Cracked Windshield

[adj]

On our way to NM, the passengers windshield took a rock hit which quickly spread across the bottom of the glass. Now I'm looking at a windshield change. The one thing that scares me is possible leaks after glass repacement.

I'm looking for the most professional glass shop. I'm also wondering if there is anyway to stop the crack spread as I would rather have the work done back home in Fl. which is 1700 miles away.

[Doggy Daddy]

Some windshields are held in place with just the rubber gasket. Others are held in place with black calking adhesive and the rubber gasket. Those windshields held in with adhesive usually have to set for 24 hours without vehicle movement.

[CoolJourney]

Originally Posted by adj

On our way to NM, the passengers windshield took a rock hit which quickly spread across the bottom of the glass. Now I'm looking at a windshield change. The one thing that scares me is possible leaks after glass repacement.

I'm looking for the most professional glass shop. I'm also wondering if there is anyway to stop the crack spread as I would rather have the work done back home in Fl. which is 1700 miles away.

Try RVGlass (http://rvglassexperts.com). They installed a one piece windshield in our 2007 Monaco Diplomat and really seemed to know what they were doing. They installed it at The Rally in Albuquerque, NM in mid-April and there have been no issues with the installation. They were easy to work with and their prices are pretty good too.

Bill

[adj]

Bill, thanks for the info. My Insurance co. has referred me RV Glass Solutions. They, in turn, have referred me to Speedy Glass in Santa Fe. I have been to their location observing and talking to the shop supervisor. At present, I'll probably use this shop.

[Sixpack98]

Originally Posted by CoolJourney

Try RVGlass (http://rvglassexperts.com). They installed a one piece windshield in our 2007 Monaco Diplomat and really seemed to know what they were doing. They installed it at The Rally in Albuquerque, NM in mid-April and there have been no issues with the installation. They were easy to work with and their prices are pretty good too.

Bill

Bill,
I have the sister to your Dip (End). Did you take a rock or was it something else that took out the windshield? I worry every time I level that I'm going to crack the thing.

[CoolJourney]

Originally Posted by Sixpack98

Bill,
I have the sister to your Dip (End). Did you take a rock or was it something else that took out the windshield? I worry every time I level that I'm going to crack the thing.

Yes, it was a rock and I too, breath a sigh of relief every time leveling is done and the windshield is unaffected. Generally, I level manually unless we are on a pretty level site when I will sometimes use the auto-leveling.

We took the rock in the very bottom portion of the windshield where the black strip is. The windshield repair guy that came out to the rig to stop the crack from running all the way up the windshield said that a rock chip in that area will result in an immediate crack about 90% of the time. I was a bit skeptical of that comment, but the folks at RVGlass said essentially the same thing. Apparently that is where the windshield flexes the most and any imperfection (rock chip) will give it a reason to crack. For a while I toyed with the idea of putting a protective strip (3M mask-type material) along the bottom edge of the windshield to protect it from rocks. But I didn't act on it. I still think its a good idea, but since we fulltime I often don't have the time to work out a solution with local suppliers of the appropriate products before we move on.

There are a few pictures of the cracked windshield and installation of the new windshield on our website. Click here

Bill

[Roadking]

If you're going to replace the windshield and you just want to stop the crack from spreading until replacement then drill the end point of the crack with a diamond tipped dremmel bit.

I had two spreading cracks and my insurance doesn't cover windshields. To stop the spread before the cracks entered the primary viewing area I elected to try this scary operation. It turned out pretty easy to do with a dremmel and a diamond tipped bit which you can buy at Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot. It's been more than 12 months and the cracks have stopped exactly where I drilled.

My rock chips were close to the edge of the window (3 inches or so from the edge) and after a few days the glass cracked to the edge and then the crack started spreading towards the center of the window. Had I not drilled I know the crack would have traversed the drivers primary viewing area and possibly would have went across the entire window.

Using a dremmel with a pointed diamond tip bit and a spray bottle with water I located the end of the crack. That was really difficult on one of the cracks. The windshield is two layers of glass with a plastic membrane between them. I drilled about 2 or 3/32nd's inch deep which seemed to be within the first layer. While drilling at a medium speed a very light pressure I sprayed the water on the drill bit to keep heat build up on the glass to a minimum. I would drill a few seconds, check the depth, and continue on until I thought I was almost thru the first layer. It took maybe 45 to 60 seconds to drill.

I've done this to two spreading cracks, both of which the ends (or drill point) were within 8 inches of the glass edge. I elected to seal the holes with silicon, but this may have caused more problem than anything. The silicon leaves a small but noticable smeary trail from the wipers during rain. I've since removed the silicon.

About 50 years ago I had drilled a windshield on a $50 clunker I owned but I didn't remember any details and it wasn't a $2000++++ huge piece of glass. Anyway, drilling the first hole was really, really, scary, but now I would not hessitate to drill any spreading cracks (at least near the edge of the window).

[adj]

Originally Posted by Roadking

If you're going to replace the windshield and you just want to stop the crack from spreading until replacement then drill the end point of the crack with a diamond tipped dremmel bit.

I had two spreading cracks and my insurance doesn't cover windshields. To stop the spread before the cracks entered the primary viewing area I elected to try this scary operation. It turned out pretty easy to do with a dremmel and a diamond tipped bit which you can buy at Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot. It's been more than 12 months and the cracks have stopped exactly where I drilled.

My rock chips were close to the edge of the window (3 inches or so from the edge) and after a few days the glass cracked to the edge and then the crack started spreading towards the center of the window. Had I not drilled I know the crack would have traversed the drivers primary viewing area and possibly would have went across the entire window.

