CRACKED RV WINDSHIELD

[illinilefttackle 399]

:thumbs: Hey guys- I have an old Georgie Boy Motorhome my grand kids and I enjoy a lot. Well it looks like the passenger side of the front windshield was shot by a BB gun. You know that little crater it leaves, well over this winter freezing and thawing, it has developed a 3 inch crack coming out of it. No biggy-just something that I don't want to get worse. Anybody ever have any luck with those windshield repair kits they sell? I'd appreciate any info=Thanks-Al

Heres a couple pics of the Ole Girl

[Horse'n Around 22]

Thats a bummer. Im sorry but Ive never tried one of the do it yourself repair kits, but for what its worth I was told by a friend that did these repairs for a living that he could repair cracks with his system that were almost 6" long. He said when they are that long they will show up more but he was generally able to stop the crack from spreading with the repair. His machine used vacuum and air pressure from the looks of it.

I hope that you find a good cheap way to fix R up.

John

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,648]

Is the glass tottaly flat? I wonder what a widshield/glass shop would charge to cut a new one for ya and install it.

I've never used a glass repair kit, sorry.

Mike..........

[mavfreak 11]

I have had a few windshields repaired it works not sure if they can on a long crack but worth a shot. and it was much much cheaper than replacing

[chazm 412]

I agree with Sparky - a glass shop should be able to cut & install one at a decent price.

Also your insurance may cover part if not all the cost.

With a repair of a large crack , it may not pass state inspection, depending on the codes in your state.

Chaz :wh:

[Redbirdman 7]

I doubt if a repair kit will last a long time on any "Shake and Bake" vehicle with a big crack........a chip maybe but not a crack.

I think I would shop around the truck and bus repair side of town first. Or find someone that has a Case or Cat or JD and get a glass guy there. I'm pretty sure its the same safety glass but each State may have different laws.

It is not a big deal to put in a flat windscreen, the big deal is having the right gasket but I would bet that too is generic.

We did them all the time on our heavy equipment and Mack trucks ourselves. You would take off and clean and lubricate (with rubber-lube) the gasket and push a heavy piece of twine in the gasket after you put it back in the bare frame (It is extremely portant to have that frame rust free ). Put the new glass in the bottom track of the gasket and then push the glass and pull the twine around till it sets. And a dob of silicone on the end where the gasket matched up if it was not a prefit gasket (which none were!)

BTW......back in the 'Nanny-Mommy-Big Brother' State of NJ whenever I had a ding or slight crack in the windshield of a car or pickup I would find a dollop of Pine Tree Amber on a tree and smoosh a tiny bit over the crack.......or paint on a fake bird poop before I went to the Nazi-like Motor Vehicle clip board mentality moron squad inspecting and paid/to/fail you for some dopey California Company.. (whoops, sorry)

I dont know about AZ inspections, nobody seems to care about little minutia like that (as long as you don't have 100 Mexicans jammed into the trunk...or a dozen bales of (something) strapped to the roof...... Although in AZ the insurance company MUST replace or repair any cracked windscreen free of charge.

ed :D

[chevelletown 37]

Al,

I own a glass company and have done thousands of windshield repairs over the last 20 years. It is possible to repair long cracks, we only repair chips the size of a quarter or smaller. Long cracks are repaired by drilling a small hole at he end of the crack and filling the crack and original break point with polymer. They are usually more stable after the repair but don't always have long term cosmetic quality. Chip repairs are far more effective and can "disappear" for year after the repair was done.

The glass is your RV looks like it is flat glass and can be easily cut at most any glass shop. They can use the original windshield for a pattern. Laminated glass is required by law for use in windshields, and comes in several colors, yours is probably clear, but have the glass company check first. Also check with some RV parts suppliers for precut w/s, the shipping can be a price killer.

There are several methods of installation used in RVs. Yours looks like in could have a aluminum frame with a rubber glazing bead that trims the glass edge. On this type of installation the glass is glued or sealed in the frame and the glazing bead (which looks like it has shrunk on yours) is pushed into a grove around the perimeter of the glass.

Send me some closer pics and a "block size" of the glass and I could give you an approximate idea of what kind of price you might expect to pay for a new windshield.

[can whlvr 991]

ive had 2 windshields done with the professional shop doing it and both failed,you get your$ back though

[illinilefttackle 399]

Al,

I own a glass company and have done thousands of windshield repairs over the last 20 years. It is possible to repair long cracks, we only repair chips the size of a quarter or smaller. Long cracks are repaired by drilling a small hole at he end of the crack and filling the crack and original break point with polymer. They are usually more stable after the repair but don't always have long term cosmetic quality. Chip repairs are far more effective and can "disappear" for year after the repair was done.

The glass is your RV looks like it is flat glass and can be easily cut at most any glass shop. They can use the original windshield for a pattern. Laminated glass is required by law for use in windshields, and comes in several colors, yours is probably clear, but have the glass company check first. Also check with some RV parts suppliers for precut w/s, the shipping can be a price killer.

There are several methods of installation used in RVs. Yours looks like in could have a aluminum frame with a rubber glazing bead that trims the glass edge. On this type of installation the glass is glued or sealed in the frame and the glazing bead (which looks like it has shrunk on yours) is pushed into a grove around the perimeter of the glass.

Send me some closer pics and a "block size" of the glass and I could give you an approximate idea of what kind of price you might expect to pay for a new windshield.

The crack is getting worse so I must replace I guess.The size is approximately 29 3/4 " tall by 41 1/2" wide. Is this something I can change with the help of my adult grandson? The "Bead" that holds the glass in has shrunk badly. Is this stuff still available? Thanks for the help-Al

[chevelletown 37]

Al,

I'm not sure how your windshield is set so its hard to say how difficult it would be. There are a few specialty tools that we use that makes the job much easier, but it is possible to do with common tools. Send me a closer pic, maybe I can help I.D. the glazing system and bead. You might expect to pay in the range of $95 to $125 for the glass.