MCD shade conversion update October 19, 2015, 02:31:25 pm Yahoo Message Number: 156502November 2014 we went to McKinney, TX, to have MCD replace all the window and door shades in our 2010 RB. We had previously made reservations and sent them the window dimensions and chosen the shade material from the samples MCD mailed to us. Upon arrival MCD remeasured the windows and confirmed what shades we wanted. In addition to the solid shade, we chose to add the black screen light tinting shades to the four large windows that would unroll closest to the window frame. We didn't the think the screen shade was necessary for the kitchen or door windows, but only had solid shades there. We had arrived on a Sunday night staying in their designated electric serviced sites and were the first to get measured on Monday morning. The solution to the outward sloping rear bath window was to add 1x4 finished wooden guides for the shade pull rails to slide on. MCD had an on-call finish carpenter to make and install the guides. I added stick-on velcro (loop only) tabs to cushion the rails against the wooden guides. I added photos of the installed guides in my LWLD photo album: "Coachman's Enhancements to Monty." The installation was completed on Wednesday. We stayed in the area visiting friends and found that one of the shades needed the recoil spring tightened. We returned, and this was accomplished easily by their tech. We then continued our travels. Currently (2015) we are traveling in the western states and have concluded after a year that the MCD conversion was well worth the time and expense. We use the darkening screen shades much more than we thought we would. With the windows open, air passes through while giving us a higher level of privacy. It is great on those bright days keeping the interior cooler and decreasing the fabric sun fade factor. The solid shades are very easy to clean, particularly after squishing a bloody mosquito. One solid shade spring needed a little extra tightening which was easily accomplished with a screwdriver following the instructions provided by the MCD owners manual. Other than that the shades work exceedingly well. We highly recommend MCD replacement shades.
Re: MCD shade conversion update Reply #1 – October 19, 2015, 05:40:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 156506We replaced our worn seated shades with MCD shades last summer. Can't say I'm impressed with the quality of the shades. The shade's color coating is thin and can be worn through very easily. Ours already have a couple of small spots where light now enters the previously light-proof shade.This is very disappointing considering how expensive they were, even more so when considering our 1983 LD's Factory roller shades were still intact and functional when it was sold at the age of 20 years. Darn.Larry
Re: MCD shade conversion update Reply #2 – October 19, 2015, 08:20:11 pm Yahoo Message Number: 156507"Can't say I'm impressed with the quality of the shades."I replaced my rig's accordion blinds with MCD blinds earlier this year, and I share Larry's opinion. Yes, the MCD blinds are an improvement on the old accordion blinds... but then, almost anything would be. I lost track of the number of times I had to disassemble and restring those old blinds. But considering the high cost of the MCD shades, I was disappointed in both their engineering and their quality.First, there are no hold-downs. The blinds are left hanging free to rattle and clank as the rig rolls down the road. I've experimented with various improvised solutions... but really, why should I have to solve a problem that never should have existed in the first place? These blinds are sold to RV owners, so how could the company not provide hold-downs to secure them when lowered?Second, there are no pulls or handgrips. In order to pull the binds down or release them to retract upward, you have to grab the slippery bottom rail or the edge of the fabric, risking fingerprints either way.Third, the MCD blind material (I chose the polyester material as being most fabric-like) easily wears through. Like Larry, I already have a couple of spots where light shines through the supposedly opaque blinds. And I don't handle the blinds roughly--just the opposite.Moreover, one has to use extreme care in cleaning them. I had a small spot on one blind after swatting an insect, so I tried to wipe it off with a paper towel and a mild detergent. To my horror, I discovered that I was wiping away a thin bone-colored surface layer to reveal BLACK material underneath! The more I wiped, the bigger the black spot grew. I had to touch it up as best I could with matching acrylic paint.Fourth, my kitchen blind's material was inadequately secured in its bottom rail, so that pulling down the rail would cause it to partially separate from the fabric. Yes, I could have sent the blind back to MCD for repair or replacement, but those things are not exactly easy to ship. Instead, I just live with it, exercising great care in how I pull down that blind each night.I won't go into detail about MCD's messed-up website, where (for example) the fabric samples shown don't match what's actually available, and in any case don't give you a good idea of what the fabrics look like. When I mentioned this and other website problems to them, I got a verbal shrug: "Well, it's a work in progress." (!) Likewise their confused pre-sale customer service, which got me contradictory answers from multiple employees who very evidently weren't communicating with each other.As I said, the MCD blinds are better than what I had before. But the company and the product have a long way to go before they'll earn my unqualified praise. The sad part is that the flaws I've mentioned could easily be fixed... if they cared.Andy Baird
Topic: MCD shade conversion update (Read 38 times)
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Topic: MCD shade conversion update (Read 38 times)
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