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Old 12-24-2015, 06:11 PM   #81
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Older rigs had plenty of leak problems too. For many years almost all rv's had wood frames and batting type insulation. Also the sealants used were nowhere as good as we have now. I'd venture to say that you could pick out any 20 year old rv off of any lot, and you'd find rot or water damage.
Problem with what we have now is lack of workmenship in constructing these things.
Workers slap these things togather so fast that I'm sure a lot of short cuts are taken, and areas left without a proper amount of caulk, forgotten screws, things not attached right.
Remember, just a one or two inch gap in a seam, without proper caulk or a window frame not sealed properly will let in a LOT of water over a period of time.
Grumpy
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Old 12-24-2015, 08:51 PM   #82
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Originally Posted by Highway View Post
I have to say, I went all over the roof, and there is no logical place for water to get in...I know how tricky water is, but the only place I can make any sense is in the clearance lights over the cab. There is a lot of sealant over all of the screws and seams, and it accumulates in the cap, but not inside of it but between the cap and the cab and only appears to come in through the visors and storage above the seats in the cab. It is definitely not anything obvious.
In a nutshell - it is the way the roof to cap and roof to sidewall is designed. They use this transition "trim" which acts like a dam on the roof. If the transition trim wasn't properly sealed then water channels into the trim and entering into the coach interior through securing screws. You could go months and not know water is seeping in.
My front fiberglass cap clearance lights also leaked water in. The way the clearance light recessed is designed, water running off the roof to the front cap is then channeled into the recess where the clearance lights area mounted. Water gathers around that recess and seeps in through the fixture lens or through poor sealant at the base of the fixture.
The roof to walls should be designed like a turtle back. Water should roll off without any ledges or transitions that rise higher than the roof or be lapped.

I placed my coach under pressure with a powerful force air blower and then sprayed it with a soapy solution. Where ever bubbles formed is where the air was getting out. If air leaked out, water can leak in.

I've done the same as Grumpy; resealed most of the roof and slideout caulked joints and transitions with Eternabond.

Frankly I am tired of fixing more than using the coach. I recently found I have more leaks to chase down.

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Old 12-25-2015, 12:16 AM   #83
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Yes they do, there's a third party pdi that puts it through a rain storm.


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Brian Clemens posted this message regarding leak testing on the Forester Forum on 2/11/2013:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post305215

Here is the relevant text:

"100% of our units are leak tested in a rain booth and pressure tested (a commercial fan is attached to a false door pressurizing the unit, then a soap solution is sprayed on the vehicle to check for air leaks). If the unit set on the dealer lot for a decent amout of time, it should have been rechecked before retail delivery. Also, we check them on a fairly level surface, so slope can play a factor as well."

This begs the question as to how some Forester coaches leave the factory with fairly severe roof envelope problems.
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Old 12-25-2015, 01:13 AM   #84
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Oh man that's very disheartening ! The rotten thing here is , I love this coach but it doesn't sound like its a good roof design. Hey FR, please redesign the roof and fix us folks up with a better option than climbing up there and doing the work ourselves. I for one have no desire to chase down leaks. I'd rather enjoy this rig.
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Old 12-25-2015, 01:16 AM   #85
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That's exactly what I told my dealer but he insists its FR's problem. All I want to do is 'bond' with my rig but in the five weeks I've owned it the dealer had it for over two weeks fixing problems.
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Old 12-25-2015, 05:50 AM   #86
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Auntielo 1

Don't despair. You're getting responses from some who had trouble. Those responses are important to learn about possible problems and the solutions, but don't really tell you how common they are.

Many others, including myself, have had no problems. Our Sunseeker is over 5 years old with 40,000 miles shaking it and over 450 nights camping. I cleaned the roof and checked it closely when I winterized it a few weeks ago. The roof is fine. I've never had to reseal anything.

