Camp Lite Dometic Windows... Words of wisdom

[Capt J-rod]

Hi everyone, I brought home my new to me 2105 21RBS. I had my kitchen window open and wasn't paying too much attention. A gust of wind got it and blew it upward and the actuator separated. The window fell off and hit the concrete. Sadly it cracked. After a slew of four letter words I started to find out how to replace it. Camp Lite is no longer using the dometic S5 windows. The dealer sent me to camp lite customer service, Camp Lite sent me to Dometic, Dometic took 45 minutes and three people to find the parts list in their huge product line up. Our windows are actually made by Seitz in Europe. They are very hard to get parts for. So now after four calls and a ton of sitting on hold, I had a person who knew what it was and could get the part... But..... They don't sell to the public. Back to the dealer and the dealer is going to have to call in the part number to the same person I was speaking to. UGHHHH!!! The dealer insisted on keeping the bad window until he got the new one on order. I have yet to even get pricing on the parts or a lead time. I now have a piece of plywood covering a hole for what used to be a window. Something tells me that this is going to be a $200+ part.
The saddest part is that I did not mention the word warranty or the age of the camper and every person that I spoke to started the conversation that "this is not covered under warranty". It was pretty sad to see them start to build the wall right off the bat.
I write all of this to hopefully help others to remember to take very good care of your windows and make sure they are secure in the wind. I will update the thread once I get prices and lead times, if I get prices and lead times.
KZ trailers is now handling the customer service for our trailers. The staff is very nice, but not very knowledgable of our trailers. I do now have the parts breakdown and part numbers for our windows if anyone ever needs it. There is little to no info available on the web.

[pjcd]

Is there replacement windows that'll drop right in?

[lboyd]

I'm very interested in part numbers and phone numbers as there is a high certainty I'll be where you are some day.  I've read where someone forgot to lock their windows and got home with no window at all.  He couldn't find any information or replacement.  So I am definitely going to monitor your progress and wish you the best of luck!

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[charliem]

Point 1: I did the same dumb thing several years ago. I left the kitchen window open and it blew away on the highway. LL was still pre-Thor so I got a replacement for around $100 including shipping. With the old LL staff it was in the mail the next day. An expensive but relatively painless lesson. Those days are gone.

Point 2: On Feb 7, 2016 I predicted Thor would drop the Dometic windows as an "improvement".

http://archive.aluminiumcamperforum.com/index.php?topic=1614.msg18482#msg18482

A very obvious and easy prediction. Unfortunately I was right.     

[JazzyPigsGA]

My 2018 21rbs is still under warranty and I noticed a stress fracture start on one window....your news isn't inspiring


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[Capt J-rod]

I'm attempting to post the parts list. Please bear with me. As for the 2018 models, I don't know if they have the dometic window.I was told by KZ customer service that they are no longer using them. I was wondering why she couldn't go out on the production floor and sell me one of those and that was her reply. I really didn't think this was going to be a big deal until I started to dig in. I wasn't towing when mine blew off, it was stationary in the driveway. I could see how it would last three seconds when under way. I do not believe that there is a "drop-in" replacement for these as they are in millimeters and not inches. As far as cleaning goes I am using Plexus plastic polish which is what we use on aircraft windshields. Be VERY careful what you use on plastic acrylics. Alcohol and ammonia are BAD JUJU for plastics. Micro-fiber towels will keep scratches to a minimum. Soap and water first to remove dirt. I have detailed boats, planes, and cars for years. Needless to say the OCD kicks in. I just cleaned and sealed my aluminum roof and replaced any loose caulking. Thanks for the warm welcome guys... I'm glad I could contribute!

[Capt J-rod]

OK... The parts list did attach. In the corner of your windows there is a sticker with an "AGM" number. the kitchen window has 0500x0300 in the end of it which indicates the 500x300 window. All the goodies like handles, seals, actuators are all there!

[Capt J-rod]

My 2018 21rbs is still under warranty and I noticed a stress fracture start on one window....your news isn't inspiring


Get to the dealer immediately. Take pictures and document it with a date stamp. Email it to your dealership. As I stated, before I even said what year my trailer was the opening line from all three companies was "this isn't going to be covered under warranty". They will want to know what you have cleaned them with as well. Another post on another forum (non camp lite) had a guy doing battle because they said he cleaned them improperly. Good luck and get on it. if it is a dometic window then you might have a very expensive repair in the future.


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[Capt J-rod]

OK, Here's the update... Dometic has sold off our line of windows... Yet another merger . Duncan purchased the importing of Seitz windows and is now thankfully supporting our product. Lots of people were involved in this quest and it couldn't have happened without them. Dewey at Hadocy Airstream and RV in Columbus OH was awesome. He is a parts ninja. Taylor at Livin Lite was excellent as well. The guys at B and B RV in Milan OH, actually cracked the code and found the link between companies. It looks like this was a $250 oops on my part. The entire window assembly would have been $550. Attached is the link for Duncan glass. It is a two week lead time to get the new window. PLEASE make sure your windows are protected and latched. This was the smallest of all the windows above the kitchen sink. Had it been the big one in the slide I would have been screwed even deeper by myself.

http://www.duncansys.com

[lboyd]

Capt J-rod: Wow, this is really a find and so helpful!  I appreciate your dedication and focus on resolving the situation!

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[gbpack]

Nice job Capt J-rod. Even taking the best care of them that we can, none of us knows whether we'll ever need a replacement window sometime down the road. Thank you!

[ersatzknarf]

http://www.duncansys.com

This is a revelation.  Truly great news.

Thank you very much for finding this out ! ! !

[Paul]

Thank you for sharing this info!

[Capt J-rod]

I have an even better ending to the story. KZ/Livin Lite customer service made a new window happen. I was truly amazed at the fact that they supported my camper and took care of all this. Truly a top notch company. Duncan is still the contact for our replacements. Taylor in customer service and Dan Miller are definitely awesome at their jobs. I had fears after the merger, but the line is still alive and well.

[PaulJ]

It is good to see Thor is finally waking up!  But I still do not like my TPO (SWIMMING POOL) Roof on my 2016/2017 Trailer.  When my warrantee  is up; I will be getting with a local aluminum fabricator about doing an aluminum roof on my trailer.