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Whether you own a traditional house or a home on wheels, there are repairs that come along with it. In the RV world, the Class A motorhome is well known for its grand view of the road and also for its high windshield replacement cost. Unlike Class B RVs or Class C RVs, the windshield in a Class A is likely one to two large pieces of glass. When we made the decision to go with a Class A motorhome, we knew a windshield replacement was one of the items we had to set aside money for. This is our experience with our RV windshield repair and replacement.
RV Windshield Repair and Replacement
Table of Contents
Repair the Damage Immediately
The first rock chip hurt, a lot. I cringed when we heard it hit the windshield and immediately called Progressive to have it repaired. Safelite AutoGlass came out the next morning to repaire the damage for $65. The full cost was covered by our Progressive full time RV policy.
Not All Repairs Work
Seven months later, the first repaired chip spidered out into a giant crack across the middle of the windshield. Nearly 10,000 miles and six rock chips later, it was time for a brand new windshield for the RV.
Install New Windshield at the Factory
We called Newmar for a recommendation on where to have the RV windshield replaced. Newmar customer service told us the one item they recommend having done at the factory is a RV windshield replacements. Installed incorrectly, the window could leak, get stress fractures or pop out. Newmar will cover all work performed by their technicians for one year from the date of installation.
New Windshields Need to Cure
Newmar kept our RV overnight to allow time for the windshield to cure and seal properly. It meant we had to find a dog friendly motel for the night. Our Progressive policy has emergency coverage that will pay up to $750 per incident. The claims representative in the glass department confirmed that the motel qualified under the emergency coverage. We pay up front and submit the receipt for reimbursement.
RV Windshields are Expensive
The one piece RV windshield was $1,450, that’s before labor, additional parts and tax. The final cost of the windshield replacement came out to $2,533. We met a Ventana owner that had their windshield replaced at the factory, their cost was around $2,900. Below is a portion of our invoice (tax not listed).
RV Windshield Insurance Coverage
The Progressive RV policy paid for a good portion of the cost. We had to pay a $500 deductible and cover the additional labor cost. Progressive shopped around for the cost of RV windshield replacement near the Newmar factory. Since another company quoted a cheaper labor rate, Progressive would only cover up to that cost. We had to pay for the additional labor cost of $326 by going through Newmar. The difference in labor cost was $326, so we ended up paying $826 total for the windshield repair.
NOTE: If you’re a Florida resident and have a Florida insurance policy, you don’t have to pay a deductible for windshield replacements. Read Technomadia’s post about their RV windshield experience for their vintage bus.
Luck of the Draw
Not sure there’s much we could have done to avoid all the rock chips and the crack. It came down to bad luck. There are products on the market that are made to strengthen the windshield. We have friends that have been on the road for years without any issues with their windshield.
Have you had to replace your RV windshield? Leave a comment below.
More About RV Life
If you’re interested in full time RV life, here are a few posts we wrote to get you started.
Pros/Cons of Full Time RV Life
@Steven – Wow! That’s great! How much do you pay for that kind of insurance?
Class A 02 Windsor replaces a few years ago, looks as if windshield has moved 1/2” in curb side bottom corner.no damage just movement
I think it’s great that Kait and Joe have become a resource for information to the RV lifestyle. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. And making it sound like your having fun doing it. Remember to smile as you go.
I wouldn’t trust Safelite with a stick. Plus they will not do RV replacements for a reason. Warranty. Use a local reputable company next time instead of a global company that’s not even American owned. (BELRON company). I own a local auto glass company and the major warranty issues I see are always done by Safelite. Point blank.
My older windshield has cracked and my insurance (Progressive) is declining to cover it stating the gasket was bad and therefore the glass cracking was due to the seals not being maintained. I’ve never heard of any windshield claim being denied for this reason. I’ve had two shops here in Oregon tell me that’s not possible. Any suggestions?
Progressive is declining my windshield claim also. It shifted due to hard hit and run impact to corner of front bumper in Walmart parking lot. They said since there is no appearance of point of impact they won’t cover it. Perhaps that’s why they’ve earned the nickname “fake insurance “. Maybe CNN uses them.
That is not true, been in glass business for 30 years
Beleive it or not we’ve had to repait our 2000 Gulfstream Tourmaster windshield 2 times in the 1st year, as it popped out twice, once during the winter in Ohio & once in the winter in Florida.
The 1st repair in ohio was completed by a Glass Repair Facility for less than $400. Of course the owner purchased the new Gasket & Locking Strip for inside & outside the Coach from the Manufacture of the Gasket & Locking Strip.
The second time the Windshield popped out it was reinstalled by the owner & a friend while in Florida. Seems as though the front passenger side Big Foot Hydraulic Leveling Jack receded on its own during the night & caused the winshield to pop out.
Two days later it was back in at no cost, just a lot of time getting the Gasket back in & the Locking Strip reinstalled.
Hi, Do you have name and address for the facility that replaced your windshield in Ohio?
You ( Russo’s)mentioned a windshield protection products. What are they? I’ve never heard of them before.
Hey Steven. The product is Diamon-Fusion. Make sure you take a look at their policy on reporting damage and submitting claims.
I have a foggy window on the driver side of my Newmar Canyon Star, 2012. I live in the Northeast and am unsure as to where to start looking for it to be repaired. I see that it can be done, but would have to drive to Arizona, Oregon, or Florida. Isn’t there anyone in the Northeast that specializes in this?
I have a question, is a new window gasket included in the repair of the window?
Yes, it was when we had ours replaced.
Do you reseal Class A windshields and windows
Most rv windshield replacements take 1-2 hours. Most technicians will only make $25- $ 45 for their work. That includes lifting a windshield into place that typically weighs as much as 200 # or better. Some approach 300#. The shop owner will pocket all the profit while his techs limp off to finish their day, another 4-5 installations. How about opening that wallet and taking care of the guys who risked permanent injury replacing the glass in your vehicle!
While waiting on our insurance company to respond, I stumbled across this post searching on RV windshield replacement. We got a rock and now have a crack snaking it’s way across the windshield. We have ‘real’ RV coverage through Nationwide, meaning it includes awnings, vacation interruption, personal items inside the rig, etc. After reading your post I was already preparing myself for the $500 deductible… But when I got a call back from the insurance company, was delighted to find I have $0 deductible on glass, even though the state in which I”m insured has no requirements around glass coverage. Now I’m waiting on a call from a local rep to find out how long it will take to get the windshield, and get us fixed up. The rig is insured in NC, but we are currently in Texas.
Require a Vogue two part windscreen and seal rubber 1988 38 foot pusher
We need to have our windshield replaced, thanks for the information.
You’re welcome Kristi. Good luck with the replacement.
This reminds us all to check our own coverages. Our old Fleetwood Flair is protected by a “regular auto” policy with State Farm, and has zero deductible glass, but this makes me wonder what they would do if we actually lost our (fortunately two piece) windshield. I picked up a stone chip on our trip to Florida, and after reading this, I’ll have that fixed this week. Our policy doesn’t cover personal property contents, so we have to maintain separate coverage as a “renter’s policy”, which protects everything else in the rig, plus all that stuff we have in a storage locker that needs to go. Nothing in there that is worth the $65 storage fee, plus the $30 “renter’s policy” premium. Anybody need a free sofa? :>
you might want to check your home owners policy,my rv was vandalized and everything was taken and my home owners policy covered personal items taken.
so sorry this happened! Hopefully never again.