Using a dremmel with a pointed diamond tip bit and a spray bottle with water I located the end of the crack. That was really difficult on one of the cracks. The windshield is two layers of glass with a plastic membrane between them. I drilled about 2 or 3/32nd's inch deep which seemed to be within the first layer. While drilling at a medium speed a very light pressure I sprayed the water on the drill bit to keep heat build up on the glass to a minimum. I would drill a few seconds, check the depth, and continue on until I thought I was almost thru the first layer. It took maybe 45 to 60 seconds to drill.

I've done this to two spreading cracks, both of which the ends (or drill point) were within 8 inches of the glass edge. I elected to seal the holes with silicon, but this may have caused more problem than anything. The silicon leaves a small but noticable smeary trail from the wipers during rain. I've since removed the silicon.

About 50 years ago I had drilled a windshield on a $50 clunker I owned but I didn't remember any details and it wasn't a $2000++++ huge piece of glass. Anyway, drilling the first hole was really, really, scary, but now I would not hessitate to drill any spreading cracks (at least near the edge of the window).

Thanks Roadking, I'll keep this info for future use. At present, I'm just sitting in a park in NM. I will be taking it to a shop in Santa Fe next month.

[wa8yxm]

There are two ways to do a Glass Replacement. I was recently talking to a tech from henderson Glass here in the metro Detroit area and I told him what I thought of Guardian glass, another mobile glass company in the area.. He was very pleased to hear my comments.

My story: My Intruder came with a non-listed option, the optional self-removing windshield. Well the first time it tried to remove itself my dealer called Guardian who porta-powered it back into place, told me it would likely happen again and split. Total time 30 minutes.

The next time I was in Arizonia, headed for Las Vegas and it was late Friday evening, no hope of a repair, so I added a safety strap to keep it from slipping farther and come Monday, called Dave Simpson Glass (Well Wheeler's RV who called Dave) Dave himself came out and did it RIGHT, I believe, that had I not had it re-done later Dave's job would still be holding, and it would NOT be leaking.

Dave, however, was not pleased, and he showed me why. So he and Wheeler's convinced Damon to re-do it (Since they have all the needed hardware)

Damon did, turns out the opening was improperly cut, they re-cut and replaced.. Same way as Dave did.

The moral.. A good glass man it won't leak.. The job, as it is now, is 100% better than factory original.

NOTE: Henderson.... The job I was watching as I chatted with them... Same way Dave did it. Same way the Damon Warranty Plant did it. Quite different from the way Guardian and the main factory did it (Which was wrong)

[azloafer]

The windshield on my 2007 Simba popped out. The glass company, who is installing it says that it will probably happen again due to the fact that there is no metal frame. The glass sits in the fiberglass cap held in with special glue and rubber. They claim that there is too much flexing of the body to hold a one piece windshield properly. Time will tell.

[Saber77]

We also had a 2007 Safari Simba and the windshield cracked 3 times in only a couple of months. Turns out that this is a common problem for the Simba, as well as the Monaco Cayman, and HR Neptune -- they are all the same body and chassis, except for the Safari's Cat engine. Monaco issued a service bulletin for this issue to beef up the front cap frame to reduce the torsional stress -- problem is that Monaco went bankrupt and will not pay for this repair now. So, unless you pay for it yourself (probably about a $3K job) or get your dealer to make good on it, my best advice is to be VERY careful to ensure that you do not introduce lateral torsion on the coach -- by that, I mean to enter and exit roadways with inclines or dips straight on and not diagonally -- you do not want to "roll" the chassis. You're at greatest risk when going very slow and turning up or down a small dip or roadway, e.g., when coming out of a driveway and up onto a road. At speed I never had any problems even with potholes and bumpy roads. Other than the windshield issue, the Simba was a great coach. Good luck!

[Doggy Daddy]

Because RV windshields are so expensive, that is why I have Glass Coverage, $150 deductible on my RV ins policy. Already used it once for a chip that developed into a crack.

[azloafer]

Originally Posted by Saber77

We also had a 2007 Safari Simba and the windshield cracked 3 times in only a couple of months. Turns out that this is a common problem for the Simba, as well as the Monaco Cayman, and HR Neptune -- they are all the same body and chassis, except for the Safari's Cat engine. Monaco issued a service bulletin for this issue to beef up the front cap frame to reduce the torsional stress -- problem is that Monaco went bankrupt and will not pay for this repair now. So, unless you pay for it yourself (probably about a $3K job) or get your dealer to make good on it, my best advice is to be VERY careful to ensure that you do not introduce lateral torsion on the coach -- by that, I mean to enter and exit roadways with inclines or dips straight on and not diagonally -- you do not want to "roll" the chassis. You're at greatest risk when going very slow and turning up or down a small dip or roadway, e.g., when coming out of a driveway and up onto a road. At speed I never had any problems even with potholes and bumpy roads. Other than the windshield issue, the Simba was a great coach. Good luck!

It's awfully hard to avoid those type of situations. There are two RV storage lots near our town and neither one has a perfectly flat surface. So the coach rocks side to side when I drive in to park.

I did find the service bulletin regarding this, but it doesn't say what can be done AND of course, like you said, Monaco went bankrupt so there is no help from them.

Here is the summary from the service bulletin: WINDSHIELD MAY HAVE CHARCTERISTICS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY REDUCE THE LIFE SPAN OF THE ONE PIECE OF WINDSHIELD AND COULD LEAD TO A STRESS CRACK OR MOVEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD AND/OR WINDSHIELD GASKET.