Windshield Leak

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by Kazoo Tom

My dealer just quoted a price of $800 to $1000 to remove the windshields, repair the rust and reset the windshields. There was nothing said about them possibly breaking the windshields. Does this sound like a fair price, or is it a bit high?

figure about $100 an hour labor...
imho you gotta know about the glass being broken b4 you commit.
good luck.

[smlranger]

I think that sounds absolutely reasonable. I used a local, trusted shop that is known to be reliable and charges reasonable rates. If he will do both windshields for that price, that does not sound bad. However, when I suggested to my shop and to Guardian glass that they go ahead and remove the driver's side glass to deal with any rust, Guardian would not guarentee they would not break the glass doing the removal. In fact, they suggested it was a good chance it would break so we decided to leave it alone and wait until it either leaked or broke on its own.

I would clarify with the dealer about the what-ifs before committing.

[Kazoo Tom]

I spoke to our dealer's service writer yesterday. He indicated the work should take 3 to 5 days depending on the extent of the rust problem. He also warned that the glass could break upon removal. He mentioned that they often find stress cracks in the glass when removed that are virtually invisible when the windshield is properly supported in place. These cracks become the break point when the windshield is removed and not supported as it is when installed. While he did not directly state it, I assume I would be responsible for the replacement cost should one or both sides break. He also stated that if the glass breaks it might take as long as 2 to 3 weeks to get replacements from Guardian. My comprehensive coverage has a $50 deductable. If he can prove the glass was cracked prior to doing the work I think the insurance will cover it. All in all I think it is worth it to have a proper long lasting repair done.

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by Kazoo Tom

I spoke to our dealer's service writer yesterday. He indicated the work should take 3 to 5 days depending on the extent of the rust problem. He also warned that the glass could break upon removal. He mentioned that they often find stress cracks in the glass when removed that are virtually invisible when the windshield is properly supported in place. These cracks become the break point when the windshield is removed and not supported as it is when installed. While he did not directly state it, I assume I would be responsible for the replacement cost should one or both sides break. He also stated that if the glass breaks it might take as long as 2 to 3 weeks to get replacements from Guardian. My comprehensive coverage has a $50 deductable. If he can prove the glass was cracked prior to doing the work I think the insurance will cover it. All in all I think it is worth it to have a proper long lasting repair done.

Tom, your guy sounds very reasonable. It did, in fact, take 2 1/2 weeks for Guardian to get my passenger side glass. However, even though they used the same number etched on the broken glass, the new glass was 4" too short for the opening. They said that was a first. So, a second glass was ordered but they ordered it from Winnebago. It had the same number on it but it also had 'Winnebago' etched on the glass along with the 'Guardian' name.

My insurance would not cover any of it. They said a broken windshield caused by another defect in the vehicle (rusted frame) was excluded.

[Kazoo Tom]

Spoke to the service writer today. He said his shop had done this repair on some 35 motorhomes and to date have only broken 2 windshields. It both of those cases the owner's insurance company covered the glass.

If I am lucky I won't have to find out if my insurance company will cover the loss. We plan on take a couple more trips before our season ends. I hope to get it in for repairs in mid or late october.

[RTegarini]

Originally Posted by Kazoo Tom

Spoke to the service writer today. He said his shop had done this repair on some 35 motorhomes and to date have only broken 2 windshields. It both of those cases the owner's insurance company covered the glass.

If I am lucky I won't have to find out if my insurance company will cover the loss. We plan on take a couple more trips before our season ends. I hope to get it in for repairs in mid or late october.

I'd say those are pretty generous insurance companies to pay the cost of windshields broken in the process of repairing a known Winnebago issue, windshield frame rust. Both my father-in-law and myself had to have these repairs, and we had to pay $3,800 each. It's possible that our rust was further along and required more extensive repairs, and we did have the glass replaced. A lot of the breakage stems from Winnebago gluing the windshields in place and it can be difficult to pull the glass without breaking it.

It's a little disappointing to see yet another thread on rusted windshield frames, knowing that Winnebago to date is still pretending it's not an issue and that they should have no liability.

[dunkonu23]

I'm following this with great interest. I have a cracked Windshield that I will be getting replaced in early October and I'm interested in the final cost of this (insurance will cover everything but rust damage, if present), and I'm in Michigan, too. Your dealer sounds really good.

Scott

[Kazoo Tom]

Thanks for the reply. It is apparent that my dealer has done this repair several times in the past. In that they have only broken two windshields, they seem to have gotten fairly good at it. Speaking to the service writer, they have specialized equipment for removing and mounting the windshield halves. I've been using the service department at General RV in Wayland for our last several motorhomes.

dunkonu23, I've sent you a private message about the dealer.

