Lazydays offers window defogging service

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Gary RV_Wizard

Gary RV_Wizard

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Yesterday I learned from Bob Grady, Lazydays Service General Manager, that Lazydays now offers a dual pane window defogging service. They recently bought the equipment and trained the techs so they can repair fogged windows rather than replacing them. It is supposed to be less expensive that way. Price varies by size of window and the labor to remove and re-install it.
 
I have been negotiating with Lazy Days for several weeks over a fogged window. I have also discussed fogged windows with 3 other  so called glass "experts"; who all agree unless caught very early, taking them apart and attempting to clean is often more work than a simple replacement. *sigh*. Lazy Days wants $400-$600 and the window in question is an "eyebrow" over the passenger side windows. The lower price is for cleaning repair and the higher is replacing the glass.

Lazy Days quotes to me have been 2-3 times more than the others. I only have references from one which are excellent, Hudson, Fl area. I haven't been able to find anyone who has had Lazy Days do the work to ask.

For the record I purchased my current MH from Lazy Days and if I were to buy tomorrow I would return to them. It's just in this instance their pricing does not seem to be competitive.
 
LD's labor rates are high (as is much of south Florida, so they are competitive in their area), so going up the coast to Hudson may well get a lower overall price, especially on windows where there is a lot of labor involved.  I've got one at the corner of the windshield by the driver seat that requires disconnecting the dashboard to remove the window - 6 hours of labor to remove and replace, plus the glass work itself. A savings of $10-$20 per hour on the labor rate would make a big difference.

I know of one person who is getting 9 windows done at LD, but it's part of the purchase deal on a used coach, so so he doesn't know the cost. They are replacing the glass but not the window frames.

For a DIY kind of guy, buying a whole new window (frame and glass) and doing the work yourself is probably cheaper than paying someone else do do labor, even if it saves part/all of the original window.

Thanks for the excellent feedback. I'll try to find out more about the typical costs and procedures at LD.
 
I recognize LD is under a lot of pressure to be profitable. If the glass costs between $50-$100 and 2 hours of labor @ $120/hr that equates to $300 and change... not $600. But it's their decision.

I called Atwood Glass in Iowa and was told a DIY guy should be able to install it without a lot of difficulty. The new seals for the window and frame is very important. My problem is , I am a numbers dummy and not a DIY guy......

It's  a matter of being a sex symbol or a mechanic.... 8) 
 
I don't think you can remove the window, take the old glass out of the frame, put new, tempered, dual pane glass into the frame, and re-install the whole shebang in two hours.  You could, however, remove and replace a typical new window in that time. Unfortunately, a new window is more like $250-$300.

What does Suncoast Designers quote for this job?  From what I hear they do most standard rectangular windows for around $200-$300, but your "eyebrow window" may have some extra challenges.
 
Suncoast told me that it would not exceed $300 for new glass replacement. Atwood Glass in Iowa, has quoted me a price under $100 for new double pain tinted glass with sealant materials plus shipping costs...... I am considering going to Atwood next summer, we will be in their area, and have them install it for me.
 
I got the details from Bobby Barron, Glass Shop Manager at Lazydays. Here it is, in Bobby's own words:


Mr.Brinck,

          This is Billy in the glass shop. I read you E-mail and wanted to let you know how our fogged window process works.We take the window out of the unit, take the frame apart, separate the panes of glass, clean the fog off the glass, reseal the glass, put the new resealed double pane window back in the frame and put the framed window back in your coach. The cost of doing this ranges from $300.00 to $400.00 dollars, this repair we can do in about 3 to 4 hours per window. If you have a pane of glass that we can't get clean then we will need to make a template and send it off to have a new pane made, this pane needs to be DOT certified. If we need to do this then it will take about 7 to 10 days till we get the pane back. At lazy days we try to make everything as accomadaing as possible for our customers, with that said, if you have something to do wile you are in Florida (like go to your destination at Disney World or to the Keys etc). then we will put your original window back in your coach, reseal the out side and when you are coming back threw we will take your window back out and finish the job, we will do all of this for the same $300.00 to $400.00 dollars plus the panes of glass we had made for you. The panes of glass are $120.00 each remember that  piece of glass be must be DOT certified to keep in compliance with the DOT regulations. If you have any questions please feel free to call me at (1-800-282-7800 Ext. 4450)

Thank you for your time.

Billy Barron
Glass Shop Manager.
Click to expand...
 
RV Roamer said:
I got the details from Bobby Barron, Glass Shop Manager at Lazydays. Here it is, in Bobby's own words:
Click to expand...




I don't see anything in that letter that mentions vacuuming the air out of the assembly and replacing it with argon gas. Without doing this I doubt if the window unit will be heat/cold resistant.


Woody
 
If I read what LD is saying they will replace the glass for approximately $620. Which is about what they quoted me for a replacement "eyebrow" glass over the passenger side windows. A much bigger side window would then be a lot more. As I said before, Atwood is quoting under $100 for a double pane, tinted with sealants shipped to me. I know LD needs to be profitable but this $600 quote, includes $300-$400 in labor charges and $220 for 2 panes of glass.

Suncoast will replace the eyebrow for under $300. Of course Suncoasts  does not have anywhere near the overhead LD has.

Might be interesting to see what LD position would be if I supplied my own glass from Atwood? I assume they would want $300-$400.

I have no idea at what stage in time, once the window fogs, that it is still possible to clean the original glass. But from my novice perspective, I would think it would be just as cost effective to simply replace the glass;  factoring $100 plus an hour for cleaning vs new glass installation costs. It must take an hour or two to properly clean two panes of glass no matter their size..

