Broken DS lower fixed window need to replace

[Steve Lange]

2009 Monarch 33SDD. Driver side lower Dual Pain window broken. The inside pain is OK but the outside is in place but shattered. Looking for a  shop to replace the window in the Cincinnati , Ohio area.

LittleHome#2009

[Gary M]

On 4/19/2021 at 2:14 PM, Steve Lange said:

2009 Monarch 33SDD. Driver side lower Dual Pain window broken. The inside pain is OK but the outside is in place but shattered. Looking for a  shop to replace the window in the Cincinnati , Ohio area.

LittleHome#2009

Good luck! Hope u get one. Ive been looking in every state Im traveling for a year now. Same issue except a 12”x12” slide window.

[Tom Cherry]

I had the same issue. There are TWO ways....actually THREE...

First, call Northwest RV and HOPE they have one in their "we bought all the left over Monaco Parts"

Next, you can have it replaced with Laminated Safety Glass. There are several companies that do that. The window has to be removed and carefully measured and then the glass if cut to fit and reinstalled. The tinting might be different...but it works.

The final is to have a replacement made from the original company. Atwood was the supplier, They have ALL the prints on the windows. Mine was gone on the outside when we were in WA in the summer of 2018. I got hold of the factory and then ordered a replacement. It took about 4 weeks to make. The factory has a custorm shop in Elkhart and they stripped down the window and put in the new glass.

The glass is Tempered....that is why it Shattered. FORTUNATELY, mine had CRAZED, but not disassembled or fell out. I used several thicknesses of heavy (Gorilla) clear tape and laminated the outer glass. I reinforced it with Duct Tape. I drove almost 3,000 miles from WA to IN. Along the way, I had to put on two aluminum staves or gars as the glass was vibrating. It looked UGLY, but it sure beat trying to custom fit and cut a piece of 1/4" plywood. I was having some work done at a shop in ELkhart. They pulled the window for me. I took it over to the Atwood center and then brought it back and they reinstalled it.

There are SOIME glass shops that can custom cut glass for the window. Then they have to send it out for tempering.  You can NOT cut or do anything when the glass has been tempered. 

I did a write up on this...  It is in the posts....

DUNCAN SYSTEMS INC #071
29391 OLD US HWY 33
Elkhart, IN 46516-1427
USA
Fax (574) 294-7289
Phone (800) 551-9149

Duncan is part of Lippert. They bought the OLD Atwood Window Company. They also have all the intellectual property....as in the PRINTS and the years and the models. They can look up the model and they will send you a print. BEAR IN MIND....this is for the outer perimeter of the window. I did a BUNCH of crosschecking measurements and then verified that it was the correct one.

I dealt with a Jeanne K....they may have changed a lot....but start researching Duncan

https://www.rvglass.com/quote?make=MONACO RV LLC&model=DIPLOMAT

They appear to be operating under RVGLASS.com..  I put in your info....and this is the form to send in. You can also call...

Good Luck...

[Hypoxia]

Challenger Door bought part of Duncan Systems after the Atwood sale.  Any good glass place can order a piece of tempered glass, Auto Glass Boss ordered a L shaped driver side window for me.  It was a dual pane outer piece which they installed.  It did take some time to arrive.

Edited April 29, 2021 by Hypoxia

[Tom Cherry]

8 hours ago, Hypoxia said:

Challenger Door bought part of Duncan Systems after the Atwood sale.  Any good glass place can order a piece of tempered glass, Auto Glass Boss ordered a L shaped driver side window for me.  It was a dual pane outer piece which they installed.  It did take some time to arrive.

Yes,

You are correct.  It is a matter of personal taste and choice. Yes, any good reputable glass company can order a piece of tempered glass.  In my case, the glass has slightly rounded corners and an angled gut. If this was a piece of glass that was rectangular, then a glass company can order a piece to fit. I had that done on a boat windshield.

