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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Cracked!

I had to get the RV inspected, I was going to get it done before we left for Oregon, but I found this:


The windshield had a tiny chip in it that I never noticed.  When the hot summer sun started baking it, the chip spread into a long crack.

I contacted my insurance company and made arrangements for it to be replaced when we returned from Oregon.  Today, two techs from Champion Auto Glass came out to our home with a new passenger side windshield.

First they removed the side trim.


Then the rubber molding was pulled off.


A special tool was used to cut the sealant from the windshield glass.



The sealant that Winnebago uses was so strong, they had to bring out a special electric cutting tool to separate the glass from the frame.



After the sealant was cut all around, the glass was lifted out.



How about that flow through ventilation?



Under the windshield was some rust on the metal frame.  The tech said he sees this all the time.





The techs sanded the rust away and put a special sealant/rust inhibitor on the rusty areas.



After the rust coating dried, a bead of new sealant was placed all around the frame.





Finally, the new windshield was lifted carefully into the frame.


The tech pushed the windshield firmly into the sealant and insured it was evenly place and aligned all around.





Once everything was in place and the tech was satisfied it looked right, the rubber molding was pushed back into place.



The side trim was screwed back into place.


Then the techs cleaned up both sides of the new glass and the dashboard.



Finally the glass replacement job is finished, now I have to let the Journey sit for 24 hours before I move it so the sealant can set up properly.  If you look closely, you can see the tinted area at the top of the new glass is about an inch higher than the original glass on the driver's side.  Unfortunately, that is the way the glass came from Winnebago.  From time to time, manufacturers change suppliers and there can be some minor differences in parts.  I'm not sweating it, I'll probably have to replace the windshields again (and again) with my luck. ;c)


The replacement took about 2 hours, start to finish.  My insurance company covered the replacement except for my $100 deductible.  I'm happy with that. 

Thanks for visiting and please feel free to leave a comment.


5 comments:

  1. How nice to see a HAPPY RV repair!! So often you only hear about the horrible time people have getting repairs done. We want the name of your insurance company and the techs that did the work!! :)

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  2. Sure, Champion Auto Glass and Nationwide Insurance. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, I had to submit TWO new damage claims today. :c(

    And as usual, Nationwide was great.

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  3. Ooooh...poor windshield! Glad it didn't cost you all your nest egg :)

    About the mouse zapper, it is reusable & you don't have to clean it since nothing gross happens to the varmint...just like dying in their sleep....while being electrocuted ;)

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  4. We live in a subdivision that doesn't allow boats and rvs to be stored in our driveways. It's not enforced. If someone says something to us about our MH parked in the driveway, we tell them that we don't "store" it there, we "maintain" it. It's easier to catch little things if you see your rig every day. Glad the fix looks good.

    Syl

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  5. Wonderful post and having your step by step photos are great! I suppose the guys felt a bit nervous being photographed, but on the other hand, its GREAT word of mouth (blog?) for their company!

    We have only had to have 2 chips repaired, but if they ever crack and spread, we are covered.

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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