Shattered window

[Tin Can]

Greetings all, we decided to try winter camping up in the Adirondacks of New York. When we arrived we noticed that one of the porthole windows on the streetside had shattered. It must have been done by some sort of stress on the window. The dealer says he has seen it happen before but I am wondering if any of you have run into this before and is this something that I can look forward to again? Thanks for any input.
Take care,
Tin Can

[Stefrobrts]

Wow, I thought this would be another thread about our old Corning windows breaking. I'm shocked to see a broken window on an 05! Glad it didn't open up all the way and really cause you trouble. Will that be fixed under warrenty?

[Tin Can]

Hello Stephanie, when I called the dealer he said that it would be covered under warranty. But for me the big thing is it not happening again. You're right, if it had opened up completely it would have ruined our trip and really made heating a problem . As you can see there is plenty of cold weather around.
Tin Can

[Jim Jarzabek]

If the dealer has seen this happen before is Airstream offering any supplemental window warranty to address this problem? If this is occurring prematurely, what assurance do you have that you won't be footing the bill when the next one breaks (should that happen)?

[TomW]

Travel trailers are, for the most part, good for three seasons out of the year. Depending on your particular climate, you may be able to camp four seasons a year, but towing is a different matter.

Airstreams flex as they go down the road. Three seasons of the year, this is not an issue. But in cold weather, materials are not as resilient as they could be. Window gaskets pop immediately to mind. Rubber gets hard as the temperature goes down.

Airstream's literature does NOT say "Don't tow in cold weather", and as a consequence, I think they will continue to replace any broken glass while the unit is under warranty. After that, Tin Can is on his/her own.

Like Stephanie, I thought I was about to read a thread dealing with Airstreams closer in age to mine. But what happened to Tin Can could happen to anyone.

But karma & kudos to Tin Can for going out in the snow ; Even though I have a 4WD Silverado, I'm not sure I would do that for fun.

Tom

[BIGED52]

Tin Can, It might also have been caused by something thrown up off the road surface by another vehicle! But, of coarse, we can't be sure that it wasn't poor installation from the factory or a flaw in the glass from the manufacturer. Great that the dealer will cover it under warranty though. Sorry it happened to you but good to hear it didn't affect your trip too much. Let us know how you fair with the repair. Ed

[TomW]

Originally Posted by BIGED52

... It might also have been caused by something thrown up off the road surface ...

Doubt it - No point of impact visible in the pic. No credentials, but it looks like a uniform twist crack to me.

Tom

[Tin Can]

Greetings all, well Diane and I just pulled in to home after dropping our AS off at the dealer. After inspecting the window in question he said that it was probably just poor quality glass or faulty installation from the factory. I don't think it broke from something picked up on the road as there is no point of impact visible.Additionally, the day of travel to the campsite it was 50 degrees out so I am not sure that cold weather was a cause also. Time will tell. Overall we had a great time. The wildlife and scenery were great and spending time alone with the wife made this trip more than worthwhile.
Take care,
Tin Can

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Tin Can

The dealer says he has seen it happen before but I am wondering if any of you have run into this before and is this something that I can look forward to again? Thanks for any input.
Take care,
Tin Can

Interesting. A new International at the local RV show shattered on Thursday night. It wasn't hit and the trailer had been transported and placed in the convention center on Tuesday. The dealer also noted that they had seen this happen before. This was the first time I have seen or heard of this.

Jack

[overlander63]

Interesting. Is that an undulation in the window frame on the top edge, about 1/2 to 2/3 or the way back away from the camera? If so, that may be the stress point that caused the break.

[Tin Can]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Interesting. A new International at the local RV show shattered on Thursday night. It wasn't hit and the trailer had been transported and placed in the convention center on Tuesday. The dealer also noted that they had seen this happen before. This was the first time I have seen or heard of this.

Jack

Which window was it Jack? I have a theory. I was thinking about how the 31' Classic is put together. I notice that the front top half on the streetside is all windows. Structurallly this would be the weakest point and the area with the most flex of the body. I would say that there may be a possibility that may have caused the window to break. It was in this area. Not sure, just theory. I hope I am wrong.
Tin Can

[Tin Can]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Interesting. Is that an undulation in the window frame on the top edge, about 1/2 to 2/3 or the way back away from the camera? If so, that may be the stress point that caused the break.

Overlander63, I think that may be just be my poor photographic abilities. The frame looks uniform all the way around.

[Foiled Again]

From the view I can see it looks like a safety glass that breaks into small uniform pieces. I've seen this happen without showing any impact spot. It can be temperature, a blow from a blunt or sharp address or vibration.

Tin Lizzie

[Tin Can]

Originally Posted by PaulaFord

From the view I can see it looks like a safety glass that breaks into small uniform pieces. I've seen this happen without showing any impact spot. It can be temperature, a blow from a blunt or sharp address or vibration.

Tin Lizzie

Correct you are Tin Lizzie. I guess the next question would be what exactly caused it and will it happen again.

Tin Can

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Tin Can

Which window was it Jack? I have a theory. I was thinking about how the 31' Classic is put together. I notice that the front top half on the streetside is all windows. Tin Can

This was on an International on the curb side past midpoint of the trailer towards the rear.

Jack

[Tin Can]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

This was on an International on the curb side past midpoint of the trailer towards the rear.

Jack

Thanks Jack.

Tin Can

[Tin Can]

Greeting all, I wanted to let everyone know that the porthole window was repaired by the dealer who sold us our trailer. Originally the factory did not want to cover the window under warranty. I am not exactly sure of what took place next but finally the dealer got permission to replace it without cost to us. The end result is a new window that was installed very well and it looks like original condition. They entire process took 3 weeks. I am glad it wasn't in the prime camping season. Thanks for all the help everyone has given us on the forum. It made this easier and helped us work through it. I hope I can return the favour soon.

Tin Can