bulging seam

[StephenO]

I don't remember who had a wall replaced, but they had eternabonded the entire roof membrane to awning strip down both sides of the camper and then had to have a wall replaced. When they did the wall replacement, they had the same concern. The eternabond was left in tact and no issues.

Dave27

I remember that thread, with the wall delamination around the slide corners. It took a couple of searches, but I found it. That topic was by milton1979 and the eternabond on the gutter conversation started here

[Beachcamper]

The factory service center will do repairs and work with insurance companies. Have you asked GD about making an appointment for an estimate? I wonder if your insurance would cover this? RV insurance sometimes covers the cost of delamination under your comprehensive policy. I have had alot of work done at the factory service center under warranty. I would not hesitate to have them do major repairs to my RV they are pretty amazing.

[Dave27]

Cate&Rob; TucsonJim ; ncitro; Jlawles2
I am back home and took it to a body shop that works on RVs. He is concerned that it could be the frame that caused the bulge. You can't push the bulge in, and you can see the metal frame on the side that is bulged out. He suggests I get an insurance claim started. He said the best way is to replace the entire wall, but insurance won't cover that. He would cut out the front part of the wall, pull out the bedroom closet slideout, and interior wall. Repair the frame if necessary, repair the delamination and put it all back together. He estimates $15-18,000!

Ironically, Grand Design customer service got back to me this morning with an estimate. They had been pushing me to see a dealer, I'm glad they are willing to do the repair. They would remove the slideout, cut out the delaminated section and glue in a new section. Their estimate is $5,000. This doesn't include if they find the frame needs repair. I asked them if they will work with insurance, and how much it would cost to fix the frame if that is the cause.

I will contact my insurance and see what they say. I still wonder if I could just seal the bulge with silicone and just watch it. Could more damage occur where this is not a good idea?

Dave

[ncitro]

I am almost sure they work with insurance, but see what they say. I would be leery of sealing it, if it is a frame issue its probably a broken weld, and could definitely get worse as it bounces down the road.

[TucsonJim]

Dave - I'm still going to show the photos to Chris at the end of the month and get his input. But I agree with Neil. I wouldn't seal it up until you have a long term plan. But I would cover it with water-proof tape.

Jim

[Jlawles2]

I wonder if it's sidewall damage or steel frame damage. If the aluminium framing materials have an issue, then they would get replaced with the new sidewall. If it's part of the steel frame, that is an LCI issue. Look to see how long the frame warranty is, if it's 5 years open one now, if less then still open one as they may honor part of it depending on what the failure is.

[Cate&Rob]

Dave27

Hi Dave,

I am surprised that the Factory Service Center would quote a partial wall repair. To the best of my knowledge they do not have "bodyshop" facilities (unless this has changed recently). They typically replace things with factory parts using factory processes. This would mean a wall replacement to resolve what you are seeing. I would suggest that you ask them specifically where the repair they are quoting would be accomplished. Since you have been able to establish a dialog with the factory . . . ask them how much a complete wall replacement would cost. Perhaps another alternative that you or your insurance company could consider.

Rob

[Dave27]

Dave27

Hi Dave,

I am surprised that the Factory Service Center would quote a partial wall repair. To the best of my knowledge they do not have "bodyshop" facilities (unless this has changed recently). They typically replace things with factory parts using factory processes. This would mean a wall replacement to resolve what you are seeing. I would suggest that you ask them specifically where the repair they are quoting would be accomplished. Since you have been able to establish a dialog with the factory . . . ask them how much a complete wall replacement would cost. Perhaps another alternative that you or your insurance company could consider.

Rob

I have not been able to talk directly to the shop. It is frustrating and slow to keep going through customer service. While we have been talking, the earliest possible time to do the work keeps slipping back. So every time I ask a question, or they ask me a question, it takes more time. Unfortunately, I asked more questions today, even though I asked them to go ahead and schedule the work (again).
Dave

[Scott'n'Wendy]

The frame needs to be verified good or cracked. If it's good, just a skin repair is all you need. If a crack is found, it MUST be addressed first. It will only get worse if left alone.

[Dave27]

TucsonJim; Cate&Rob ; ncitro; Jlawles2; Scott'n'Wendy It's time for an update. I checked with my insurance, and they will not cover this. If it is a water problem, it's not covered. If it is a "fault, weakness or inadequacy in the design, workmanship, construction and materials", they won't cover it. They don't see evidence of a "loss" that they define as "sudden, direct, and accidental loss or damage." If evidence of loss comes up when the area is opened up, they are willing to reconsider their decision. So I am stuck with the bill at this point, which as I noted earlier is very high.

I appreciate your efforts Jim to talk with some of the experienced GD roving techs. And I appreciate that GD Customer Service finally agreed to give me a repair estimate and schedule a repair date. I am disappointed they were not willing for me to bring it down to them so they can see it firsthand to assess it, and not through photos. I looked to see if there is a way to pull back the interior panel to look at the frame. But I don't see a straightforward way to do that.

I can't justify paying $5,000, and maybe much more, to repair this problem. It hasn't changed in three and a half months with heavy rains, high winds, freezing temperatures and over 5900 miles towing. My inclination now is to seal it up and watch it.

Thank you all for your concern and suggestions.

Dave

[Cate&Rob]

Dave27

Hi Dave,

Given all the information you have gathered, I think your plan is wise. As much as we would like to think of our trailers as “like new” . . . they are not. All of our trailers that are approaching ten years old have areas that are less than perfect . . . but, not worth fixing. For example, I have an area of delamination in the back wall below a tail light that let water in. Do I wish this wasn’t there . . . Yes. Is it worth the expense of fixing . . . No. And . . . don’t get me started on the condition of the decals or how the DiamondCoat that the dealer talked me into has oxidized.

Thanks for posting the update.

Rob

[Dave27]

Cate&Rob; TucsonJim; ncitro ; Jlawles2 ; Scott'n'Wendy And now for the rest of the story... When I cleaned up the "bulge" to seal it up, I could clearly see a crack in the frame. While I am not interested in putting a lot of money into a cosmetic problem, I don't want to let a structural problem go. I confirmed with Grand Design that if the problem was in the wall frame, they would fix it within the cost estimate they already provided. They agreed, so I went ahead with my appointment.

It was a great experience with Grand Design Customer Service, they have a beautiful center, and very helpful staff. They confirmed that the delamination was not caused by water, but by a broken weld that caused the wall frame to move. I was very glad to hear that conclusion, not that I want a broken frame, but that is what I and many of you already thought based on the information I gathered. They pulled out the bedroom slideout, and cut out the area along the "delamination". They moved the wall back and re-welded it. They did a great job on this repair. They did not charge me for the frame repair, and gave me a discount on the body work. I am very pleased with the final product.

Dave

[Country Campers]

Dave27

That is great to hear and glad that the wall is fixed and the end results looks very nice.

Brian

[ncitro]

Dave27 Glad they got to the root of the cause, and worked with you on the pricing.

[TucsonJim]

I know it took a while and some gentle prodding. But how awesome that this is behind you now.



Jim