WARNING FOR ALL RT OWNERS * You may want to check this on your machine

[CyncySpyder]

You know, some things are better left unasked & this is one that I did not ask

Question if you put a Cal-Sci on does that void your warranty or will a crack still be covered?

I suppose they could deny it if they wanted, as they could claim it happened due to an aftermarket shield being used :lecturef_smilie: But in my experience, when it comes to warranty claims, its mostly about how your dealer goes about handling the situation with BRP :helpsmilie:and your relationship with your dealer

I mean, something such as this, if a crack did occur, it would be a simple task of removing 6 bolts and putting the OEM shield back on before taking the byke into the dealer to correct the issue:thumbup:

That is, I guess, until I made this very post :lecturef_smilie::shocked: ............................. :roflblack::roflblack:

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

I would think with the CalSci or BRP vented windshield, there would be less likelyhood of the arm breaking. There's so much less vacum behind the windshield with either upgrade. My old windshield used to bounce and vibrate like crazy. I don't even see my CalSci move and it's quite a bit wider than stock.

 

[project.618]

windshield 2012 RTS

My windshield arm appears to be broke on the right side deep down by the windshield motor. It don't look like a easy fix . I hope can am has a stronger replacement arm , i don't want this to be a repeat problem or maybe we all need to ride with or windshields in a lower position so the windshield catches less wind. Glad my bike is still under warrenty.

 

[CyncySpyder]

WoW, Talking about ill timed fate ............ our 2nd support broke over the weekend

My windshield arm appears to be broke on the right side deep down by the windshield motor. It don't look like a easy fix . I hope can am has a stronger replacement arm , i don't want this to be a repeat problem or maybe we all need to ride with or windshields in a lower position so the windshield catches less wind. Glad my bike is still under warrenty.

Have to wait til I get home to post the pics, but yeah, our second 'replacement' dog-bone broke over the weekend :banghead:

I highlighted the above comment because (and this is just my opinion) after a little sluething of my own, I think that may be part of the problem. You see, after ours broke, I met up with another local RT owner that also had to have his replaced last year, cause it hadn't broke all the way thru, but did have a noticeable crack. I asked him to raise and lower his replacement dog-bone support, and I noticed when it was raised all the way, I could see two very visible 'pot marks' on the very bottom of the support. Meaning, when the windshield is in the ALL THE WAY DOWN position, the bottom of that casting is actually resting against the mount housing. Now I could be wrong here, and I claim to be in no way a mechanic, but it would seem that any and all vibration would be amplified if you have the casting directly touching another hard surface, such as it is. If anything, I would think that yes, reducing turbulence and back-flow by keeping the shield lowered may help some, but riding with the shield lowered all the way would cause more harm than good. My suggestion to my buddy was to never ride with the shield all the way lowered, just bump it up a notch so its not resting against the housing.

Curious if any other RT owners would check theirs and see if you notice two little 'pot-marks' or 'divots' at the bottom of your dog-bone supports? All you need to do, is raise the shield fully up, then stand over the frunk, bend down so you can see the bottom of the dog-bone support and look up at the bottom of it, and see if you see any evidence of it rubbing and let the rest of us know:bowdown:

I just called the shop, and sent them pics of the broken mount and am awaiting a return call if BRP will cover it again, or if I need to actually take it in first for them to see it, and then go from there. We have a new Service Manager, and I asked if BRP is still replacing this part with the same part, and he confirmed, from everything he could find out, that it was the same exact part :banghead:

I'm thinking that those of us in the US need to call and report this to the NHTSA cause this is a Safety issue, and BRPs response so far is to just replace the defect part with another defect part:chill:

 

[Glider3J]

Thanks for the "heads UP", this will now be part of my pre flight check before every ride.

 

[CyncySpyder]

Did my own totally unscientific test & you may be shocked at my findings***I WAS***

Ok, here's a quick update on our own personal situation concerning our broken Center Dog-Bone shaped Windshield Support. Our 1st one that broke a while back was replaced under warranty, but since its a complete unit, meaning the support is built into the motor housing, the entire assembly has to be replaced, at a rough cost around $450. Sad thing is, it was replaced by the same exact part, as BRP has not made any changes to this cast center support. Our 2nd support broke soon after returning from this years SpyderFest, which honestly, since it was replaced with the same exact part, wasn't a big surprise. The shop manager got BRP to cover it under our now Extended Warranty minus the $50 deductable, which honestly, I think is unacceptable, but I wasn't pushing it, and was happy that he was able to get it covered, seeing as mentioned here in this very thread, I'm sure they could've denied it if they wanted, seeing as we do have an after-market shield on. All that being said, I'm still sad, and even more FRUSTRATED to report, they still have made no changes to this cast center support, and once again, have replaced it with the same exact part :lecturef_smilie: I really don't get their logic on this:lecturef_smilie:

