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Old 06-20-2017, 02:46 AM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Florida
Posts: 103
THOR #6952
Leak at drivers captain window

I just purchaed 2017 37KT Challenger a month a go and have a leak somewhere in the area of the captain chair. It appears the leak is somewhere below the captain window. I find a puddle of water near the drivers seat and a small amount of water on the arm rest and automatic jack leveler control pannel. Has anyone experienced the same leak?

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Old 06-20-2017, 11:29 AM   #2
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Model: 2016 A.C.E. 30.1
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THOR #5641
We have a leak in the passenger side window (on a ACE). During a heavy rain we could see where the water was dripping down from under the window. Thor just told me to take it into a shop and have them re-seal the window. It's under warranty. It's in the shop now, When we get it back I will check to see how it works in heavy rain. Usually at CW it needs to be done twice.
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Old 06-20-2017, 12:23 PM   #3
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Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
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THOR #1469
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenfield3 View Post
I just purchaed 2017 37KT Challenger a month a go and have a leak somewhere in the area of the captain chair. It appears the leak is somewhere below the captain window. I find a puddle of water near the drivers seat and a small amount of water on the arm rest and automatic jack leveler control pannel. Has anyone experienced the same leak?
I didn't have a leak at that window but I did have a leak around the bathroom window. My dealer resealed the window and replaced the wood trim under the window and the wall paper border on the side wall under warranty. Mine leaked when snow would accumulate on the top edge of the window.
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Old 06-25-2017, 03:22 AM   #4
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State: North Carolina
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THOR #5052
Challenger 37TB Driver and Passenger Window Leak

Apologize in advance for a long note, but want to share details in the event it helps others. I imagine you can easily test this scenario with a garden hose and spraying water near the top of the roof above the front passenger and driver's windows.

Realization and Potential of Issue
We have likely been experiencing this happening since we have owned the coach (August 2016), and just recently noticed the issue while on an extended trip during a heavy rain storm. Unfortunately, I now know these leaks have been happening since it left the assembly line. Ugh, and it was in outdoor storage from months before finding a covered storage unit. I have attached some pictures from a recent heavy rain that lasted off and on for approximately 90 minutes. The bucket you see in one of the pictures, I emptied twice during the ordeal by using sponges and towels. Before my wife and I realized we had the bucket and sponges, we went threw 10, yes 10, beach towels to try and keep up with the water coming from the passenger side. I wanted share so others can get a view of the potential water that is entering your motorhome during a rainstorms if you're experiencing a similar issue.

Description of Problem
The problem appears to be the rain water runs down the roof onto the passenger (or driver's) windows and it drains into the frame of the sliding window ledge. The weatherstripping is inadequate and cannot hold out all of the water. The water appears to go around or under the sliding window and channel through the bottom of the window frame, then surfaces threw the little holes in the front section of the non-sliding window frame (see picture) Call me crazy, but I witnessed this for 90+ minutes. Unbelievable.

On the passenger side, the water then overflows and drains down between the dash and interior wall. From there, it soaks the carpet under the dash near the wall until it until it ultimately drains to the floor. From there, I am not sure if it drains or simply dries out over time. I have not witness the Driver's side overflow, but I did see water quickly fill up during the aforementioned rain storm when the wind shifted for a few minutes and filled the Driver's window frame holes mentioned above.

Quick / Temporary Fixes
Until we get back home to get this resolved, here is are my two quick fixes. In between rain showers on one leg of the trip, we used 13 gallon trash bags and duct taped over the sliding portion of the exterior window frame. When we could get to a store (happened to be near a Camping World), we picked up a $4.00 clear shower curtain and I cut to fit over the sliding portion of the exterior window frame and used duct tape (see picture). Both fixes made it through heavy rain and 15-20 MPH winds. Make sure the duct tape is sealed well.

Final Thoughts
Obviously, I am not thrilled with this issue, and yes, there have been other "punchlist" items in our first year. With all of that said, we still love our Thor Challenger 37 TB floorplan and do not regret for a minute purchasing it to spend invaluable time with our 10yo daughter and 11yo son.

I'll let everyone know what I learn on the fix from the dealer and Thor.
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Old 06-25-2017, 11:02 AM   #5
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THOR #5196
I think I had the exact same problems you're having several years ago on a different coach. My window frames were aluminum with a lip, or channel all the way around. Like your window the channel caught the rain which then made its way inside the coach, lots of it too!

Here is how I fixed my problem, it may or may not work for you but it permanently fixed mine. I bought a caulking tube of black silicone and used it to fill the upper gap going slightly up above the frame so there was a 45 degree slope of silicone from the coach wall to the outer edge of the window frame. I ran the silicone completely across the top and about six inches down the side of each window. I made sure everything was clean and dry prior to caulking. I never had my windows leak again after this fix.

Don't know if this will help you or not but I offer this as a suggestion for you. Hope this helps, I know personally what you are going thru!!!

