Cracked Windshield

[Dick Simonis]

Very strange.  Due to a medical issue we had to cancel our summer sojourn to the NW and this is the first time we have had a MH in Tuscon during the summer high temperatures.  Yesterday I was visiting the coach and found a crack in the passenger side windshield about two feet long (and possibly growing).  The coach has just been sitting in the barn which was 106 inside and I'm wondering if the temp was a factor.  The crack emanates from a small rock ship about 2/3 of the way up the windshield and is heading SE towards another chip.

Sent a message to a local RV glass shop today and awaiting a response.

Wondering if this has happened to anyone else.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Dick,
Temperature changes can definitely cause cracks to be generated from star chips. It's never happened on my RVs but it is very prone to occur on my 08 Tundra. I suspect it is due the built in stress on the windshield as manufactured or installed. In the case of the Tundra, it normally occurs (at least 3 instances) in the winter when I travel from the desert to the mountains and subject it to sub freezing temps. Now I make sure  I have all the chips filled before heading to the snow county.
Steve

[Keith Moffett]

Dickinson
RV Glass solutions,out of Eugene OR. Provides windshields all over the country in just a day or so.  The work with local installers but if there is a problem they back it up.

[Fred Brooks]

    Hi Dick,
  I am in the same situation you are. Cindy and me are living in our Marquis since February while our house is being built in a new section of gladden farms up off tangerine.
  2 weeks ago I had both windshields replaced. The next day the passenger windshield cracked in the upper right hand corner and proceeded to migrate downward. My windshields faces the rising sun and I keep my MCD shades down and it gets extremely hot up front. I called the windshield company and they said it was the leveling jacks that caused it. The only issue I am experiencing with my jacks is this. When I retract the jacks, the left rear air bags are the last to "air up". I guess that could cause a "body twist" My windshields where just fine for 16 years until I neglected the rock chips I should have fixed along the way. I am curious if the "height control valve is "lazy" and should be replaced. Gerald probably knows the answer?
   I did weigh my coach at all 4 corners about a year ago. The left rear is about 300 pounds over the axel rating but there is nothing I can remove or shift around. Anybody got any Ideas? Even techs have enigmas!
     

[Dick Simonis]

Thanks for the replies.  I contacted Superglass here in Tucson based their stellar reviews.

http://rvservicereviews.com/ReviewDetails.asp?FacilityID=1235&State=AZ&Search=&CategoryID=

Spoke with Andy yesterday and he has set up a conference call with my insurance company for 8:00 Monday morning to get the ball rolling.

Fred, sorry to hear about you issues...got to be frustrating.  Do you have outside windshield covers, they would help a lot.  Next week is going to be a scorcher for sure.  If you like, you can borrow my window covers for the short term.

[Chuck Bayman]

Our passenger side windshield cracked on our 02 Patriot this past winter in Mesa.
I had RV Glass Solutions in Phoenix replace it. They did a great job at our site.
The repair guy said it looked like a stone had hit the seal near the center post and
the crack started from under the seal. I was quoted $1034.00 and that's what it
was even though it took twice as long to replace.

[Joel Ashley]

A search of the Forum may turn up old discussions of this. 

Briefly, when new, mine cracked slowly after being winterized by the house for several months, and I ultimately found it was from a twist in the coach, amplified by a (common) factory mis-mounted windshield.  Our gravel streetside rear pad area was 2" low, but aggravated by a leaking air bag fixture, the coach over time tilted to the rear left corner.

Releveling the pad side-to-side and dumping all the air before storage did the trick.  The pad could be off front to back, given the front tires are on fairly level concrete;  but it couldn't be off side-to-side much, and I hadn't been diligent there.  Dumping all the air mitigated any air leak effect.