Not wanting to go thru this again, I went ahead and got with their parts guy and ordered all of the upgraded 2013 windshield support bolts that they have changed to. On 2010-2012 RTs, the adjustable windshield is held, on all three supports, using a solid bolt with a circlip at one end, loosely holding it in place:sour:

That was changed for the 2013 model year RTs and now all three come with hollow threaded bolts that a screw goes into on one side, along with a little plastic sleeve about a 1/4 inch long to keep metal from rubbing on metal.

This :bowdown:New & Improved :bowdown: set-up does take most, if not all, jiggle/shimmy/slop/etc.... out of the shield :clap: My total cost for the 3 bolts, screws and sleeves was right over $40. Personally, I think BRP should retro-fit ALL PREVIOUS MODEL YEAR RTs with this new set-up, as it would make more of us happy by reducing the vibration and slop that many have dealt with, and even reported here, and ultimately save them alot of money in the long run if it helps to reduce the stress on the center support, causing less failures :thumbup:

:shocked:Ok, all the above pertains to me personally, but this next fact just may get your attention :shocked:
​

DISCLOSURE::: Let me first say, I'm not a mechanic, nor scientist nor anything like that:::
But while at this years Owners Event in Maggie Valley, whenever Teddy & I got a free minute, I'd go walking around looking for RTs that their owners left the windshields in the middle or full up position. This is best for viewing the majority of the center dog-bone support that we're talking about here. So I ended up inspecting 17 dog-bones, and out of those, I found 6 to have visible cracks in the support
:yikes: I was shocked that it was that many :yikes: I thought maybe one or two, but 6 out of 17 :yikes: BRP has a MAJOR ISSUE with this :lecturef_smilie:

Out of the 6 that I did find cracked, I was only able to show or tell 2 of the owners about their issues, and sadly, neither of them had even heard of SpyderLovers.com :shocked: so I told them to get in contact with their respective dealers when they get home from the Event and they should cover them under warranty without issue, and for them personally to join the site:firstplace: cause we usually have more information available to us than even our dealers have Both were very appreciative of the fact that a total stranger would look out for their interest in such a way, and that surprised me a little, as I guess I've just taken it for granted, at least with fellow SpyderLovers.com members, we all try to look out for each other and help in any way we can. We're all in this together, like an extended family, so why not make it the

:firstplace:Best we can:firstplace:

Do yourself a favor if you have an RT or know someone that does, and keep an eye on your center windshield support. One that I checked that was ok, the owner had almost a grand worth of video equiptment mounted to the top of the dash, and if his support gave way at highway speeds, well .......................... :cus::shocked::sour::yikes: I think he'd be none to happy about that:cus:​

 

[jthornton]

On 2010-2012 RTs, the adjustable windshield is held, on all three supports, using a solid bolt with a circlip at one end, loosely holding it in place

They must have changed it sometime in 2012 as my 2012 RT-S SE5 has stainless steel button head Torx screws on each side of each pivot point so I assume the innards are as you describe.

JT

 

[CyncySpyder]

ahhhhhhhhhhhh...................thanks for the clarification

They must have changed it sometime in 2012 as my 2012 RT-S SE5 has stainless steel button head Torx screws on each side of each pivot point so I assume the innards are as you describe. JT

Correct, that is the new set-up that you have:thumbup:

I was thinking they didn't switch til the 2013 model year, but obviously they must have done it for the 2012s or somewhere in between :dontknow:

Thanks for letting us know that, so its only the 2010s & 2011 RTs that have the old 'WAY TOO LOOSE' set-up I highly recommend those that have shields that they think vibrate, bounce, or shift from side to side way to much to go ahead and switch to the newer mounting hardware, cause it does make the shield much more stable.

(I Still think BRP should step up and retro-fit all the previous models with the newer set-up instead of us customers having to fit the bill, but at least there is somewhat of a solution, at least to making the shield more stable. Who knows in the long run tho, if it would help the life-span of the center dog-bone mount from cracking and breaking :dontknow: guess time will tell)

 

[jthornton]

We tried to find you at Maggie Valley and say hi, we saw you come in Thursday evening for the dinner I think it was Thursday... but only managed to find Ted's Sled.



