weldted Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Hi all, anyone been unfortunate to have had an A class windscreen go and how long to source a new one. Ours has just suffered a small chip which by the time I could stop safely has now become a crack around 125 mm long rising vertically from the bottom of the windscreen. I am covered by my insurance and Auto windscreens have passed the job on to Autoglaze who apparently specialise in this type of glass? It’s a 2019 Burstner IEXO 736. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I met a couple who had been waiting 3 weeks on one site and still hadn't a date for replacement. When I had the same I ordered it an then waited until just before MOT to get it replaced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul F Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I wouldn't hold your breath! I have a scratched A class windscreen that my Hymer dealer finally agreed to replace under warranty. From the date of order to delivery at the dealer took nine weeks. I am not sure if this was down to the nature of the issue, or if this is just how long windscreens take. I will be very interested to see how long you have to wait - please do post an update. Burstner are part of the Hymer group I think, so the screen will probably be coming from the same place. Details of my windscreen saga are at the link below if you are interested. https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Hymer-Warranty-not-happy-/59283/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 In addition to the precarious safety of a vehicle with a plastic front, this is one of the reasons I have never bought an A Class. The brand is irrelevant, I know people who continued to buy Hymer after a Hymer A Class. But not A Class. Smile, Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 That is the most Stupid reply i ever read on A class motorhome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 If you're referring to me, sometimes stupid equates to wise. A windshield of a Ducato, Sprinter, Boxer, Transit, etc. can be found at Autoglass, Carglass, Doctorglass, etc. That of an A Class almost certainly not. If you're lucky, maybe wait a couple of months. If from a brand with large sales volumes. Try looking for one from a brand that sells a maximum of one hundred units a year and your A Class is already a few years old. Goos luck. Then it depends on the coverage of your glass insurance, those of an A Class can go up to 4,000 bucks. Does yours fully cover the replacement ? Not to mention safety, I'm fine in my car-like cabin, I wouldn't be so safe on the driver's seat of one with a fiberglass or (even worse) ABS front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plwsm2000 Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 I guess it depends on the manufacturer and it may not be as bad as some people have said. I had a replacement windscreen for my Frankia fitted in just over 1 week. Cost was 1850 euros for the windscreen, about 600 euros for fitting and 350 euros for shipping from Germany. At the time, Autoglass did not fit ANY Motorhome windscreens in France so I had to sort it out myself and reclaim the money from Comfort. This was refunded within a couple of days. To preserve your water ingress warrantee, you MUST get an original OEM windscreen rather than a generic one. This was after someone throw a brick at my windscreen at 1am while on an aire in France a couple of years ago :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 A Wind Screen front is at strong in ever type of RV. And their Wipers. Laminated Glass. All the rest is wishfully thinking about it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 The attached photo is of a Fiat Ducato 'back-to-back' unit. One half is a cab and the other is a cowl, with each being destined to have an AL-KO chassis grafted on to its rear. Regarding 'safety' (and as Max has said) it's pretty obvious that the sturdy metal bodywork of the cab version's front and sides - that will have gone through crash testing - should provide better protection for people in the event of a heavy accident than the lightweight 'caravan type' plastic bodywork that's the norm for the front part of A-class motorhomes. This USA webpage also refers https://blog.classicvans.com/features-amenities/rv-motorhome-crash-safety.html (I remember (years ago) talking to a French couple that owned a Ford Transit-based Pilote First 56 that I fancied at the time. A-class motorhomes were mentioned and the wife said "My husband would like one, but I've told him he can't have one and I've got the money!" I asked why she was so anti-A-class models and she replied "They usually only have a driver's door, so I wouldn't be able to jump out if he was about to drive over a cliff." So that's another safety issue that perhaps needs considering...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Derek Uzzell - 2022-03-01 6:40 PM I asked why she was so anti-A-class models and she replied "They usually only have a driver's door, so I wouldn't be able to jump out if he was about to drive over a cliff." So that's another safety issue that perhaps needs considering...) I think all the RHD A class We've looked at only have a passenger door, maybe she would have been happy with one of them. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Some A-Class models have 2 doors at the front, either as standard or as an option, and a small number have no doors. I doubt that deliberately choosing a RHD model just to get a cab door on the 'wrong' side would have been attractive to a French buyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OxfordMorgan Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Just had my Itineo (Rapido) A class screen replaced; took them 4 days to get it :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 Re the crash safety, on our A Class (2019 Burstner) the front chassis and top cross member that in a C Class are exactly the same, On a light collision the C class wings will fold in and the bonnet does not have much lateral strength. On an A class the glass re enforced plastic will crumple and absorb the force of the collision. The inner bulkhead is the same with both van so not a lot of difference. As to the availability of my A class windscreen ordered yesterday being fitted next Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Some motorhome crash-testing YouTube videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 DO no Agree Derek. But very Nice post. IT has never been proven that a front screen is more vulnerable to cracks. Related to your pictures. Just talking to the topic.. That is same for a van or whatever the stone or impact goes. Has nothing to do whit front structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 Attached below are images of the fronts of an A-class motorhome and a 'profile' motorhome. The windscreen area of the A-class motorhome is clearly much larger than that of the profile vehicle. Also the angle of the A-class motorhome's windscreen is much more upright. Put those two factors together and it should be obvious that the A-class motorhome's windscreen must be more vulnerable to stone-damage than the windscreen of a profile motorhome. I also suggest that, if one took similar weight/similar age (say) Rapido Fiat-based A-class and profile motorhomes and crash-tested both, the profile model (where the steel panelled cab would have been crash-tested by Fiat during vehicle homologation) should be expected to prove superior safety-wise than the A-class that has a 'plastic' cab and won't have been crash-tested by Rapido. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Had front screen replaced on my ford transit and transporter. Never on my A Class.. That is all wishfully thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 That proves nothing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Between 2013 and 2017 (5 years inc.) we owned a Hymer Exis-i (A Class) motorhome. During that time the windscreen had to be replaced three times. Between 2005 and 2013 we had two coachbuilt motorhomes, one Fiat Ducato based from 2005 - 2007: the other Ford Transit based . The Tranny had to have one replacement screen. 2017 to present is a Fiat Ducato based PVC (which has hardly been anywhere for the past two years - but still has its original windscreen!). In all cases save one the screens were hit by stones "fired" from the tyres of vehicles in front of us. The exception was an object, possibly a largish nut (as in bolt), bounced out of a truck travelling in the opposite direction. Doesn't conclusively prove anything, but my perception, based on the above experiences, is that Derek's conclusion as to the greater vulnerability of the more vertical, forward mounted, windscreens of A Class vans, is correct. Mostly, I think, due to the verticality of the average A Class screen. Any object hitting these screens is pretty much stopped dead in its flight by a large, near vertical, sheet of glass travelling at about 60MPH. OTOH, objects hitting the significantly more steeply raked windscreens of PVCs and coachbuilts are more likely to bounce off, so imparting much less energy into the glass, and reducing the probability of serious damage. So, reparable minor chipping in lieu of a replacement screen. The insurance companies seem also to reflect this view, with less stress on limiting windscreen replacement pay-outs for coachbuilt/PVC motorhome policies (although the relatively much higher cost of A Class windscreens will also influence this). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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