Body Block Shield (Summit Products)

[GMandJM]

Have been considering getting this Body Block shield installed on our Phaeton.

Does anyone have this one or a similar product? If so, have you had any issues with it or noticed any additional heat buildup from running the generator while driving?

Body Block Shield

Would prefer a shield without the cutouts for the headlights, but the Summit rep said that isn't legal and it would cause glare when driving at night.

(Apologies to anyone who already read this question on TRVN. I don't usually post the same thing on both boards.)

As always, imparting your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

[GMandJM]

Thanks for clearing that up, Ray. You must be stronger than you think if 19 pounds feels like only 4 to you!

The more I think on it, the more sour I get on Summit. Not necessarily the shield itself, but dealing with the company. Kelly did say he remembered talking with Ray on the phone, by the way, but had no idea how the weight issue got miscommunicated.

Over the past year+ we have been in contact with Summit by phone and e-mail several times and we talked with Kelly in person at the Tampa Show. Each time, we told them what our coach is and they made no mention that there was an extra $500 fee for engineering or whatever.

They told us that since they hadn't done a 2014 Phaeton shield before, we would be required to come to Iowa and have it installed there and the cost would be $1995 for the shield and $600 for the install ($2595 total).

Even though we're halfway across the country, we were willing to do that. In fact, we were just hours away from leaving to go there and called them one last time to see if we could get a firm appointment day/date and ask what type of payment they accepted. After at least a half dozen prior contacts with the company, THIS is when we were first told about the extra $500 fee.

So it isn't so much the extra $500 (which is not insignificant, by any means). It's just that they didn't seem up front about it. There's no note of it on their web site either, as far as I can tell.

I suppose this is a "no harm/no foul" situation and if/when something runs into the front of my coach, I'll probably WISH I had paid that extra $500. 😉

It just would have been nice to have known about this before jHalf spent an entire day getting the coach ready to roll and spent $90 re-activating the JetPack. Sheesh.

Oh, well...at least the tanks are sanitized. Always a silver lining, eh?

Thanks again for your help - especially Ray and Bruce.

[Bruce_Brown]

RayChez wrote:

GMandJM wrote:
Well...

Talked with Kelly at Summit Products/RV Stainless again this morning and he said that, after looking at photos of the 2014 Phaeton with its big generator compartment, the only option would be a one-piece shield.

He also said that since they haven't done a 2014 Phaeton before there would be an additional $500 in engineering fees, which would bring the price closer to $3,000 (including installation).

This is the first time we've heard about the engineering fee after talking with Kelly in person, on the phone and also corresponding by e-mail with another rep at their office.



Sounds like we're paying for their learning curve.

That is almost double what they used to cost in 2003. And the extra $500.00 does not make any sense from a company that specializes on shields and many other products.

OH! So that Brown can stop his b****ing I went out and took off the center section of my shield and it weighted exactly 19 lbs. It never felt heavy to me, but for some it might be heavy. NO big deal.

Ray,
Thanks for clearing that up. Obviously if the smallest section of the 3 is 19 lbs the whole thing is a lot more than 4 lbs - and probably darn near 70 lbs total.

And I wasn't complaining, I was just trying to figure out why yours was so much lighter than what Summit said it was. Obviously it wasn't. :W

Bad information is worse than no information, and your original information wasn't accurate. Again, thanks for clearing this up.

[RayChez]

GMandJM wrote:
Well...

Talked with Kelly at Summit Products/RV Stainless again this morning and he said that, after looking at photos of the 2014 Phaeton with its big generator compartment, the only option would be a one-piece shield.

He also said that since they haven't done a 2014 Phaeton before there would be an additional $500 in engineering fees, which would bring the price closer to $3,000 (including installation).

This is the first time we've heard about the engineering fee after talking with Kelly in person, on the phone and also corresponding by e-mail with another rep at their office.



Sounds like we're paying for their learning curve.

That is almost double what they used to cost in 2003. And the extra $500.00 does not make any sense from a company that specializes on shields and many other products.

OH! So that Brown can stop his b****ing I went out and took off the center section of my shield and it weighted exactly 19 lbs. It never felt heavy to me, but for some it might be heavy. NO big deal.

[GMandJM]

Thanks for the reply, Bruce. I was wondering if that sounded odd.

Blue Ox is a good example.

Anyway, looks like our road trip to Iowa is off and I can unpack the RV.

[Bruce_Brown]

An additional $500 engineering fee??? Thats as crazy as saying it only weighs 4 lbs!

Funny...when Blue Ox and Roadmaster don't have a base plate for a new model car they do the engineering and installation on the first one for free.

Paying for their learning curve - I'll say.

[GMandJM]

Well...

Talked with Kelly at Summit Products/RV Stainless again this morning and he said that, after looking at photos of the 2014 Phaeton with its big generator compartment, the only option would be a one-piece shield.

He also said that since they haven't done a 2014 Phaeton before there would be an additional $500 in engineering fees, which would bring the price closer to $3,000 (including installation).

This is the first time we've heard about the engineering fee after talking with Kelly in person, on the phone and also corresponding by e-mail with another rep at their office.

Sounds like we're paying for their learning curve.

[GMandJM]

Thanks again for the photos, RayChez. That's exactly the product we're looking at. Yours turned out great and I hope ours turns out as well.

5 pounds though? I dunno...looks heavier.

Again, photos MUCH appreciated - especially since you've had such a busy schedule.

[RayChez]

GMandJM wrote:
Got it and replied. Thanks again!

You should get three. Let me know if you didn't get them.

The center piece is 37.5"W x 42"H

The end pieces are 33"W x 42 and goes up on the ends to 51" as you will see on the pic's.

[GMandJM]

That's about the right size, although a little thicker.

I didn't ask if the attaching hardware was factored into Kelly's 70# estimate. Can't imagine those would weigh alot, but who knows.

[Ozlander]

4' x 8' x .500 sheet of Polycarbonate Sheet UV & Abrasion Resistant weights 96 lbs.
70 lbs. seems to be reasonable.

[GMandJM]

Got it and replied. Thanks again!

[RayChez]

GMandJM. I just sent you a private message.

[prstlk]

We are presently in Homer Ak. I can assure that the al can highway is toad eater not a mh rocker. The worst road was the Denali highway 8 hrs for 138 miles. My 03 Ranger has 9 windshield chips, both driving lights are gone. Numerous chips on the hood. The MH is fine. Anytime we were on gravel (hundreds of miles) on coming traffic always slowed so we avoided the gravel shower.

[GMandJM]

Thanks for the update, RayChez.

I did talk with Kelly at Summit Products yesterday and he confirmed the 70# weight for the shield. It's .275" thick, which is sort of in the ball park of your shield - a little over a quarter inch.

Posting pictures of your shield would be greatly appreciated, if you get a chance. Kelly wasn't sure if a multi-piece configuration would work with our Phaeton.

You're probably right: What feels like 70 pounds to us mere mortals might feel like 5 pounds to you. Been working out with your former Governor, Arnold S, eh? 🙂