But, IF the glass has a unique shape such as radiused corners and angled cuts, then the glass company will have to provide a drawing for the glass and it will be custom cut and tempered.

From what I have read and also what my local guy (a glass replacement company) tells me, it is easier to actually cut and fit the glass to the frame. Then, you send (ship) that glass to a distributor (there are 4 in NC) that can "Temper" it. Otherwise, you do a tracing on carboard or butcher paper and have them cut it and then temper it and ship to you. If you live in a large city, that is easy. There is no tempering facility in Raleigh, NC, but there is one in Charlotte...

The other issue is the tint. The glass company will have to match (or film afterwards) the Atwood % darkness or tint.

The install, once the window is pulled is simple. Originally, there was some folk lore about an inert gas between the two panes. That was shot down when I talked to the lady that actually got Duncan systems back into the production of replacement glass. They just clean and then seal. 

I will tell you that my entire window was a PITA. It was 3 panes. One large vertical (full length) pane. One fixed Panel on the other side at the top and a sliding or a lift up pane below it. It took two techs over 3 hours to finally get the window back together as the frame will be warped. NOW, if there was a custom cut....maybe not.

SO....dealer's choice and personal preference.

Tint may vary...and the folks that put in safety laminated glass say that is not an issue now...

It is just a matter of choice and how close you want it to match and such.

It is NOT rocket science...but it will require some skill. 

My advice would be to get a quote from Duncan on new glass....shipped to a good glass company....and compare the costs of the glass company fitting and getting the new or both panes tempered. Odds are....the interior one is OK...

IF that is the case, then one could use the INTERIOR pane on the outside and use tempered, not tinted on the inside (new) and film if needed...

All sorts of options...

[Steve Lange]

Thank You for your help.

I have been in contact with Duncan. I first went to my local Glass shop that does my windshields in my cars and they told me the same info. They will not touch RV glass because of the trouble and time. I was hoping they could just remove the outer glass until I get it fixed, but they wouldn't. I now have covered with the clear tape and managed to go on our first trip.

[Scotty Hutto]

Hello everyone...

I moved this thread to Body, Awning, Slides, etc.  I was having to manually approve each post in the Service section, which slows down the conversation. I did leave a link there redirecting folks here. 😁

Sorry if that causes any inconvenience. 

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, Steve Lange said:

Thank You for your help.

I have been in contact with Duncan. I first went to my local Glass shop that does my windshields in my cars and they told me the same info. They will not touch RV glass because of the trouble and time. I was hoping they could just remove the outer glass until I get it fixed, but they wouldn't. I now have covered with the clear tape and managed to go on our first trip.

WISE MOVE. If you plan to do a LOT of travel, I would cut a piece of Plexiglass (or have it done) and the use clear or Gorilla tape and put it over the OUTSIDE. My fear was a rock or something taking out the INSIDE glass. A LOT of folks advised me to do that, but they MAY not have ever seen a piece of Tempered Glass craze or "explode".

By laminating the outer glass, it would NOT fail and the inner was sealed.

Plexiglass is CHEAP....and should have been easy....if I was AT HOME. Since I had to traverse almost 3,000 miles and was on a VERY Tight schedule, I opted to do what I did.

With Plexiglass, which is a COMMON replacement for Tempered (slightly curved) glass in boat windshields, you have protection.

Good Luck...

[Gary M]

15 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

I had the same issue. There are TWO ways....actually THREE...

First, call Northwest RV and HOPE they have one in their "we bought all the left over Monaco Parts"

Next, you can have it replaced with Laminated Safety Glass. There are several companies that do that. The window has to be removed and carefully measured and then the glass if cut to fit and reinstalled. The tinting might be different...but it works.

The final is to have a replacement made from the original company. Atwood was the supplier, They have ALL the prints on the windows. Mine was gone on the outside when we were in WA in the summer of 2018. I got hold of the factory and then ordered a replacement. It took about 4 weeks to make. The factory has a custorm shop in Elkhart and they stripped down the window and put in the new glass.

