Windshield break #2

[Neal]

I'm on my 2nd windshield that was replaced in December of 2018 by Newmar. The first one broke unexpectedly but seemed be a very small rock ding near the bottom center. The crack showed up one morning after raising the opaque shade to my complete surprise.

Now on the 2nd windshield it appears to be an identical scenario. Small rock ding, barely noticeable, near the bottom right of center. It formed a crack about 6 inches long and stabilized until my last campground where it was sunny and hot, I put the opaque shade down and as I was getting ready to start washing the front I heard a subtle pop noise, the crack went bottom center to top right.

The common scenario here is a very very small rock ding on the bottom of the glass I'd say 2 inches up from the bottom. It seems that the glass there is very thing, I'm not sure the thickness is uniform or not but my hunch is it's thin on the bottom. My thinking is that if I can prevent these very minor rock dings on the bottom it may help with longevity of the windshield. When I get #3 installed which I believe will be this coming October I plan to put clear bra adhesive tape along the bottom of the glass to help add a protective barrier.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXD0VMP/?tag=rvf01-20

On another note, the last time around I was insured with National General who handed off to Duncan for the glass. I made sure I had glass coverage when I got my insurance, it was not on by default, and as replacement is approximately $4500 a pop you better make sure. This time around I'm with SAFECO who partners with Safelite Solutions. This is an entirely different ballgame as Newmar doesn't work with SAFECO/Safelite for some reason and now I'm waiting what seems like a long time to hear back to see if the estimate I got from Newmar will be covered in full or not. Getting through to SAFECO and Safelite has not been a good experience. As I just renewed I think next year this time I'll be looking for another insurance company.

 

[redbaron]

I was with an agency that used safelite. As stated Newmar will not work with safelite.

I had safelite transfer the claim to Duncan. This happened same day. A call to Duncan confirmed, and then newmar took over from there.

 

[Neal]

Thanks. I will try that.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Sorry you took another hit, @Neal. I’m afraid it is the nature of these beasts. We’ve been fortunate in not having any damage for almost 3 years.

From looking at our windshield (also cracked because of a rock ding), it looks to me like there is more curvature at the bottom than at the top. This could set up more stress at the bottom and make it more prone to breakage. Just a suspicion on my part; no science to back it up. Your “thinner at the bottom” theory may have some merit as well.

In our case, it was a big, nasty rock hit that sounded like a gunshot! I saw the rock come off of a passing truck and it just froze me like a major league fastball! LadyDi was driving at the time and I couldn’t even manage a verbal warning before the strike. Interestingly enough, at first it was just a medium-sized chip with no radiating cracks. It wasn’t until the next day when cracks began to appear. Now, we have 3-4 cracks ranging from about 8 inches to 18 inches. I’m sure they will continue to grow. Thus far, they have stayed on the far right side, but could probably go anywhere.

As for insurance, we are pleased with our State Farm glass coverage. Just $100 deductible and no hassle about who could do the replacement. They even told me that replacing a motorhome windshield was more complicated that doing a car and that we should be sure to pick an installer that knew what they were doing. I had already decided on RV Glass Solutions in Coburg, Oregon, and before I could respond, the SF adjuster said “we’ve had good results from RV Glass Solutions in Oregon but you can take it wherever you want.”

TJ

 

[FL-JOE]

Benefit of being a Florida resident is that insurance companies can not charge you a deductible for glass damage. When I had my 4369 windshield replaced it was $3,600 at Nappanee. Duncan handled it because I had GS insurance. Newmar acted like any other insurance and I would have had to pay in advance and get the money later from my insurance, but with Duncan involved they simply called and got a credit card number for the entire amount.

The very next year we got a ding in the upper right corner coming through Alabama. As soon as we got to a campground I called for a mobile repair before it spread. They actually were able to send someone out before 5pm and fixed it.

 

[Scooterfan]

A tad off topic...but recently I used the "RainX" chip repair kit to try and limit damage from a chipped windshield. The instructions (and YouTube video) seem to assume that our windshields are somewhat slanted. Well, they are not...they are vertical. Thus, the resin doesn't easily flow to the crack using the device they supply. Once finished, it didn't look as if the chip was any better. I'm going to try again. If I can't repair it myself, I think I'll call a mobile repair company (Safelite?) as my insurance company does not cover replacement windshields. So far (over a year) the chip has not migrated into a larger crack. Any ideas?

 

[flyboy013]

I have Progressive and had a rock hit the windshield about 2.5 years ago. I immediately call Progressive who handed me off to Safelite. The came to my boondocking location a few days later and repaired the chip. I’ve had no issues since.

 

[Neal]

I have Progressive and had a rock hit the windshield about 2.5 years ago. I immediately call Progressive who handed me off to Safelite. The came to my boondocking location a few days later and repaired the chip. I’ve had no issues since.

I had Safelite come to my site when in AZ this past Feb to fill chips. Didn't want to wait for those to turn into cracks. Different area cracked later. But yes, if you have chips call and get Safelite out, typically it's free, covered by your insurance.

 

[AbdRahim]

Sorry to hear of you windshields. I was thinking usingsoething heavier, like Gorrilla tape. Not sure that any tape would not eventually make a mess.

 

[skychs]

Good to know. I just call Progressive/USAA to confirm our policy. Zero deductible on windshield replacement and they use Safelite. Im feeling better.