[dunkonu23]

Thank you, Tom. I have replied. This is my first year with a motor home so I am always reading these threads. Your thread is one I need to follow as we use the same franchise for service. I hope your repair goes well.

Scott

[Kazoo Tom]

Just thought I'd post a minor update to our problem. Since the extreme rains we experienced up north, the motorhome has been parked at our residence. We have had numerous rains since then, but nothing near as extreme as we had "up north". We have also been out for a couple long weekends since then with no further problems with leakage. We, in fact, just got back from our latest trip with light rain and there was no leakage at all.

Clearly there is a problem somewhere, and I'm still thinking rust behind the windshield. We'll get it in to our dealer and likely have them pressure test the coach to see where the leak is. The side benefit is that they will also find any other areas that may be prone to leakage and fix that at the same time.

[dunkonu23]

Having the coach leak tested is a good idea. Not having leaks like you experienced before would be troubling to me as well. Thank you for the update!

Scott

[Kazoo Tom]

Had the coach in to General RV in Wayland. They did a "sealtek" test on the coach. That is where they pressurize the inside of the coach and then coat it with soapy water. The test showed the windshield to be solid with no leaks. The did, however, find one of the clearance lights leaking. While it did not show any leaks, the caulking for the front cap was also suspect. The clearance lights were resealed, front cap touched up and the front radio antenna tightened and recaulked.

Brought it home and discovered it still leaking during a severe storm a couple weeks ago. Took it back in and they rechecked everything and found an additional marker light leaking. Took care of that and resealed the verticle radius area of the front cap. The flooded the area with hoses and then let water from a sprinkler flow over the area for 8 hours and it remained dry.

I'll be bringing it home tomorrow evening. I think it should be good now. I was quite happy to hear that it was not the windshield. The bill was only about a quarter of the extimated cost of fixing a windshield leak.

[dunkonu23]

Originally Posted by Kazoo Tom

Had the coach in to General RV in Wayland. They did a "sealtek" test on the coach. That is where they pressurize the inside of the coach and then coat it with soapy water. The test showed the windshield to be solid with no leaks. The did, however, find one of the clearance lights leaking. While it did not show any leaks, the caulking for the front cap was also suspect. The clearance lights were resealed, front cap touched up and the front radio antenna tightened and recaulked.

Brought it home and discovered it still leaking during a severe storm a couple weeks ago. Took it back in and they rechecked everything and found an additional marker light leaking. Took care of that and resealed the verticle radius area of the front cap. The flooded the area with hoses and then let water from a sprinkler flow over the area for 8 hours and it remained dry.

I'll be bringing it home tomorrow evening. I think it should be good now. I was quite happy to hear that it was not the windshield. The bill was only about a quarter of the extimated cost of fixing a windshield leak.

That is good news. I hope it's fixed and it's great news that you had no issue with the windshield! I, unfortunately did not have the same luck, but it's okay, I'm prepared.

Thanks for the update, sir!

Scott

[Kazoo Tom]

Sorry to hear that you weren't so lucky. BTW, my second visit is no charge as they said they should have found the additional leaks the first time. Can't complain about that, it's good customer service.

[dunkonu23]

That is even better news. It is a good thing that want the job done right the first time and do not charge you for their mistake!

Scott

[rgrimm]

Rather than start a new thread with some questions relative to leaking Windshield issues I thought I' d post here in an existing thread on the subject.

I have been looking for a small (short) used diesel pusher for my first Class A and I am suppose to look at a 2006 Journey 34H at a dealer here in Florida. But after reading about this leaking windshield design flaw (many discussions of many Forums) I'm wondering if I should take the Winnebagos (and Itascas) off my short list of coaches to consider for purchase? It is ashame because we liked the floorplans of the Journey and Meridians. The solution to the problem is expensive and because the problem (rust) is hidden behind trim it may not be easy to identify how serious the rust may be on a used unit.

How hard (or easy) is it to take the outside trim (Reveal) off to see the window frame? Does removing it ruin it or can hit be reused? How does the inside trim come off?

It sounds like if there is rust along the upper window frame it (rust) is probably worse along the bottom of the window frame.

I haven't seen this 2006 Journey yet, waiting for it to get to the dealer as a trade on a new RV sale, perhaps the leaking/rusting Windshield issue on Winnebagos is enough reason to not even look at it when it comes in.

Russ

[Kazoo Tom]

I wouldn't write off the Winnebago and Itasca models so quickly. Not all units experienced this problem. Mine did in fact end up with the rust problem after two prior attempts to determine the problem. I also had the other problems as indicated above. All are common leak areas in most brands on the market today.

