Windshield

[cookingdad]

Our windshield continually pops out despite being reset 5 times, it is 1 piece and we have 3 hydraulic jacks. We have read and re-read our owners Manuel about the "proper" way to deploy jacks and do it per manual. Here's the problem: the windshield still pops out while we're driving down the road. The dealership were we bought the coach (and who's been handling the window problem -- 2 years into us owning it... 2 years of same problem) now refuses to work on it and appear to be willing to do anymore of anything for us, and we will be taking to Wildwood, FL to be fixed. The other dealership's glass guy says it must be the way we're using the jacks. I'm really confused. Are all these Monaco owners driving their coaches/deploying their jacks "wrong", too? Or this a structural issue with Monaco's from 2005 until 2008? Hopefully this trip to Wildwood will be definitive.

[96 Wideglide]

Originally Posted by cookingdad

The dealership were we bought the coach (and who's been handling the window problem -- 2 years into us owning it... 2 years of same problem) now refuses to work on it and appear to be willing to do anymore of anything for us,

Wow!
I would remember this if you ever decide to purchase another RV !!

[Jeepster]

Going in Friday morning to get my second "new" windshield in the last 2 months. Sept. install was from legit rock chips/cracks. The one on Friday is from unusual cracks appearing in lower corners after being parked for several days. I have the 3 jack system and did nothing different than previous 4 1/2 years of ownership. Poor installation and/or poor quality glass has me wondering. Any thoughts?? Bryan

[Bubba1]

On our '03 Cayman we had different problem. After cracking two windshields on the right side of our coach we found small cracks in the right lower corner of the front cap. In talking with the glass installer for the third windshield, I mentioning this was the third windshield and pointed out the cracks that were found in the front cap. He said that was unusual and he pulled the rubber gasket and measured the opening against the replacement glass. He determined the opening on the right side was not large enough. In the lower right corner of the front cap there was about 1/4 of inch of fiberglass that needed to be removed. Once that was done, we've had no more cracked windshields from leveling or transversing from driveway to roadway.

Mike

[Rusty years]

Originally Posted by Jeepster

Going in Friday morning to get my second "new" windshield in the last 2 months. Sept. install was from legit rock chips/cracks. The one on Friday is from unusual cracks appearing in lower corners after being parked for several days. I have the 3 jack system and did nothing different than previous 4 1/2 years of ownership. Poor installation and/or poor quality glass has me wondering. Any thoughts?? Bryan

The windshields come from overseas, maybe they said Thailand. Hopefully it's not the installer unless he didn't look for the reason. Mine was checked but it still cracked again in the lower right corner.

[Jeepster]

Picked up the coach today (windshield was replaced today, Monday, instead of last Friday as earlier posted). Got about 3 miles from Glass company and very loud whistling began. Immediately slowed down and started examining edges of windshield and very quickly noticed 1/8" - 1/4" gap between windshield and coach, running vertical on passenger side. The glass had come out of the gasket, it appeared. Returned to glass company and owner scratched his head and said they would get right on it Tuesday morning. As you can guess, I am not a happy camper and don't have much confidence at this point.

[Jeepster]

Had a generous amount of urethane applied this morning by Glass company and will let it set up for at least 24 hours. Question: Who out there had the "Halo Kit" applied to their Monaco or Holiday Rambler or some similar fix? The Halo Kit was some kind of "custom" structural fix (or near fix??) relative to the front cap. Appears there was a serious issue in the mid 2000 year models, as an earlier post mentions, and it led to windshield cracking problems. I would really like to communicate with someone that went thru the process and see if it was worth the time/effort/cost etc.....Help would be appreciated. Thanks...... Bryan

[WoodrowRAM]

I don't know if it relates, But in my research of class A coaches I noticed Travel Supreme has the same issue. But they are a 2 piece WS.. It seems that an X-bracing type of thing resolved the issue. It made the chassis more rigid I guess. I wonder if something like this could be done with Monaco and HR... IDK, Just throwing it out there... This now makes me question if I should be looking at Monaco's to buy...

[toothache]

We are on our 5th window. Every time a new one has been placed it either pops back out or cracks. We have been sent to have fiberglass work done. He has done some major reworking of the cap. Will only know with time if it works. We have a 2005 HR Imperial. This has been a major pain.

[CFXCH]

Right on Papa Jim. This is exactly what I do. Always lift the front first just for the pivot effect on the single front Jack.

[Vanwill]

Originally Posted by SteveSkinner

Thanks.
I'm being charged $300 but hopefully that includes new rubber as it has lost most of its elasticity.

Steve, it is very unlikely the job will include replacing the gasket. Fortunately, with coaches built after the early 90's, almost all gaskets are EPDM rubber and exhibit very little aging. I ordered a new gasket for my previous 1993 Dynasty, but did not use it. The old one fit better. It was very hard to get the new stiff gasket to conform to the windshield shape. I had mistaken surface aging for something more serious. After removing the gasket and cleaning it, it looked like new.

The more common problem is that many installers only apply the adhesive to the OUTSIDE lip of the gasket, sometimes AFTER they have installed it. I do not know of a single coach I've read about whose windshield popped "OUT" at the top. They pop out at the BOTTOM. As your coach bounces over the road surfaces it encounters, you frequently hit bumps hard enough that the heavy windshield slams down on the gasket really hard. Perhaps due to the fact that the windshields are always sloped forward at the bottom, the jolts tend to cause the windshield to "roll" the gasket forward along the bottom edge. If it is glued only on the outside of the "pinchweld", the inner lip of the gasket is free to roll up and over the pinchweld. If the gasket is glued on the INSIDE lip, it is MUCH less likely to allow this movement.

[Pusherpilot]

The auto level feature of the tripod jack arrangement has a program that it follows to level the coach. It lowers the front jack first and slightly raises the front while lowering the rears. It is unclear to me what the sequence is after that but I know that if the red warning lite blinks and the process stops you should retract the jacks and start over or move the coach to more level ground. I broke my last shield on a fairly level pad when the system decided that the rt rear jack didn't need to be lowered further and the panel showed the coach as level. In the morning I noticed a crack in the corner and when I looked at the jacks I saw that the rt rear jack wasn't on the ground!!! Another thing that has happened is one of the jacks sinks in overnite and you're out of shape in the morning.
OBTW, Monaco stopped calling the jack system Levelers and started referring to them as stabilizers.
Ron

[Rusty years]

Originally Posted by Vanwill

I do not know of a single coach I've read about whose windshield popped "OUT" at the top. They pop out at the BOTTOM. As your coach bounces over the road surfaces it encounters, you frequently hit bumps hard enough that the heavy windshield slams down on the gasket really hard. Perhaps due to the fact that the windshields are always sloped forward at the bottom, the jolts tend to cause the windshield to "roll" the gasket forward along the bottom edge. If it is glued only on the outside of the "pinchweld", the inner lip of the gasket is free to roll up and over the pinchweld. If the gasket is glued on the INSIDE lip, it is MUCH less likely to allow this movement.

Now you know of one that popped out at the top

[Papa_Jim]

Originally Posted by Vanwill

I do not know of a single coach I've read about whose windshield popped "OUT" at the top.

Now you know of another windshield that popped "OUT" at the top.

Jim