Clear laminate replacement?

[Greenhorn47]

Does anyone know where to find and how to replace the clear laminate on the front of the coach. mine is really looking crappy.

Also was wondering what your take was on a RV760 LMT GPS by garmin, or any other recomendations.

Thank you

[K7JV]

I can't speak to your front shield, but I can speak to the Garmin RV760 LMT. We have it, and love it! I like that it attempts quite well to protect us from overweight and oversize limits and low clearances. We need to remember, though, that this protection is only as good as the data they were given or able to obtain to include in it.

I'm not 100% happy with the way the scale changes on the road. On ours, it tends to go into a zoomed in scale when on the open road, when I would rather see a much bigger picture. But other than that, the navigation verbal instructions, the routing, the landmark images and all are really quite awesome.

I very highly recommend it.

As for the 3M shield, or whoever produced it, I wish you good luck. There have been postings on this form about removing them, and you might try the search tools here and see what you can find. It is definitely not a new topic.

Again, good luck to you.

[DtBt]

If you are referring to the 3M Diamond shield that was installed on many of our MHs and after 8-10 years looks terrible, do a search on this site and you will find how difficult it is to remove, but not impossible. There are many methods that work with the proper amount of care not to mar the finish. Ours was removed by Alliance in Fl and turned out reasonably well with only one gouge.
We have had the RV760LMT for two years and are very satisfied. Initially the routing and RV weight restriction algorithm was totally screwed up but after a couple of firmware and map updates it does much better. We plan our trips using Streets and Trips and transfer the route to the Garmin.

[the_vfox]

Another vote for the Garmin RV 760 LMT, I have two of them and we are very happy with them.

[ShapeShifter]

My front clear shield was looking poor after 8 years of weathering and scratches from over aggressive bug cleaning on my part. I just had the motorhome detailed inside and out for the first time in 8 years, and the coach almost looks brand new, including the clear front shield. The detailer first used a clay bar to get it clean, then buffed it, and finally waxed it. It's not perfect, but it looks so much better than it did. Before, it looked a bit hazy from a distance, and lots of fine scratches and marks if you looked closely at it. Now, it looks perfect from a distance, and only slightly marked up if you look at it closely. It was well worth the effort trying to restore it.

Note that I only had slight surface scratches. Many people report that they have actual cracks in the material, with mold growing in the cracks or under the shield at the cracks. Cleaning/buffing won't help there.

Two questions for people with the RV 760 LMT:

• Does it work with Garmin Base Camp to allow uploading waypoints and routes, and downloading of track history data? If so, does Base Camp understand the height/weight restrictions?
• Does it have an external GPS antenna input?

Both features are important to me. I have an old StreetPilot 7200 that I like, but it would be nice to have the weight/height restrictions. (Just yesterday, on the way home, the 7200 wanted to take me down a road with a 4 ton axle weight limit - fortunately I knew about it ahead of time.)

[Greenhorn47]

Originally Posted by the_vfox

Another vote for the Garmin RV 760 LMT, I have two of them and we are very happy with them.

Thank you for your quick response.I am about a week into the RV adventure and quite nervous about it all. I have'nt taken it out yet but plan to do some short trips soon. Presently, my residence is in San Antonio. We want to go to San Diego and follow the coast up to Seattle Wa.

Thanks again,
Dick

[Greenhorn47]

Originally Posted by ShapeShifter

My front clear shield was looking poor after 8 years of weathering and scratches from over aggressive bug cleaning on my part. I just had the motorhome detailed inside and out for the first time in 8 years, and the coach almost looks brand new, including the clear front shield. The detailer first used a clay bar to get it clean, then buffed it, and finally waxed it. It's not perfect, but it looks so much better than it did. Before, it looked a bit hazy from a distance, and lots of fine scratches and marks if you looked closely at it. Now, it looks perfect from a distance, and only slightly marked up if you look at it closely. It was well worth the effort trying to restore it.

Note that I only had slight surface scratches. Many people report that they have actual cracks in the material, with mold growing in the cracks or under the shield at the cracks. Cleaning/buffing won't help there.

Two questions for people with the RV 760 LMT:

• Does it work with Garmin Base Camp to allow uploading waypoints and routes, and downloading of track history data? If so, does Base Camp understand the height/weight restrictions?
• Does it have an external GPS antenna input?

Both features are important to me. I have an old StreetPilot 7200 that I like, but it would be nice to have the weight/height restrictions. (Just yesterday, on the way home, the 7200 wanted to take me down a road with a 4 ton axle weight limit - fortunately I knew about it ahead of time.)

