Windshield repair

[sledhead]

We recently had a issue with the2 piece windshield of our American Eagle motor home , while traveling through a construction site
, the rocking and twisting of the road caused the windshield on both sides to pop out of its seal, resulting in a 8day stay in Tallahassee, after waiting on my insurance (progressive) to decide they wouldn't fix it, they declined, we contacted the local Campers world they referred us to Glass Pro, this company was great, fast, professional and reasonable, cant say enough good about them. If your in the area or a resident these people are great, our experience was exceptional.
Don and Cindy Young.

[Unplanned Tourist]

Wow, that's some twisting of your body! Did the glass shop have any suggestions about how to stop it from happening again? Maybe you have a flexy flyer MH.

[Gary RVRoamer]

You didn't mention the year of your Eagle, but presumable prior to 2005 since it is a two-piece. The American Coach windshields are mounted in a frame that is part of the front cap and are normally quite rugged. But if a weld broke in that framing, twisting while driving is not a far-fetched thing.



If you have a 2003 or earlier with the 3-point jack system, twisting the front end while leveling is a distinct possibility.I wonder if you may have done that previously and the windshield was already a bit loose? With the 3-point jacks, it is crucial to put the front jack down fist and raise the front and couple inches before doing the rear jacks.

[Unplanned Tourist]

A 22 year old rig with even a small amount of movement in the windshield mounting rubbers will eventually have excessive wear. I do hope they replaced the windshield mounting rubbers with new ones.

[donr103]

I have read.. here in the past.. where members reported that the front cap.. supports were cracked and rusted out.. don't get upset .. this may not pertain to your rv.. but a very close inspection of all the front support members is in order .. so on each side.. under rv.. inspect everything.. now if you find something.. come back.. and there are great members here.. that will walk you through repairs.. it's not that hard..
Good luck and keep us posted

[sledhead]

In a construction zone in Fla.with lane changes and lots of locals in a hurry to get home, when we stopped and I inspected everything I even found black paint on the left side of the motor home, someone hit me and I didn't even know it.The glass repair shop said they do a lot of them they remove the windshield, clean everything and reinstall the windshield using butyl rubber, seems to be pretty secure, I guess we can only hope they did a good job.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The rusty windshield frame is a Winnebago/Itasca issue, not American Coach. Different windshield mounting altogether.


The windshield on my '04 American Tradition is bonded into place with a black adhesive and the rubber is essentially trim. Make sure the glass company know what they are dealing with. I chose to take mine back to the factory when one side got damaged.

[House Husband]

My insurance company refused to reinstall my windshields when it poped loose. Right after that the windshield got a large crack from a rock thrown from a truck. It all got repaired then. Go figure.

Richard

[sledhead]

The glass company used a combination of the origional glass seal and butylrubber he said it had been done before and not the origional install, I called and made a appointment, when I got there they had scaffolding all set up in the shop so the techs could be at the right height for repair. In my initial call, when telling the owner what happened he said thats a split windshield isnt it, we do about one a week, again they were recommended by the Tallahassee campers world.
I called my insurance company and after several days they denied my claim, not broken glass, even though I had to pay for the repair the price was reasonable so I don't feel to bad about it, they even allowed us to stay in our coach overnight while the sealer set.
This was one of the best experiences ive had with a repair shop, it appears there are still people out there that take pride in what they do, and care about the customers they serve.

Don & Cindy Young

[arboldt]

This has happened to us 3 times, when turning on or off a somewhat steep side road that then turned. The different angles put enough twist on the front cap that the windshield popped. First time by Klamath Lake in SE Oregon. Had the windshield reset at an auto glass place in Redding CA. Second time by Parker AZ, reset by a mobile unit in Desert Hot Springs CA (much more expensive - don't use them again!). Third time pulling out of the Texas Travel Info Center in Harlingen TX - the road crown was significant. Set an appointment at a glass company in San Juan TX (between Alamo and McAllen). They suggested I order a new gasket from Newmar before they reset it. That seems to have been the charm, and no problems since. Hypothesis is that the older gasket had stiffened, less flexible, and could not withstand any flex. Even so, I'm very careful when turning when there's grade differences.

[sledhead]

Great response and advice from all, I would have liked to replace the windshield seal but due to time could not wait for a new one, if it gets me back to Mich. as is I'm happy, will order a new seal this winter so im ready if it happens again, as a retired tech I've found if you have the parts on hand the problem doesnt seem to happen again, like buying repair insurance, I know that seems odd to say but it's been my experence more than not.
Don & Cindy Young

[RVForever23]

Thanks for sharing! This just happened to our window. You are lucky you had a good experience with the repair shop. We had really bad luck last time we had to go into a repair shop in Albany NH. It was horrible, went in for one fix and picked up the RV with a new problem. Brought it back, was in there for weeks, got it back again in a rush to drive to VA and found a mice infestation and the check engine light turned on halfway through the drive. I DONT TRUST ANYONE anymore.

[sledhead]

That's to bad,but unfortunetly it happens to often, using this shop was a leap of faith and it turned out we'll. I'm a retired fleet tech and don't often pay anyone to make repairs, but this one worked out pretty good.
Coincidentally at the same time I had a issue with my toad, a 15 chevy p/up, the high pressure fuel pump started acting up and needed replacement, that I did myself, luckily the camp ground we were at was understanding and allowed me to make the repair. 42 years as a tech and I've seen all types of of mechanics good and bad, but when it comes to my own stuff I still like make my own repairs whenever possable.

[sledhead]

Made it back to Mich and no problems, still as solid as when it was done. Can't say enough about the workmanship of Glass Pro in Tallahassee.
Don & Cindy Young