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replacing RV blinds


Kiltedpig

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We like our MCD shades in our new trailer much better than our old day night shades in our last trailer.  I would never go back to the old style.

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We liked MCD shades as well. But in my last conversion van I just put up sheer curtains for daytime privacy with Reflectix inserts for night time light blocking and insulating. I would not have tried to do Reflectix inserts in our former Class A, though.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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I rue the day in 2012 when I removed all our original 7 string shades and installed MCD manual day/night shades. At the time just one of my 7 original string shades wasn't working. So this means my original string shades had lasted 11 years.

On the other hand, of the 7 MCD shades I installed, one shade has to be held down with a clamp, one won't go up at all, and another has to be prodded to open. I have adjusted the MCDs per MCD instructions, but to no avail. The MCDs just keep failing.

Here's a thread on IRV2 of folks having problems with MCD power shades.

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Our 16 year old day/night string shades are still working fine with just minor repairs. Today I had to repair a tension spool when a section broke off releasing the string. I just untied the double string, reversed the spool, and put it back together. Took about 10 minutes including getting the square driver out of the tool box. That's the third spool that's broken recently, likely from the plastic getting brittle, so I'm ordering a package of dozen for $11.45 on Amazon. The restring kit I bought several years ago "just in case" is still sealed. We like our string shades...

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
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Love my MCD dual roller blinds and have not had any problems with them.  But I got the manual pull, not the power ones.  My belief in nearly all cases is the less power the better because less to go wrong. 

I especially like the black mesh daytime blinds where I can see out, but no one can see in. 

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x2 on the manual pull. The day I can't pull down a shade is the day I give up RVing. 

 

We currently have MCD shades in our MH and they are nice, have had no problems with them in 2 years. The price of MCDs would make it a big decision to go that way for  us.

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  • 5 months later...

We have had MCDs for a year now. Just left YESTERDAY MCD to have warranty work done. Not the fault of MCD. The fault all laid with the installer who even way over charged me by $1200.00  (Davis Cabinets in Oregon, won't ever be going back there again, had all new cabinets and shades put in.....all of it, not so good but alot of money)

Anyway, he gave us the wrong setup for our door, so the day shade sprung, the night shade was fraying. We found out that we should have had a door mounted day shade and a over the door single night shade. Instead he put up a duo day/night shade over the door. We also had a problem with our passenger window and it was because he measured the window and forgot that the handrail was there, so when he installed it, he shoved it over to miss the handrail, letting light in and making it hit the handrail and fray. MCD repaired the window shade but couldn't do much because of the handrail, they would have to charge us to move the handrail and wait there a week to get a new shade.

Our shades when pulled down make a loud noise as they slap the wall while traveling. They gave us a roll of this stuff to apply to the weight rods and wah lah, no more slapping.

The only thing we did find out was that being Davis only offered us choice of 2 colors instead of 10, both is colors for the night shades are a material that looks like vinyl but is not and back is like felt. Well backs get real dirty, real easy. And the tech told us this line is porous type material. That he always recommends in Motorhomes to go with the vinyl, they clean nicer and aren't porous. What ever material you choose, same price.

To redo the whole coach, they wanted $1200 less than what I paid and if I have them do it, I save the $300 shipping that I had to pay addl to Davis. And they don't offer discounts because we were mislead.

So we decided that as each shade gets to dirty to clean (cause that felt picks up ever ounce of dust on your window.) or something happens that it can't be fixed, we are gonna buy a single in the same color and just replace the night shade. Their products fit all their brackets the same. The front one....when the time comes, we will see if we will attempt to do it or go there. Cause it works and does the job but the tech said it should have been shifted back  more so that when it gets to the dashboard it would lay down better.

All in all, I have to say the people at MCD were very helpful, courteous and informative. 

Edited to add: Manual pull except for windshield. Don't need anymore remotes!

Edited by Dejae

Blessed Travels,
Judi, John, Peanut and DeJae' (Our baby girl DeJae passed 7/21/2019)

 

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  • 5 months later...

I am looking to replace our original pleated D/N shades.   Has anyone dealt with United Shade out of Elkhart In?   I found a reseller in Mesa AZ called Blind Chalet, but the Yelp reviews of them were staggeringly awful.    I am curious about the D/N roller shade quality, not looking for powered.   Anyone purchase those, did they last?    I keep reading about MCD and there are plenty of folks on both sides of that fence.  

Any other manufacturers of D/N non powered shades you can recommend. 

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HomeSweetRV - I saw a u toob video where someone removed their day night shades and laid them flat on a table and cleaned them with a hand held “Rug Doctor” type machine. They had excellent results. 

 

"Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. 

 

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Our 17 yr old D/N shades are still working fine.  They are however dirty and like others trying to figure out the best way to clean them.  We have had to make 1 minor repair.  If replaced, I would choose the same again as long as I could buy the quality I have.  Most everything else we have had to replace has been lighter weight and cheaply made  compared to our original items.

Pat DeJong

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On 4/10/2017 at 3:42 PM, Kiltedpig said:

Anyone installed the cell type blinds?

 

We have on the big window at the back of the RV. The plantation style blind that came with the unit was heavy and the brackets inadequate for the weight and motion and were constantly falling down. We replaced it with a cell type that is far lighter and were actually able to get a close match on color to the other blinds.  We have been very pleased with them. 

On 4/10/2017 at 3:50 PM, SWharton said:

Be aware that cell blinds collect bugs in the cells...Better tell DW this before you go ahead..................

Never have experienced this. Even though the type we have are room darkening (not black out), you can still see some light through them in full daylight and there are no shadows of anything hiding in the cells after almost four years.

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  • 2 years later...

The first time we had to restring our D/N shade it took videos, printed instructions and about 4 hours with the two of us.

DW can now do one in less than an hour by herself.  I remove and rehang.

Once we needed to start restringing our repairs we went with Automotion.

Automotion Elkhart Dealer

We had them measure while we were in town but it is straight forward and can be DIY. 

We had the shades dropped shipped and installed  all 6 over two days.  One needed additional valance spacing.

Jan and Rocky Larson, Volunteers, USFWS , 9,300 hours each. 29 refuges since 2006. 2 new each year.
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  • 11 months later...

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