Sheeesh!!!

[adamdegraff]

I picked up a windshield getter today.... small, but perfectly shaped stone that nailed my drives side windshield. There is a divot and a small star that looks like it will travel. Obviously I will monitor this, but is there some sort of product one can put on to slow down the travel of the star's arms? And, how soon should I get this fixed? As long as I can see, does it present any particular danger? (large shards of sharp glass blowing into my lap at 75mph?)

Then, where do I get a new one? Is this something I can find at any old glass shop? Or do I have to take it to Prevost?

I guess I could be annoyed, but I am just glad that the windshield was between me and that rock.

~Adam (in St. Johns, AZ, leaving for Powell, WY tonight.)

[jimshoen]

Adam, Go to the articles section of this web site. Go to page two and click on "Windshield Installation". Jon has written out the procedure.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Adam, before you go to the expense and trouble to replace your windhsield, just call one of the local automotive window repair people.

They will come to you and repair it almost like new, in a jiffy. The cost will even be covered, usually thru your insurance. The glass company just calls your insurance and verifies the damage and your coverage, and the rest is history.


http://www.safelite.com/

http://www.autoglassguru.com/

I have been there, done that!


Gary S.

[Petervs]

Windshield damage is just part of the deal if you own a coach. Of you own an XL model you should be happy that it is easy and cheap to change one out.

The reason they break easily is because they are so vertical. On a typical car they are slanted and a rock hitting one comes at a shallow angle and bounces off more easily. A small bird broke one of mine, you would think the feather padding would have prevented breakage, but it shattered the outer glass 100% and it was nearly impossible to see through.

If you get a chip or a star, it may grow but it might take a long time. If it is not in the direct line of drivers view a local windshield repair company can patch it up for not much money.

If you leave it for a while, it will not break into huge shards and land in your lap. Windshields are made of safety glass, basically 2 layers of tempered glass laminated together with a thin but very strong layer of plastic between them. The inner plastic will keep the panel together in the event of damage. The tempering process causes the glass to break into many small pieces rather than large sharp edged pieces.

The best place to get replacement windshields is Prevost. They charge zero for shipping, and about $186 for the windshield. The right and left are identical.

Installation can be done by you or almost any local auto glass shop for about $100.

The big headache if you need one is getting your hands on one. Last time we broke one I bought an extra and just carry it with me. It lives up against the back inside wall of my bedroom closet. It only takes up about 1/4 inch that way!

[jack14r]

windshields are actually 2pieces of glass and a middle layer of plastic,in the manufacturing process the unit is placed into an autoclave which is a vacuum chamber that is heated.The plastic with the heat adheres to the glass,the vacuum insures that there will not be any bubbles of air trapped between the layers.Therefore even if the crack in adam's windshield runs,the plastic will not allow the windshield to end up in his lap.It is possible for a shard of glass to be detached from the plastic,but I doubt there is any real safety issue there.Laminated glass is now the standard for hurricane glass.

[mikedee]

Put some scotch tape over the crack. It will keep the crack clean and allow the repair to work better. I got a $10.00 kit at Auto Zone and it did a good job. The sun UV did the cure in 10 min. Body shops often will do it for $25-30.00.