Fixing Cracked Winnebago Brave Windshields and Rusted Frame

[MonkeyPunch]

2003 Brave. It's finally happened to me. Both of my windshield glass are cracked. I'm sure it's the known issue where the lower windshield support rots out causing stress and then cracks.

Has anyone else had their windshield fixed for this? I'm looking for a shop that will not only replace the glass, but will also fix the support problem.

If you've handled this, I'd like to know where, who to talk to, were you satisfied and how much damage did it do to your wallet.

Hoping for a location in or not too far from S.E. Michigan, but I'll have to do whatever within reason. Thanks for any help with this!

 

[Eagle5]

Hi MonkeyPunch,
This prior thread is relevant to your problem:

Rusted Windshield Frame 2001 Brave 33

We have a 2001 Winne Brave 33' and the front window has been leaking. When I went to Montana last year we where passing a truck and the air pressure popped the passenger window out at the top. A glass shop repaired it so we could get home. They said that the frame around the glass was rusted...

www.winnieowners.com

Eagle5

 

[MonkeyPunch]

Thanks! I searched on "windshield" and couldn't find anything.

 

[Eagle5]

Yes, I remembered that we had the related Brave windshield thread and went looking for it.

 

[emiddleb]

I feel your pain... had similar on my Vectra, where a cracked windshield required the rusted frame to be fixed before the windshield replacement.

I had the work done in Elkhart, IN. At the time there were two related places next door to each other... Duncan RV Repair and Duncan Glass. The RV shop rebuilt the metal frame and removed the rust, and then the Glass shop did the windshield work. I think they are still there today. Took a week or more as I recall (was 12+ years ago) and not cheap due to my large windshields, but the work has held up to this day.

 

[tderonne]

Mine finally cracked (both sides) 5 years ago (I'm the original owner). My insurance (Progressive) wouldn't do anything about it (it leaked) until it cracked. Progressive sent me to Duncan/Lippert (Office in Elkhart, Indiana) who sent windshields to John R Glass in Troy, Michigan.

John R Glass charged me $150 separately from the glass claim (which covered everything w/o a deductible) to do some rust repair. My motorhome is stored indoors, so the the rust wasn't too bad.

John R Glass glued in the reveal molding that normally just pops in to help seal things. Wasn't thrilled about that, but has held up for 5 years now.

The tinted area at the top is my biggest issue. The blue has waves of light/dark blue in it, at a bit of an angle and different in the two halves. I didn't get to see the glass before it went in. I would do that if I need another replacement someday.

 

[FIRE UP]

The earlier Winne/Itasca windshield frames do have some reps for rusting but surely not all of them. And while I've been on the RV forums for quite a while, I've not red of any rusting and or distorting enough to cause cracking. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it just means I've not seen almost ANY reports of cracking caused by the rusting. Our coach is an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP and we've had it now for 15 years and 127,000 miles. We've had chip repairs done numerous times and I finally stopped having it done. We had one chip in the passengers side very low and very close to the outside molding.

I was going to do a chip repair on my own just to see if I could do it. Then, one morning, I came out to the coach and that chip, all by itself when the coach was parked for quite some time, just ran up about 11" or so. GREAT! I called a gent who does "crack repair" in windshield and he came up, stop drilled it, sealed things off and said it will never travel on you. Well, that was about 12-13 years ago or so and that crack is now about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the passengers wind shield. So much for guarantying that it won't run!

It really doesn't bother the CEO when we're traveling and I can almost not see it when I view through it from the drivers seat. We also have many other chips in both sides. I'm not even gonna think about replacing them until I'm either forced by an LEO and receive some sort of "fix-it" (equipment violation to those that are unaware of the other term) ticket. We both figure why drive up the insurance premium by putting in a claim. And don't tell me about all this "waiver" stuff or "automatic" glass replacement stuff by some insurance companies in some states. We inquired about that when we moved to AZ and they knocked that stuff off decades ago. If you want glass replacement here, you pay for it in your premium, period!