JT

 

[CyncySpyder]

We're learning as we go

We tried to find you at Maggie Valley and say hi, we saw you come in Thursday evening for the dinner I think it was Thursday... but only managed to find Ted's Sled.View attachment 70631JT

I'm starting to think, when attending such events, Teddy & I need to find ourselves a 'handler' or two, and let them do the going around to get stuff for us, and he and I just set up camp where-ever we park and stay at our Sled & Camper :joke:

and that way, we'll be very visible and get to meet anyone that wishes to make their way out to meet us:clap: Otherwise, we're usually just in the center of the crowed..... where ever that might be:roflblack: and we end up missing so many ppl that we also wanted to meet. For example, I think we actually got to meet Roger for all of 15 seconds before Teddy put it into sled-dog Over-Drive and High Tailed it for the closest shade to get out of the scorching sun. Being a black dog, you'd think he was a vampire as he always tries his best to stay in the cool of the shade :doorag:

Sorry we missed you Maybe we'll be able to catch up at the KY Lake Event or maybe even SpyderQuest in NY if your attending :clap:

 

[jthornton]

KY Lake is in the plans for us, NY is too far and I'm scared of Bob now with his new face.

JT

 

[eddieshep999]

Ok, here's a quick update on our own personal situation concerning our broken Center Dog-Bone shaped Windshield Support. Our 1st one that broke a while back was replaced under warranty, but since its a complete unit, meaning the support is built into the motor housing, the entire assembly has to be replaced, at a rough cost around $450. Sad thing is, it was replaced by the same exact part, as BRP has not made any changes to this cast center support. Our 2nd support broke soon after returning from this years SpyderFest, which honestly, since it was replaced with the same exact part, wasn't a big surprise. The shop manager got BRP to cover it under our now Extended Warranty minus the $50 deductable, which honestly, I think is unacceptable, but I wasn't pushing it, and was happy that he was able to get it covered, seeing as mentioned here in this very thread, I'm sure they could've denied it if they wanted, seeing as we do have an after-market shield on. All that being said, I'm still sad, and even more FRUSTRATED to report, they still have made no changes to this cast center support, and once again, have replaced it with the same exact part :lecturef_smilie: I really don't get their logic on this:lecturef_smilie:

Not wanting to go thru this again, I went ahead and got with their parts guy and ordered all of the upgraded 2013 windshield support bolts that they have changed to. On 2010-2012 RTs, the adjustable windshield is held, on all three supports, using a solid bolt with a circlip at one end, loosely holding it in place:sour:

That was changed for the 2013 model year RTs and now all three come with hollow threaded bolts that a screw goes into on one side, along with a little plastic sleeve about a 1/4 inch long to keep metal from rubbing on metal.

This :bowdown:New & Improved :bowdown: set-up does take most, if not all, jiggle/shimmy/slop/etc.... out of the shield :clap: My total cost for the 3 bolts, screws and sleeves was right over $40. Personally, I think BRP should retro-fit ALL PREVIOUS MODEL YEAR RTs with this new set-up, as it would make more of us happy by reducing the vibration and slop that many have dealt with, and even reported here, and ultimately save them alot of money in the long run if it helps to reduce the stress on the center support, causing less failures :thumbup:

:shocked:Ok, all the above pertains to me personally, but this next fact just may get your attention :shocked:
​

DISCLOSURE::: Let me first say, I'm not a mechanic, nor scientist nor anything like that:::
But while at this years Owners Event in Maggie Valley, whenever Teddy & I got a free minute, I'd go walking around looking for RTs that their owners left the windshields in the middle or full up position. This is best for viewing the majority of the center dog-bone support that we're talking about here. So I ended up inspecting 17 dog-bones, and out of those, I found 6 to have visible cracks in the support
:yikes: I was shocked that it was that many :yikes: I thought maybe one or two, but 6 out of 17 :yikes: BRP has a MAJOR ISSUE with this :lecturef_smilie:

Out of the 6 that I did find cracked, I was only able to show or tell 2 of the owners about their issues, and sadly, neither of them had even heard of SpyderLovers.com :shocked: so I told them to get in contact with their respective dealers when they get home from the Event and they should cover them under warranty without issue, and for them personally to join the site:firstplace: cause we usually have more information available to us than even our dealers have Both were very appreciative of the fact that a total stranger would look out for their interest in such a way, and that surprised me a little, as I guess I've just taken it for granted, at least with fellow SpyderLovers.com members, we all try to look out for each other and help in any way we can. We're all in this together, like an extended family, so why not make it the