P.S. We lived in Florence, SC for 12 years, sure do miss it!!!
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Old 06-26-2017, 09:24 AM   #6
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THOR #5052
Thanks Dave, appreciate the note. Hopefully, there's a painless resolution through warranty. More to come...
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Old 06-27-2017, 02:04 AM   #7
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THOR #6952
Thank you for the info! Called the dealer and have an appointment to get the window resealed. I just wish RV dealers had the capcaity to make an appointment within a few days instead of weeks.
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Old 06-27-2017, 11:59 AM   #8
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The upper glass section of the front passenger "frameless" window of our coach had gaps in the adhesive attaching it to the metal frame. Filling the gap between glass and wall with silicone sealant resolved the issue. Seems there is always something to fix.
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Old 07-23-2017, 01:17 AM   #9
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THOR #5052
Well, once again our dealer that we purchased the Challenger from continues to impress me. They had the RV ready in about a week after dropping it off with a handful of warranty items in addition to the window leak issue.

Their resolution to the water coming in through the front windows was the little holes in the front section of the non-sliding window frame (see picture in previous post where water was coming in). The dealer said the little holes needed to be blown out due to being clogged. Really? Okay, I'll trust them as they have provided good service to me. In the future, they suggested using a compressor to blow air into the little holes in the window frame.

Just trying to understand how they got clogged in the first place? From the inside? From the outside? If so, where?

With that said, I will be testing when I have the RV back at our house before our next trip (currently in storage). I'll report back on if we experience any leaks from rain storms again and/or if I can figure out where the holes drain or how they get clogged.
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Old 07-25-2017, 07:23 PM   #10
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 31S
State: New Jersey
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THOR #5309
leaking frameless windows

I have a 2017 Hurricane 31S that i purchased brand new last year. Both my Driver Side and passenger side seamless window leaks only when I have the RV leveled. If i have the RV just parked without the levels down they don't leak...

This is the fourth time its going back to the dealer to get fixed. Does anyone else have problems with these seamless windows?

Cindy
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Old 07-29-2017, 08:00 PM   #11
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Found window problem

I also noticed that the window leaked when we were leveled. We think this is because we were slightly pitched. We too had our 2016 Miramar in for this repair. They cleaned the weep holes, but this was not the problem. We found that the manufacturer put a complete weather seal under the window with no opening for the window drains. We took a knife and slid it between the coach and the window (outside the coach) in the area of the weep hole and broke that portion of the seal. We poured water in the track from the inside and, happily, watched it drain outside the coach. Hope this helps.
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Old 07-29-2017, 08:02 PM   #12
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I also noticed that the window leaked when we were leveled. We think this is because we were slightly pitched. We too had our 2016 Miramar in for this repair. They cleaned the weep holes, but this was not the problem. We found that the manufacturer put a complete weather seal under the window with no opening for the window drains. We took a knife and slid it between the coach and the window (outside the coach) in the area of the weep hole and broke that portion of the seal. We poured water in the track from the inside and, happily, watched it drain outside the coach. Hope this helps.
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Old 07-29-2017, 08:56 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Irv4 View Post
I also noticed that the window leaked when we were leveled. We think this is because we were slightly pitched. We too had our 2016 Miramar in for this repair. They cleaned the weep holes, but this was not the problem. We found that the manufacturer put a complete weather seal under the window with no opening for the window drains. We took a knife and slid it between the coach and the window (outside the coach) in the area of the weep hole and broke that portion of the seal. We poured water in the track from the inside and, happily, watched it drain outside the coach. Hope this helps.
Thanks Irv4, great test to ensure the front windows are draining correctly. Just tried it and all is well.

We were in Lake Lure, NC (Apple Valley Farm Motorcoach Resort - nice place) recently and a thunderstorm with heavy rain rolled through. Luckily the front windows weep holes drained as they should.

I'm still planning to install the EZE RV Gutters and spouts to minimize future issues with water draining over the front windows.
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Old 07-29-2017, 09:58 PM   #14
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I'm glad I could help! I am going to check out the gutters for the rv too. Thank you for the tip.
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Old 07-30-2017, 11:31 AM   #15
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State: Florida
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THOR #8516
Really could use these gutters on my 2016 Vegas 25.2. Where are they available?
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Old 07-30-2017, 11:32 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by redsox View Post
Really could use these gutters on my 2016 Vegas 25.2. Where are they available?
Camping World and Amazon.
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Old 07-31-2017, 02:07 AM   #17
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Thanks super D. Are these the gutter extensions or actual after market full gutters?
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Old 07-31-2017, 03:22 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by redsox View Post
Thanks super D. Are these the gutter extensions or actual after market full gutters?
They have both. Some RVs come with gutters and extensions can be added.
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Old 07-31-2017, 01:11 PM   #19
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Perfect! I'll get both. Other MH I owned all had gutters
Never realized this one didn't until after I bought it.
My bad. Thanks again Super D.
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Old 08-01-2018, 12:50 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Jbird_in_SC View Post
Well, once again our dealer that we purchased the Challenger from continues to impress me. They had the RV ready in about a week after dropping it off with a handful of warranty items in addition to the window leak issue.

Their resolution to the water coming in through the front windows was the little holes in the front section of the non-sliding window frame (see picture in previous post where water was coming in). The dealer said the little holes needed to be blown out due to being clogged. Really? Okay, I'll trust them as they have provided good service to me. In the future, they suggested using a compressor to blow air into the little holes in the window frame.

Just trying to understand how they got clogged in the first place? From the inside? From the outside? If so, where?

With that said, I will be testing when I have the RV back at our house before our next trip (currently in storage). I'll report back on if we experience any leaks from rain storms again and/or if I can figure out where the holes drain or how they get clogged.
I am having this same issue with my 2016 Challenger 37TB. Any better fix?
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