The glass is Tempered....that is why it Shattered. FORTUNATELY, mine had CRAZED, but not disassembled or fell out. I used several thicknesses of heavy (Gorilla) clear tape and laminated the outer glass. I reinforced it with Duct Tape. I drove almost 3,000 miles from WA to IN. Along the way, I had to put on two aluminum staves or gars as the glass was vibrating. It looked UGLY, but it sure beat trying to custom fit and cut a piece of 1/4" plywood. I was having some work done at a shop in ELkhart. They pulled the window for me. I took it over to the Atwood center and then brought it back and they reinstalled it.

There are SOIME glass shops that can custom cut glass for the window. Then they have to send it out for tempering.  You can NOT cut or do anything when the glass has been tempered. 

I did a write up on this...  It is in the posts....

DUNCAN SYSTEMS INC #071
29391 OLD US HWY 33
Elkhart, IN 46516-1427
USA
Fax (574) 294-7289
Phone (800) 551-9149

Duncan is part of Lippert. They bought the OLD Atwood Window Company. They also have all the intellectual property....as in the PRINTS and the years and the models. They can look up the model and they will send you a print. BEAR IN MIND....this is for the outer perimeter of the window. I did a BUNCH of crosschecking measurements and then verified that it was the correct one.

I dealt with a Jeanne K....they may have changed a lot....but start researching Duncan

https://www.rvglass.com/quote?make=MONACO RV LLC&model=DIPLOMAT

They appear to be operating under RVGLASS.com..  I put in your info....and this is the form to send in. You can also call...

Good Luck...

Duncan was my first phone-call a year ago and was told they couldnt help me as the radius of my window was 2-1/2” and they only have or would make the new 3” radius glass.

Also found 08 Diplomat that was being parted out by Visone but they wouldn’t confirm the radius basically I buy no return. They told me I would need to stop by and check it myself. Im 3000 mi away I said. Their response...Oh Well.

Also tried at same time to purchase two nite stands from sam coach. Same results. Will try again somewhere when we settle down in Punta Gorda, Florida at the end of or trip this year. Till then its all taped up.

[Hypoxia]

That big odd piece of glass that looks like a glock is the tinted outer glass that was replaced.  Auto Glass Boss came to my place, made a diagram and ordered it.  It took some time but I had no idea they were so special, working with unique shapes and radiused corners and tint.  Looks good enough for me.

[Steve Lange]

WOW. Mine is not nearly that complex.

[Tom Cherry]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:37 PM, Steve Lange said:

WOW. Mine is not nearly that complex.

I would NOT simplify it. It IS more complex than you think. I assume that the panel that is crazed and removed is a SLIDING Panel for tolls and such. Windows with a sliding panel are NOT THE EASIEST TO REBUILD. Atwood had two techs that had been doing at least 5 windows per day for several years had to work on mine for about 3 - 4 hours. THE issue is that the window has "been bent" during assembly. The Tech (P. J. McCants whom Chris Thorgmartin used as a resource and was an Ex Monaco ELkhart Assembly and Painting Supervisor) said that my WIndow WOULD be partially damaged upon removal. Monaco sort of "Cut AT the openings and had lousy templates. He was correct. One corner of the body had not been cut out enough. But brute strength and and large rubber mallets were used during Assembly. 

He finally had to pry mine out. It was as wide as yours, but taller. Atwood had to do some "hammer adjusting" to get the frame apart and to fit the new glass. PJ also did some cutting and grinding so that it would not need brute force to put back in.

With a Sliding Glass, it HAS to work or slide after the new glass is installed and MUST be tested prior to installation.  The TWO panes and one of them being a slider makes the assembly more difficult. They took mine apart about 3 times and did some "adjusting" or repositioning of the panes so that the screws lined up at the end and the sliding pane worked. 