:firstplace:Best we can:firstplace:

Do yourself a favor if you have an RT or know someone that does, and keep an eye on your center windshield support. One that I checked that was ok, the owner had almost a grand worth of video equiptment mounted to the top of the dash, and if his support gave way at highway speeds, well .......................... :cus::shocked::sour::yikes: I think he'd be none to happy about that:cus:​

Dave

Have to agree with all the above comments

Just had the dealer replace my Bracket + Motor and the unit alone cost with the added 20% VAT = £438 = $666 and Labour cost have to be added to this
(Same unit and Bracket design with no changes to it)


My dealer is still waiting to see if BRP will cover it under warranty although my Spyder RT-S is out of warranty the Bracket was only replaced last year
I am due to go on a trip and rather than have further delays have paid for it whilst my dealer is still trying to get an Answer from BRP Europe
I will be contacting them and will post this link as they will see its a problem they should have addressed sometime ago when the first ones broke
The last time I contacted them - over the fuel cap issue it was only pasting an item on their Facebook page action started to happen

I have the old unit including the Motor so at least I will have a spare Windshield motor should I need one but it will be the Middle bracket that will give up first

I had the dealer replace my OEM Windshield as many will know for the 2010 Model it was large 27" and very heavy which can't have helped
I now have gone for the 23" Vented Windsheild Smaller and very much lighter so I am hoping this will help
I have to say I am very pleased with it so far having used it in the rain today on my 26 Mile trip back from the dealer

I have taken some pictures of the old Unit and it seems odd that BRP cant just supply the middle bracket as it is only secured on the shaft with Grub screws and other screws at each end

 

[jthornton]

Eddie,

Is that a hex shaft? Did they let you keep the old one? If you kept it can you remove the offending part without damaging the rest?

I'm kinda curious about it.

JT

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

Looks like more poor engineering or just plain going cheap for a better bottom line.

I would bet that it is contracted out aluminum casting from a very low bidder. Casting inclusions or bubbles would not be seen to the naked eye but would have to be x-rayed. If the defect is in a region under stress a fracture is almost guarenteed. At the past rate of cracking it is most likely still cheaper for BRP to replace like for like parts than cover the expense for inspecting each part. Especially if the length of time before cracking or breaking takes it beyond the guarenteed period.

 

[eddieshep999]

Eddie,

Is that a hex shaft? Did they let you keep the old one? If you kept it can you remove the offending part without damaging the rest?

I'm kinda curious about it.

JT

JT

Yes the shaft is an Hex shaft thats why they must use grub screws to hold the bracket to the shaft

I asked to keep the parts as I had paid for it, If BRP do accept it as a warranty claim then I would expect them to ask for it to be sent to them
If BRP don't accept my claim -I will take it to an engineering firm to see if they can repair the broken bracket or make a new stronger one just to keep as a spare should I need it
At the moment I have not attempted to take the bracket and shaft off the unit

 

[jthornton]

JT

Yes the shaft is an Hex shaft that's why they must use grub screws to hold the bracket to the shaft

I asked to keep the parts as I had paid for it, If BRP do accept it as a warranty claim then I would expect them to ask for it to be sent to them
If BRP don't accept my claim -I will take it to an engineering firm to see if they can repair the broken bracket or make a new stronger one just to keep as a spare should I need it
At the moment I have not attempted to take the bracket and shaft off the unit

If you have a micrometer or caliper can you measure the hex? I assume it is metric stock...

Thanks
JT

 

[stallion143]

They must have changed it sometime in 2012 as my 2012 RT-S SE5 has stainless steel button head Torx screws on each side of each pivot point so I assume the innards are as you describe.

JT

Just checked the setup on my 2012 RT SE5 and mine is the new setup like JT's. Hopefully BRP decided to change the flawed design on 2012 & newer Spyder's...

 

[Bob Denman]

:gaah::gaah::gaah: Mine just snapped... :gaah::gaah::gaah: Have we found anybody out there with a machine shop that is prducting that center link in a better material? :shocked:

 

[Bob Denman]

:gaah: BUMP :gaah:

 

[Bob Denman]

I've been kicking around BRP's parts catalog...
IF I'm reading it correctly; you need to look in the body parts for the console area of the bike
Part #25: #705004774 Windshield Motor Support Assembly...
That seems to be the part that's giving us all the fits! :gaah: