Lance 830 Window replacement
Anyone have any experience finding a replacement? My bro forgot to latch his and it blew off on the freeway. He called Lance and they told him the company no longer makes that size and he is basically SOL.
Forum Discussion
- Hi,
so here is the update as I received both MG16RW and MG17RW this week.
So good news, there is a wndow that works (the square one, the MG16RW)
Here how it went:
- I started by removing (slidng out) the original Dometic C5 window by removing the sceen/blind plastic assembly inside the Lance, unscrewing the 2 window supports on each side and unscrewing the lttle plastic rail bumper on the outside rail and slide the window out. I then removed the window gasket which is really only held in place by Dicor (and by the 4 "locks")
- I first tried the 900x500 MG17RW (this is the one with the round side) and it was obvious that it will not fill the entire openng. It is one think to have to shim inside, but this would require to create a new frame inside and outside (fiberglass and all) ... Maybe a 900x520 MG17RW would work, but I cannot find one (some sites on aliexpress claim they can do custom ...).
- I then tried the 900x500 MG16RW and it just covering the opening (like maybe 1/8" top and 1/8" bottom. The window frame is just being supported on the 4 corners, so time to shim. I had some lefttover marine plywood 1/2" thick. I cut 2x 33" x 1"1/4 to shim the top and bottom (the wall foam core is 1"1/4 thick). At the bottom, there are those metal support/plate that I used to screw (selftapping) the bottom shim (I also used wood glue). The top shim is only screwed/held into place by screwing in the foam core (and wood glue).
- Then the install is pretty straightforward. I applied Dicor all around the external frame (3/4" width works). Pushed the window in the hole, secured with painters tape and move inside. I used the provided hardware for the 6x side supports. for the 8x top and bottom, I made my own angles (a little longer) so the window is thighten to the wall (and not to the shim)
- I am not sure about the torque to put on the screw/hardware, but I stopped when I had a nice compression of the Dicor sealing uniform outside.
- I added some expandable foam in the gaps all around, but I do not think it will realy make a difference or that it is needed.
- Again, a 900x520 could have been better, but I would have been forced to "square" the opening corners as with the 900x500 it fits.
- Painting will be required inside as the screen/blind assy is also smaller that the previous.
I still need to replace the passenger side, and maybe I will replace all 4 so it looks nicer (the window is not that expensive)
I hope this post will help. I am heading to Mammott next week end. I will post if I have problems with the window.
- This is the 900x500 MG16RW that I found on Amazon (there are plenty of vendors on Ebay too)
-Here are the photos of the install
CheersHopefully I’m posting correctly. I’m a little confused by the formatting, computers are not my area of expertise. Between traveling in the camper for a couple months and getting Covid .I have been delayed in getting back to this thread. Tcliche, great rundown on the install. So the question is how is it working out with the MG16RW? I now have 11000 miles on my gorilla tape (and only one slight addition to the tape). I’m ready to order but would like to hear any other thoughts you may have. Thanks, Chris
Hi Chris
two months now and about 10 days/nights in the camper in the Sierras with snow/rain.
The windows are doing good ( I actually changed the passenger bedroom one too).
The best advise is take your time to make the mod, I would say the most important is to make sure that your Dicor (I used 3/4 Dicor tape/roll) is uniform around so when you torque it is really sealing the window.
I would have liked an original window, but this is not an option anymore so I think this is the next best thing.
(shipping is not obvious, the second window came destroyed by UPS, I took pictures before opening and requested feedback from the seller before moving forward). The unit was not salvageable, the seller send me a new one that came with no damage)best of luck.
ThomasThomas, thanks for the update. I ordered the second window yesterday and finished the first install today. I believe it’s going to work well and it’s certainly the best replacement I’ve seen. I have several comments that might help others. I ordered the mg16rw from the same group on Amazon as you did. It took about a week and came undamaged but without instructions. It is fairly intuitive but I had to dry fit it to figure out how the clamps worked. The supplied clamps do not work on the top and bottom. I was then able to go to a sheet metal shop to have them bend a piece after which I drilled and cut to width. I made the long side about 1/2” longer. These were only for the top and bottom. Interestingly enough the window fit in perfectly but……the upper right and lower left were right on the edge so I had to slightly modify the opening to balance. It took all of about 5 minutes with a hack saw. I would strongly suggest dry fitting at least a couple of times. Like you I used shims at the top and bottom but I used 3m 4000 with some stainless sheet metal screws to attach to the foam. At the bottom I fastened to the metal L-brackets. I also used Dicor butyl tape to seal. As you commented the torque is a little uncertain so I tightened by hand several times around then used a wrench to tighten a little more.
Good stuff. I am glad that you found the solution that works fo you too. We are now at about 20 days/night with the new windows in the Sierras with no issues. I realized in my previous post that I said Dicor on the window frame, but I used the butyl tape (ie not the tube sealant) As for the top/bottom brackets, I used/made some from 2”x2”x0.5” corner brackets from HD/Lowes that I cut and drilled to the correct dimensions as I did not think about a custom sheet metal option.
Happy camping.
I just had my window blow off on my 2008 Lance 830. The amazon links say that the window is not in stock any more.
I found this on Alibaba and wanted to make sure that this is the right one before I pull the trigger.
Hi, I used the MG16RW 900x500 in my repairs (passenger and driver side, even if only the driver side was broken).
I got the window installed. It took about 3.5 hours but was very easy with following the instructions from this thread. I made my own brackets by using aluminum from Lowes that I bent at a 90 with my vice and a rubber mallet. I can't figure out how to upload pics on here or else I would.
- try this place
http://www.parkin-acc.com - Perhaps give Five Star RV a call, they are located in Henderson (just north of Denver)... they have an RV salvage yard and might have one.
- I lost my emergency exit on my 5th wheel. While maybe a standard size, everybody I inquired with wanted the info off the sticker on the frame found only when you remove the window completely. Once I could give that, I waited 4 weeks or so for a window to be built. There are options but have all the info at hand. I experienced zero patience when I tried giving the year and model number. It should be available-
- There is an outfit in Shipshewanna, Indiana that has all sorts of RV parts as well, cannot think of the name but they are on Route 20 almost across from the Essen Haus beanery.
- I have 2 replacement windows from a 2008 okanagan 106UDB. If you are interested I can measure them. I am not sure
which window they were from. I am located in Massachusetts so shipping could be a problem. - I would at least call Dometic to confirm this, as they actually make the window. My friend ordered that exact window 6 months ago for his 830. The other windows in that camper are the exact same size and have the model number printed on them. Hopefully they have one.
- Any luck? I've been off for a while so I missed the post. I went direct to Lance after same thing happened to my 830, they shipped a replacement direct to my home and were very helpful.
