great looking coach look that much better.

[SideRoads]

One piece windshield replacement in January on a 2006 Allegro.

Windshield = $881.00
Shipping = 175.00

Progressive Florida Deductible = $0.00

My Cost = $0.00

One piece Windshield = Priceless. Never leave home without it. Oops, forgot, homeless!

[Rick M]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by swansnest:
We just went through the Country Coach Factory tour and looked at the different kinds of 1 piece windshields. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Is CC producing all their coaches with the one piece full width front window shade?
I believe that is the next 'standard' all mfgs. will incorporate. Newmar is now using this idea.
It only makes more sense to have a full width sun visor as well as a full block out and eliminate the clutzy 'draw curtains'.

Also it may be a good idea to have windshields (especially one piece windshields) Diamon Shielded - like the fronts of Alpines.
Diamon Shield protects against small rocks chipping windshields or larger rocks from comming through into the cab. I've had it put on my windshields and can attest to it stopping a couple of rocks that would have left chips/cracks. It may even add to the insulation factor of the coach?

[Jim&MaryJo]

I just replaced a cracked windshield (1 of 2 piece). It was about $1000. I shopped and found higher prices.

I spoke with multiple shops and was told the Alpine (and a very few others including CC) use a "glue-in" windshield (as opposed to a peripheral rubber snap-in gasket). This is apparently done to achieve a flush shield mount, albeit at higher replacement cost.

This, reportedly, adds to the cost (multiple expoxies) and labor.

Just wondering if those with other coaches and 1 piece shields are glue-in or gasket?