You also need to note HOW the window was installed. The Window is put in first....then the Dash goes in. Monaco allowed very little room for accessing the interior screws that held in the interior frame. They had to use a special set of bits mounted in a very thin 1/4" ratchet to get the two lower ones in the picture.

I THINK I could have gotten it out myself, but it would have been a PITA. They worked for about 15 minutes (in and out) on just that lower corner.

If your window is above the dash and you can see all the interior screws....you are in much better shape. 

BUT, due to the size and the sliding pane, I would be cautious as to WHO took apart the window and did the reassembly. IF brute force is used or if the frame is not quite aligned and THEN they put in the screws and say "this will work and the frame will pull itself into place"....stand back and pray. Even Atwood has cracked or lost a pane and then it is a 4 week turnaround.

PERSONALLY....I would have Duncan/Lippert do the entire job. Either drive to Elkhart or ship the window there. You would have a local shop remove the window. You would PREORDER and have the new panes at Elkhart (or they might have another location). When they get in the new panes, they measure and inspect...

Then you crate up your old window and ship it to them. Then they do the install and ship back to you.

IF you have a good glass shop and they have done this before, then that would be great. This should NOT be a "Gee, I can do this....but this is my first job" approach as the sliding window complicates it.

Just some advice from a person that does almost ALL my own work and also went through getting a new window installed.

Maybe I am too conservative....but I now have the SAME tint and logo and such on the entire window...

Good Luck...

[Steve Lange]

Thanks Tom.

I received a email from Duncan today informing me that they can't help. The window is not made any more and they have no glass to replace. They told me to try a local glass shop so now we going to Mels Glass in Cincinnati to see what they can do. I have appt. on Thursday for their review. Hopefully they can offer a replacement option. Never thought this was going to be so difficult. The windshield was a breeze compared to this side window.

I will post what the outcome is.

 

 

[Ivylog]

I had the large sliding side window’s outer pane shatter in WY last summer and most of it fell out. Worked with Suncoast Design in Hudson, Fl and had them make/temper a replacement to my measurements. Schedule an appointment into Hudson after Christmas on way south and stayed in their RV area. Took 24 hours for them to remove the entire window and seal the new glass to the inner pane. Looks like new.

[woodylmiller]

I just got mine replaced with an original window.  It was the big fixed dual pane.  Mine was fogged to the point I couldn't see through it any longer.  Was told a replacement was not available.  Had a glass shop make a tempered single pane to replace.  The original window had bee so tight a fit the glass company could not get it our without breaking it.  The single pane they made was too small and began to fall out on us while we were on the road.  We were in Alabama at the time, called the insurance company to get it fixed but would wait until we got back home to Washington since if they broke the new window we would be stuck while a new one was made.  I silicone in the window as best as we could to keep it from falling out.

Got back home and went to work with a local glass company to get a new window.  Again, no replacement.  Finally the glass company tracked down an original window on the east coast.  And then we waited while the insurance company stalled us waiting for us to die I guess.  After about two years I had enough of the delays.  The first single pane replacement had cost about $1,000.  The original was $4,000 installed.  No wonder the insurance company was hoping we'd go away.

Anyway, the new window is in and it's perfect.  I did not get the name of the place where they found the window, only it was on the east coast.

We have learned it takes some time, but most things can be fixed or replaced.  We were told by many shops for many months that our roadside chassis multiplex could not be fixed.  Well, it took some months, but the multiplex is working just fine now.  When someone tells me now that something on the coach can't be replaced or fixed, I keep looking.

We had a $250 deductible on our glass, thank God for that.  I did find a shop near Coburg, OR that said they could make a new window for us, but after making it we would be stuck with if it even if it didn't fit.  I didn't go any further with that shop since I didn't feel they knew much about the window.  Either you have a pattern for that window, or you don't.  But I wasn't going to pay for the window, plus shipping if it wasn't correct and the insurance company wasn't going down that road as well.  Worked out in the end, two years later.

Woody Miller

09 Dynasty Regal IV