I am not sure why LD has new glass made off site; when I would think they could find a distributor , such as Atwood, that readily makes windows for RV's.
 
Woody said:
I don't see anything in that letter that mentions vacuuming the air out of the assembly and replacing it with argon gas. Without doing this I doubt if the window unit will be heat/cold resistant.
Woody
Click to expand...

A customer should ask but I can't imagine they would try to do it without dry inert gas fill.  They would have warranty work before you got out of the drive.  In my house windows the glazer told me that the dividing frame contains a desiccant that absorbs moisture and when it has absorbed all it can hold the window begins to fail (fog). Remember the heavy glass bell jar in chemistry class?  Those are designed to hold a vacuum. (14.7 psi or 2,100 lbs per square foot) Two thin flat plates aren't.  I don't think the type of gas is significant is R value, about R 3.8 for double glazing vs R 2.0 for single.

I'm not familiar with the size of windows you are discussing.  I'm starting to wonder if going back with double glazing is economically feasible at all.  I wouldn't be suprised if spending hundreds of dollars wouldn't save you a dollar or two in heating and air conditioning per year over simply removing the inside layer and cleaning the outside glazing.
 
I don't see anything in that letter that mentions vacuuming the air out of the assembly and replacing it with argon gas. Without doing this I doubt if the window unit will be heat/cold resistant.
Click to expand...

The use of argon or other noble gas has only a modest effect on the thermal transfer characteristics, Woody. It's true that argon is less dense and conducts less heat, but the main effect comes from the dead air space.  A dual pane window filled with argon or krypton gas is only about 6% more efficient than one filled with plain old air. Unfortunately, a "dead air" space of about 0.5" is needed to reduce the thermal transfer coefficient by 50% and few RV windows have anywhere near that much space between the panes. But the walls in the RV don't have a real high R-value either, so the window rating may not be all that important.

There is good and easily understandable info on dual pane glass at these sites:

http://www.weathermaster-window.com/glass.html

http://www.engext.ksu.edu/henergy/envelope/windoors.asp
 
It must take an hour or two to properly clean two panes of glass no matter their size..
Click to expand...

I doubt it. If the glass is not stained/etched, it will clean up in a couple minutes with vinegar and water or Windex. Re-mounting the two panes of glass in the frame is the same effort whether the glass is new or used.

Might be interesting to see what LD position would be if I supplied my own glass from Atwood? I assume they would want $300-$400.
Click to expand...

Since the labor is the same regardless of who supplies the glass, I would assume so too.

I am not sure why LD has new glass made off site; when I would think they could find a distributor , such as Atwood, that readily makes windows for RV's.
Click to expand...

They may have thought it was quicker to get them locally, but it seems to take several days anyway.  I'll mention Atwood to them as a possible source. Can you give me more specific information on Atwood, i.e. a phone or email? I didn't come up with a specific place when I Google Atwood Glass Iowa.

Sounds to me like Suncoast is your best deal if you can get glass and installation for $300.
 
They would have warranty work before you got out of the drive.
Click to expand...
Where in LD reply did you see they even give a warranty or how long it is if they have one?
 
Roamer,
It is under Atwood widows. Winnebago did, at least, use Atwood windows in all their products. My 2007 Adventurer has Atwood, thus my familiarity with them. LD knows of Atwood. I suspect they have found a similarly priced window locally; then they can mark it up as they feel necessary. But when I called Atwwod I gave them the rough dimensions of my window and the make and model of the RV , they then knew the exact size I was referring to. I remember the contact at Atwood is  Sue, but for the life of me I can't lay my hands on the phone number....Still searching!!
 
Sue at Atwood = 574-266-4829
Just checked again... 574-262-2655 is the better number.
800-546-8759 will also get you there.
 
Roamer,

There's her number 574-262 2655 and I apologize, they are in Elkhart, Indiana not Iowa. Whats a few hundred miles out of the way????
 
Biker56 said:
Where in LD reply did you see they even give a warranty or how long it is if they have one?
Click to expand...

You're right I didn't see anything there about a warranty but I would see a real long good one before I opened my wallet. :p
 
Peninsula Glass co
6005 NE 121st st
VANCOUVER  , WA 98682
800-468-4323

I had 3 windows done by these folks. I toured the shop and saw the dry room (door was of thick plastic strips) They had it under positive pressure and very dry ordinary air. The secret ingredient was a square cross section tube filled with desiccants for water and for oil and covered by a rubber membrane where it contacted the glass.
 
There's her number 574-262 2655 and I apologize, they are in Elkhart, Indiana not Iowa. Whats a few hundred miles out of the way?
Click to expand...

OK, Elkhart is the glass division of Atwood Mobile, the RV components people.  There IS an Atwood Glass in Iowa, but they are a designer of custom residential windows and that through me off.

If Atwood can supply entire windows for $100 or so and in the same 7-10 day time frame as their local supplier, I think LD would happily jump on it. They aren't a discount parts source, but I've never seen evidence of gouging either. Once in awhile they need a reminder about the competition, though.
 
For anyone wanting to contact Atwood Windows to inquire about RV window pricing or ultimately place an order, here is a clarification of the phone numbers listed earlier.

547-262-2655  will get you to Atwood Receptionist/Switch Board.
547-266-4829  will get you directly to Sue for order entry and processing.

Sue is very knowledgeable on the subject and can help identify exactly what you need.
 
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