Yes the repair is expensive and labor intensive. My dealer was able to remove and replace the glass without any breakage. The rust was completely removed, metal treated with a rust inhibitor and then repainted. The windshield was then reset with extra care taken with the bonding agent used. This repair should be a permanent fix for the problem.

In your case, it should be a relatively simple task for the dealer to remove the interior and exterior trim to determine is the problem is present. You can also examine the interior trim at the top edge of the glass for any evidence of rust staining on the edge of the trim. This is not to say a leak does not exist. In my case the leaking water was perfectly clean with no evidence of rust or staining, even though caused by rust.

All in all in my opinion Winnebago builds a good solid unit, and one of the better built units within their price ranges. We are still very happy with ours and plan to use it for several more years.

[ladagobago]

In spite of all the complaints and pitfalls we find with this manufacturer, I can assure you that other MH providers have at least double the troubles. The windshield leak repair does not have to be expensive unless you ask someone else to do it for you.

IF you are a DYI type of person and can follow very simple instructions, the repair for the leak can be achieved at minimal expense and labor is very minor. Elsewhere in this forum, I have written of my conditions of leaks and the repair. All of which have lasted for the past two years. I do not expect them to reappear.

Winnebago is not number one for nothin. Any time I have call the factory, I have received exact information and responsive emails.

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by rgrimm

Rather than start a new thread with some questions relative to leaking Windshield issues I thought I' d post here in an existing thread on the subject.

I have been looking for a small (short) used diesel pusher for my first Class A and I am suppose to look at a 2006 Journey 34H at a dealer here in Florida. But after reading about this leaking windshield design flaw (many discussions of many Forums) I'm wondering if I should take the Winnebagos (and Itascas) off my short list of coaches to consider for purchase? It is ashame because we liked the floorplans of the Journey and Meridians. The solution to the problem is expensive and because the problem (rust) is hidden behind trim it may not be easy to identify how serious the rust may be on a used unit.

How hard (or easy) is it to take the outside trim (Reveal) off to see the window frame? Does removing it ruin it or can hit be reused? How does the inside trim come off?

It sounds like if there is rust along the upper window frame it (rust) is probably worse along the bottom of the window frame.

I haven't seen this 2006 Journey yet, waiting for it to get to the dealer as a trade on a new RV sale, perhaps the leaking/rusting Windshield issue on Winnebagos is enough reason to not even look at it when it comes in.

Russ

In answer to your question, if the rubber trim is the same as my Adventurer, it just pulls out of a slot once you free the end up. Right after I read this thread, I took the tarp of my rig for a trip for service. Once I moved it, I found some water came down and hit the dash. My first thought was that I have to stop reading this forum and I wouldn't have any problems. Long story short, I took the inside trim off and located where the leak was showing up inside. I determined it was not from my inset clearance lights as they are so well fiberglassed in with wiring, I don't know how they would leak. I then removed the rubber trim from the drivers side of the windshield. The trim was in good shape but the slot that Winnebago installs with two sided tape was pulled away from the steel frame for 1/2 the width of the window. I removed it completely, cleaned the tape off and redid with butyl tape. Before I reinstalled, I cleaned what small rust area I could find and sprayed with a flexible rubber seal material I got from Canadian tire. I sprayed a couple of times to make sure it flowed into what could be the pinhole. I also noticed there was a low spot in the seal between glass and steel and built that up with butyl
To prevent water fro sitting there. (actually should not get there now since the slot was reinstalled and sealed) I caulked on the top side of slot, waited for all to dry and pressed the rubber moulding back in place. I sprayed the area today and nothing is showing up inside anymore. One of my first test to find the leak was red food coloring in water and syringed behind trim.

All is well now.

[rgrimm]

Tom - Thanks for your reply. I have not written the Journey off yet. Actually I am still waiting for it to show up at the dealer so I can go and look at it. It is a coach and floorplan we like and feel would work great for the two of us. We sold our 2012 36', 3 Slide, 5th Wheel and F250 almost a year ago and miss the traveling we use to do. We feel a small Motorhome will fit our style of travel better than the 5th Wheel did.

Steve - Thanks for sharing your process of finding your leak and fixing it. I under stand your comment, " My first thought was that I have to stop reading this forum and I wouldn't have any problems.", my brother tells me I should stop going on the Forums all the time. I guess for me identifying common problems among different brands through reading such Forums, helps me make more educated decision. I just have to be able to qualify posts as real or just someone complaining. All RV's have problems, after all they are houses basically that we drive down the road. I am a DYI type of person, but will admit that my age has shown me that I can not do all the things I could when I was younger.

So again thank you all for your replies, once this 06 Journey arrives, I'll go see it and go from there.

-Russ