Another window shade question

[Olive2Roam]

Relatively new LE I owners here. We did about 20+ days on the road after picking it up this summer. We are loving everything about our LE I - except, a day on the road nearly always results in one or more window shades falling off at some point during the day. We pick them up and re-mount them and continue on. A quick search of the forum shows that it is not uncommon, however, we recently had one break as a result of falling. Oliver has been great in getting us a replacement but I want to find a remedy before we break another. (Actually the shade material gets buggered up a bit when the fall as well.) Has anyone found a sure fire method of preventing the shades from falling off? Would you consider a drop of super glue on a couple of the clips?

We mount them top first and then a firm hand to the bottom to lock them in. They always appear firmly mounted before we take off. Thinking out loud here, I wonder if the LE I single axle is more prone to shades coming loose since it may be a bit more prone to bounce when hitting a bump in the road. We are getting ready for an extended trip in a couple weeks and I would like to find a solution. 

I know there's a window shade subject matter expert out there. I just need to find him/her. 🙂

[johnwen]

Just my 2 cents...we have an LE2 and had the same problem with one of our shades.  I also thought they were securely fastened until I realized how the metal clips actually held the window casing on.  The backs of the window casings have a recessed channel that accept the metal clips and some were loose or did not protrude far enough into the channels.  Some clips have fiberglass strips beneath them and some don't.  I guess that was a mod Oliver did to get all clips to hold.  The trick for us, after ensuring the screws holding the clips were tight, was to add a strip of fiberglass to a clip, if necessary, to make sure the clip would protrude into the channel far enough to lock in.  So if one doesn't seem to grab then it probably need a spacer.  And if it already has one it's possible it needs a thicker spacer (I've not seen this however).  We don't have the problem anymore but we still occasionally check if the screws are tight.  And it doesn't take much to strip those screw holes, so don't overtighten.  We found that if we lined up all clips on either the top or bottom channel and popped it in then the other side is very easy to pop in.  Hope this helps :)

John

[johnwen]

24 minutes ago, Olive2Roam said:

Thinking out loud here, I wonder if the LE I single axle is more prone to shades coming loose since it may be a bit more prone to bounce when hitting a bump in the road.

Could be....also wiggle the corners slightly.  If it's not secure you'll know.  Best of luck :) 

[Olive2Roam]

10 minutes ago, johnwen said:

Just my 2 cents...we have an LE2 and had the same problem with one of our shades.  I also thought they were securely fastened until I realized how the metal clips actually held the window casing on.  The backs of the window casings have a recessed channel that accept the metal clips and some were loose or did not protrude far enough into the channels.  Some clips have fiberglass strips beneath them and some don't.  I guess that was a mod Oliver did to get all clips to hold.  The trick for us, after ensuring the screws holding the clips were tight, was to add a strip of fiberglass to a clip, if necessary, to make sure the clip would protrude into the channel far enough to lock in.  So if one doesn't seem to grab then it probably need a spacer.  And if it already has one it's possible it needs a thicker spacer (I've not seen this however).  We don't have the problem anymore but we still occasionally check if the screws are tight.  And it doesn't take much to strip those screw holes, so don't overtighten.  We found that if we lined up all clips on either the top or bottom channel and popped it in then the other side is very easy to pop in.  Hope this helps 🙂

John

John, That definitely helps. How did you discover the fiberglass spacer, since it was presumably hidden on the back of the clip? I will definitely check this out.

Bob

 

[johnwen]

Just by noticing some had them and some did not.  Yes, they are on the back of the clips.

Edited January 18 by johnwen

[Olive2Roam]

I also stumbled across a post by @Coddiwomple that provides another nice solution. 

 

[johnwen]

12 minutes ago, Olive2Roam said:

I also stumbled across a post by @Coddiwomple that provides another nice solution. 

 

Haven't seen this but it makes sense. We moved the blackout shade to the bottom also.

[topgun2]

In addition to @johnwen's comments regarding the spacing of the bracket from the window frame -

My first inclination was to tighten the brackets to the frame - loose screws and bolts tend to make me believe that things should be tight - but in the case of these blinds this thinking was wrong.  The "spacers" allowed for the bracket screws to be tight but (as @johnwen says) it also allowed for the bracket to be positioned correctly in order to engage the frame of the blinds properly.

Another thought is that since you have already "used" the frame clips multiple times and since these clips were apparently not fully seated in the first place, it is possible that they have lost a bit of "spring" and/or have become slightly collapsed such that they no longer hold as they once did.  The solution for this is either new clips (my favorite) or to try to bend the original clips back into something near the original position (do not try to do this while the clips are on the window frame).  If you are going to be at the 2025 Owner's Rally let me know and I'll bring you a few new clips.  Or, contact Oliver Service and they will send you a couple.

Bill

[Olive2Roam]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

In addition to @johnwen's comments regarding the spacing of the bracket from the window frame -

My first inclination was to tighten the brackets to the frame - loose screws and bolts tend to make me believe that things should be tight - but in the case of these blinds this thinking was wrong.  The "spacers" allowed for the bracket screws to be tight but (as @johnwen says) it also allowed for the bracket to be positioned correctly in order to engage the frame of the blinds properly.

Another thought is that since you have already "used" the frame clips multiple times and since these clips were apparently not fully seated in the first place, it is possible that they have lost a bit of "spring" and/or have become slightly collapsed such that they no longer hold as they once did.  The solution for this is either new clips (my favorite) or to try to bend the original clips back into something near the original position (do not try to do this while the clips are on the window frame).  If you are going to be at the 2025 Owner's Rally let me know and I'll bring you a few new clips.  Or, contact Oliver Service and they will send you a couple.

Bill

Great points, Bill. Oliver is sending a replacement shade as well as new clips, so hopefully between that and the spacer information we can get the shades mounted firmly. Although, I am really tempted to take @coddiwomple 's appoach. Looks like a very secure way to mount them. 

I appreciate your input. 

[SNY SD UP]

@Olive2Roam

What tire pressure are you running?

[DavePhelps]

Had similar issues with my Legacy1 trailer. Washboarded roads really puts these connections to the test.

I had Oliver send me some extra clips which I added in addition to the OEM clips. One or two per shade as I recall. I then used thin nylon washers to shim the clips out so they were all in plane and fully engaged the groove on the back of the frame (use a straightedge). Since then, I have also started towing with all shades in the up position (both sheer and blackout pulled up). This puts the drawbars (?) at the top of the shade frame, placing a little more weight at the top of the frame and not stressing out the clips as much. So far so good.

Dave