I had a real close friend who was in the glass business for decades and he told us when we purchased this coach, he said: "You keep those two stock wind shields in there as long as humanly possible because, they're the best fitting ones you'll ever see. 99.9999% of the replacement windshields will not fit as accurately as the original OEM ones do". Well, after oh, maybe 20-30 chips, some repaired and the rest are there to stay, and one long crack, we're still on the OEM wind shields. A good cleaning and we can see just fine.
Scott

 

[RV_Lee]

I saw where someone had made a water gutter at the base of their windshield to direct water away. On class A's the water just pools/drips and destroys everything at the base of the windshield

 

[Waterbug]

The earlier Winne/Itasca windshield frames do have some reps for rusting but surely not all of them. And while I've been on the RV forums for quite a while, I've not red of any rusting and or distorting enough to cause cracking. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it just means I've not seen almost ANY reports of cracking caused by the rusting. Our coach is an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP and we've had it now for 15 years and 127,000 miles. We've had chip repairs done numerous times and I finally stopped having it done. We had one chip in the passengers side very low and very close to the outside molding.

I was going to do a chip repair on my own just to see if I could do it. Then, one morning, I came out to the coach and that chip, all by itself when the coach was parked for quite some time, just ran up about 11" or so. GREAT! I called a gent who does "crack repair" in windshield and he came up, stop drilled it, sealed things off and said it will never travel on you. Well, that was about 12-13 years ago or so and that crack is now about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the passengers wind shield. So much for guarantying that it won't run!

It really doesn't bother the CEO when we're traveling and I can almost not see it when I view through it from the drivers seat. We also have many other chips in both sides. I'm not even gonna think about replacing them until I'm either forced by an LEO and receive some sort of "fix-it" (equipment violation to those that are unaware of the other term) ticket. We both figure why drive up the insurance premium by putting in a claim. And don't tell me about all this "waiver" stuff or "automatic" glass replacement stuff by some insurance companies in some states. We inquired about that when we moved to AZ and they knocked that stuff off decades ago. If you want glass replacement here, you pay for it in your premium, period!

I had a real close friend who was in the glass business for decades and he told us when we purchased this coach, he said: "You keep those two stock wind shields in there as long as humanly possible because, they're the best fitting ones you'll ever see. 99.9999% of the replacement windshields will not fit as accurately as the original OEM ones do". Well, after oh, maybe 20-30 chips, some repaired and the rest are there to stay, and one long crack, we're still on the OEM wind shields. A good cleaning and we can see just fine.
Scott

I WOULD NEVER drive a vehicle at hiway speeds with a crack running 2/3rds of it's length or width. That is just asking for a disaster. It may seem okay on a flat highway until you hit a pot hole. Then the passenger pays the price of your ignored problem.

 

[FIRE UP]

I WOULD NEVER drive a vehicle at hiway speeds with a crack running 2/3rds of it's length or width. That is just asking for a disaster. It may seem okay on a flat highway until you hit a pot hole. Then the passenger pays the price of your ignored problem.

Well,
It's a choice thing and we have chosen to drive with that crack. It seems we pretty much acquire at least one chip in either side almost every trip we venture out. And we both agree that since the crack has not progressed any further in the last few years, and we continue to still acquire new chips, that's just not worth it to pay a rather large sum of money for both sides and still acquire chips. Especially since as stated, when the wind shields are cleaned really good, it (the crack) just doesn't seem to bother either one of us. And it's not only us but we've seen plenty of RV's with cracks to some extent in either side. We've hit thousands of potholes, bad concrete seams, very rough pavement and more and apparently, we're still alive! As stated, that cracks been there, and that high up for oh, at least 12+ years and over 100,000 miles. So, your "disaster" just ain't happening.
Scott

 

[FIRE UP]

I saw where someone had made a water gutter at the base of their windshield to direct water away. On class A's the water just pools/drips and destroys everything at the base of the windshield

Yeah, we've seen that same kind of "gutter" applied at the top of the windshield too in an attempt to curb the run-off from the roof away from the top horizontal seam/seal/frame. Does that sort of thing work, not a clue.
Scott

 

[RV_Lee]

Yeah, we've seen that same kind of "gutter" applied at the top of the windshield too in an attempt to curb the run-off from the roof away from the top horizontal seam/seal/frame. Does that sort of thing work, not a clue.
Scott

I am certain keeping water out of the dash works. Here is the video, he shows how destroyed the dash is and then at the 21 min mark shows the rebuilt dash and the gutter installed

 

[Waterbug]

Well,
It's a choice thing and we have chosen to drive with that crack. It seems we pretty much acquire at least one chip in either side almost every trip we venture out. And we both agree that since the crack has not progressed any further in the last few years, and we continue to still acquire new chips, that's just not worth it to pay a rather large sum of money for both sides and still acquire chips. Especially since as stated, when the wind shields are cleaned really good, it (the crack) just doesn't seem to bother either one of us. And it's not only us but we've seen plenty of RV's with cracks to some extent in either side. We've hit thousands of potholes, bad concrete seams, very rough pavement and more and apparently, we're still alive! As stated, that cracks been there, and that high up for oh, at least 12+ years and over 100,000 miles. So, your "disaster" just ain't happening.
Scott

That crack may have been there 12+ years, but it hasn't been 2/3rds of the windshield for 12 years. It is CONSTANTLY changing, wether you can measure the difference or not, the change is happening. Every road trip effects it. Every changing of the seasons effects it. As previously stated, "It is a disaster waiting to happen." EDIT: Would you fly in an airplane that has had a crack in it's wing spar for years? More is at stake than a shattered windshield. EDIT#2: You obviously know that it is a safety issue and violation of the law. You stated "I won't fix it unless a LEO cites me." I think I'm wasting my time trying to explain why you are reckless and dangerous, you already know. LEOs don't cite you just to write a ticket.

 

[HiBanky]

Well,
It's a choice thing and we have chosen to drive with that crack. It seems we pretty much acquire at least one chip in either side almost every trip we venture out. And we both agree that since the crack has not progressed any further in the last few years, and we continue to still acquire new chips, that's just not worth it to pay a rather large sum of money for both sides and still acquire chips. Especially since as stated, when the wind shields are cleaned really good, it (the crack) just doesn't seem to bother either one of us. And it's not only us but we've seen plenty of RV's with cracks to some extent in either side. We've hit thousands of potholes, bad concrete seams, very rough pavement and more and apparently, we're still alive! As stated, that cracks been there, and that high up for oh, at least 12+ years and over 100,000 miles. So, your "disaster" just ain't happening.
Scott

Too Waterbug
You clearly do not understand the properties of windscreen safety glass.

I had both halves of my windshield replaced last winter not because it was a danger to the passengers but a visual obstruction. Foremost insurance covered all but $1000 of deductible however the shop waived the deductible so no cost to me. They cleaned up the rust on the frame and applied a preventative paint. All at my location and in one day.

 

[Waterbug]

Too Waterbug
You clearly do not understand the properties of windscreen safety glass.

I had both halves of my windshield replaced last winter not because it was a danger to the passengers but a visual obstruction. Foremost insurance covered all but $1000 of deductible however the shop waived the deductible so no cost to me. They cleaned up the rust on the frame and applied a preventative paint. All at my location and in one day.

I understand the properties of windshield safety glass. The inner layer prevents shattering from a single impact. It is a flexible film. However, if there is a single straight line crack that extends from end to end of the glass it can simply fold. Much like a piece of corrugated cardboard that has been scored on one side with a razor blade.

 

[HiBanky]

Great! Now I have two things to worry about . My windshield folding in on me and an asteroid falling on my head.