Thank you for your quick response.I am about a week into the RV adventure and quite nervous about it all. I have'nt taken it out yet but plan to do some short trips soon. Presently, my residence is in San Antonio. We want to go to San Diego and follow the coast up to Seattle Wa.
My laminate appears to be fractured over the entire surface underneath.
upon close examination it appears to be the laminate, not the fiberglass which was a heavy concern in the beginning.
I looks somewhat like a windshield that has been shattered but still in tact, and all the what appears to be cracks is dirt filled, ugly.
Would be interested in knowing what the going price is to have a coach detailed the way you described.
Thank you again for your help in this matter.
Dick

Thanks again,
Dick

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Greenhorn47

Does anyone know where to find and how to replace the clear laminate on the front of the coach. mine is really looking crappy.



Also was wondering what your take was on a RV760 LMT GPS by garmin, or any other recomendations.



Thank you

Hey Greenhorn,

In a year or two, you'll want to change your screen name to "Trail Boss".

As others have posted, the 760 is an exceptional tool for coach owners. It's not without its quirks and faults but they all do.

The 3M or Diamond shield on the front of your coach will have to come off. Given the age of your coach, what looks like scratches are really breaks in the shield. Moisture gets under & mold starts to grow. The longer you wait the harder the removal is. You can pay for this service ($600-800 seems to be the going rate). Or do it yourself. The pros will tell you up front that they will not guarantee no paint damage. I did mine and it took somewhere between 40-60 hours. The primary tools are a 100 pack of plastic razor blades and a tolerance for tedious work. Whether or not to replace it is a personal decision. I elected not to replace. Mine has been off 2 1/2 years now and it still looks about the same as when I removed it. They claim the new stuff is much better but I remain unconvinced.

Congrats on your new coach. My wife and I have lived full time in an '03 Signature which is a close cousin of your Dynasty for 8 years now. Great life.

We spent last winter on the road with Texas as our destination and had a wonderful time. We were in the San Antonio area in mid March & enjoyed it very much. Love the BBQ and the Tex-Mex.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[jacwjames]

I had the 3M mask on mine, I own a 2002 Monaco Windsor. It looked OK when I bought the coach in late 2008 but after about 4 years (2012) a large portions along the top (~4") had turned brown underneath from the cracks. There were cracks over the entire portion actually.

I removed it myself, took ~40 hours. I tried several different solvents to try and help in the removal and fount that (& I know people will cringe) gasoline worked the best. I would saturate rag with it and let is sit on an area for a short period of time and then use a stiff plastic scraper to remove the 3M film. I also helped remove the glue that held the mask on. I worked in about a 2' area at a time. I did not have another one put on, I did have some paint chips but nothing out of the ordinary.

I also have the 760LMT. Does a good job but like any GPS learn how to use it and you have to confirm your routes .

[ShapeShifter]

Originally Posted by Greenhorn47

Would be interested in knowing what the going price is to have a coach detailed the way you described.

It sounds like your clear shield is too far gone for the buff and wax treatment that helped mine. Replacement is your only options, and that will be tedious at best.

I don't know what the price would've been to just recondition the clear shield. It was part of a full interior/exterior detail operation that was $400 and took a team of people two and a half days to complete. Outside they washed and waxed the whole rig, cleaned windows, polished wheels, etc. Inside they cleaned from top to bottom cleaning the headliner, walls, windows, trim, cabinets, furnishings, floors and shampooing carpets. They opened up ducts and vacuumed them out, cleaned under and behind the fixed furnishings, and got into areas to clean things that I never imagined. The only things they didn't do are the roof and the basement compartments. We're not slobs, but after 8 years of frequent use, it needed a good going-over. When they were done, it almost looked like a new coach! Well worth it.

[SSRice]

1. Yes the Garmin RV 760 is Awesome. I especially like the Garmin Smart Phone App that links thru Bluetooth for Live Traffic, Weather and even traffic cameras. I bought mine thru GPS Nation. Best price, free shipping no tax!


2. I've got the same problem with my Diamond Shield..an can offer no advice that hasn't already been given.

[trabuco]

I'm another one of the ones that has removed the 3m clear film. 26 hours for me and well worth the time and trouble. I never felt it might damage or pull the paint off. It's just a slow tedious process.


Plastic razorblades from Amazon, heat gun from Harbor Freight, Crown pro thinner from Lowes, heavy duty rubber gloves and lots of elbow grease.