Neighbor's Reflective Window Ruined Paint on 07 Dip

[MotionGrantd]

We moved into our new home on December 1 and brought the Dip to the property about 10-15 days later. Last Thursday we were getting ready for our New Years trip and noticed major damage to the side panel and slide. My wife and I literally had a pit in our stomach as we attempted to find out what caused the paint and siding to buckle and bubble for over a 10' stretch.

As shown in the pictures below, the paint and siding were damaged at about a 45 degree angle, starting high near the top of the bedroom slide and finishing toward the bottom of the living room slide. Since it crossed over into the slide, I knew it wasn't from water damage. The only conclusion I could reach was that the damage was caused by a magnified reflection from the neighbor's windows.

The next day we confirmed that it was in fact an intense magnified reflection coming off the neighbor's RV barn windows. The beam was approximately 2" in diameter and traveled down the side panel at about a 45 degree angle over a two hour period as the sun went overhead. Temperatures from a infared gun reached almost 400 degrees on the RV siding.

We documented the damage and filed a claim with Progressive that morning. Progressive took a statement within hours and said that a field adjuster would be sent to investigate sometime earlier this week.

If there is anything positive now, it is good to know that our Diplomat was actually damaged by something from the outside, rather than simply suffering from poor workmanship. The Progressive agent said she'd never heard of this sort of damage before, so I thought I'd share our situation.

Brian

[DC Cruiser]

Wow that is weird!!!! Good detective work on figuring out what caused it. Hope everything goes well with your insurance and they get it fixed properly!!

CHEERS

[H. Miller]

And the "fix" with the neighbor's window will be???

[Bruce C]

Wow, Good work finding the cause. Now, one question is it your insurance or your neighbors homeowners policy that covers it? Love to hear the update. Good luck.
___________________
Bruce & Nancy and Sasha rescued Siberian Husky
2004 Bounder 35e
US Navy Vet.

[RVRon]

My guess is that our policies will now have an exclusion for "reflective light damage from any source" by our next renewal......LOL
They never thought of this one at underwriters school....... Imagine their surprise.....

[Cayman09]

Sorry to hear that and hope you'll be able to find a permanent cure for your problem (Put the barn on fire???) but that's real strange and one more thing to check when you own a MH. Thanks for sharing with us!

[Superslif]

Wow..You would never think....Please follow-up on what the claims adjuster determines.

great pictures....

[powerboatr]

WOW
good thing it didnt shine into your coach through a window, might have been a fire

maybe you cane get the neighbor to put up an awning to cover his windows

[bluepill]

Solar power isn't always a good thing. I saw photos of a plastic instrument cluster (speedometer, etc) on a mororcycle that was melted because the curve of the windshield acted as a lens and driove the temperature high.

[RoyM]

Seriously, you are jerking our chains aren't you? For anybody that buys this guy's story I have some prime river bottom farmland to sell, well irrigated.

[sdennislee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyM Seriously, you are jerking our chains aren't you? For anybody that buys this guy's story I have some prime river bottom farmland to sell, well irrigated.

I buy it, I don't see he has anything to gain by lying to us. I am amazed that it could happen but stranger things than this happen. I'm certainly willing to give the benefit of the doubt rather than insulting him.

[pa0gri]

There is something strang. When you look at the first picture you see solar panels on the roof of the house. I assume they look south. So also the RV side is looking south.
That means that the barn windows are looking north i.e. the oposite way.
Is there a second sun around????

PS, I am in for that river bed farmland, great place to grow sweet water seeweed.

Gerard.

[sdennislee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pa0gri There is something strang. When you look at the first picture you see solar panels on the roof of the house. I assume they look south. So also the RV side is looking south. That means that the barn windows are looking north i.e. the oposite way. Is there a second sun around???? PS, I am in for that river bed farmland, great place to grow sweet water seeweed. Gerard.

I assume the side that is damaged is the side facing the building (the side we can't see in the first picture). The solar panels would have been placed for optimum sun. The windows are on the same side of the building as the solar panels which would cause them to see maximum sun as well. I assumed it was on of these windows that damaged the side of the coach facing the solar panels.

How much for an acre of that land?

[pa0gri]

The reflecting windows are from the neighbores barn. That means that the reflecting windows are facing north. No way that the sun, shining from the south, is reflecting in those windows.. I still am an puzzled European....(even Dutch...)

The pasager side of the RV is damaged. As shown also in first pict. Second pict is taken from end of RV and shows the white brick wall in the reflection.

River bed land here goes for 10 cents an acre. I have to get a green card first before I am allowed to work that land "overthere".

In June I will be in AK and perhaps have an eyeball. (Tioga is parked in Wasilla).

Gerard.