Give Forest River a chance to fix it and try to not worry yourself unecessarily.
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Old 12-25-2015, 09:43 AM   #87
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Originally Posted by grumpy0374 View Post
I'm going to throw this out as a preventive measure, especially to those who are buying new rigs...
We bought our Lexi used. It was ordered by original owner, and from day one was kept in a covered garage. He had it for one year, and made only one trip, and put it up for sale. We bought it. It had apparently not been exposed to inclement weather, and was like a new rig.
I had read numerous posts about leaks, and upon getting it home, did the following...
Gave the roof a good cleaning...wasen't dirty, but I wanted it clean.
Bought a dozen tubes of Dicor Self Leveling Caulk, two 50 ft rolls of 2" Eternabond tape and one 50 ft roll of 4" Eternabond tape.
Spent two days adding extra layers of the Dicor to all the seams where anything came up through the roof. Pulled the vinyl screw coverings off the side rails and laid a bead of Dicor down the entire channel, and reapplied the vinyl covers. This is important as there's no caulk or sealant there originally, just exposed screw heads. You would be shocked to see how little caulk or protection there is in some areas.
Used the 2" Eternabond and overlapped the entire length of both sides of the Lexi where the roof meets the side walls. Used the 4" Eternabond to cover the front and back cap seams where they meet the roof.
Wherever I found a screw, it got replaced by a stainless steel screw with a dab of Dicor covering it.
I removed all the front and rear clearence lights, cleaned up the area, and resealed them with a bead of Dicor.
Screws holding the rear ladder were taken out, replaced with stainless steel screws that had had the threads dipped in Dicor, and when remounted, covered with another dab of Dicor.
May seem like a bit of overkill, but in two years I've never found a drop of water inside. I still get up on the roof every other month or so to clean and check the caulk for cracks, but with a double layer haven't found any yet.
Once you get your rigs back from FR, I would suggest you take a long hard look at what can be done. May cost a few bucks, but never having to worry about leaks makes it well worth it.
Grumpy

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Old 12-26-2015, 12:44 AM   #88
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Joshua - how about messaging me your number. My rig is sitting at Poulsbo RV in Auburn, WA right now, taken in yesterday for this very issue.
good luck with Poulsbo rv...
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Old 12-26-2015, 02:55 PM   #89
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My Forester MBS had/has water between the walls as well. I parked on a slope forward and sideways at the curb and water drained out of the front bottom part of the cap and out of the lower front corner of the house behind the step. Looks like less than quart. Hope that is all there is. The dehumidifier is a good idea. I'll be off to the FR dealer for a roof cap reseal too.
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Old 03-31-2016, 03:30 PM   #90
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UPDATE!!!! Forest River has taken good care of me regarding my leak issues!! Hang in there folks.
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Old 04-01-2016, 08:30 AM   #91
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My 2013 3011 had a roof leak near the front cap but FR took really good care of me. I posted the results on the forum and encourage others to search for my posts to find it. Since that repair I haven't had any leak issues but I am a bit obsessive about dicor maintenance. My leak was severe and long term due to the fact that it was in storage and snow melt got into the rig. I ran a dehumidifer for days and when FR did the repair they took down the roof, replaced any damaged materials and reinforced the area where the leak occurred. They took care of me and I suspect that they will take care of folks with a similar issue if you give them a chance to. Don't be afraid to make the drive to Indiana to get the repair done. I did from NC and I don't regret the decision.
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Old 04-21-2016, 06:42 AM   #92
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Sunseeker roof leaks

I have same problem 2016 Sunseeker mbs less than 6 months old.
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Old 05-23-2016, 07:20 AM   #93
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My 2401W has been leaking since I bought it last October. I bought it from a dealer out of state and have taken it in three times to two local repair places, one of which is in FR's warrantee network. Neither place can fix the leak. It's turning into a nightmare. The water comes in through the cab and runs out the visors. I suspect there is a defect in the cap. I've noticed that FR changed their cabover design on the 2017 models. On another thread there are several people with the same problem I have. I really want to trade the rig in but don't want to lose my shirt.
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Old 05-23-2016, 09:42 AM   #94
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We had the same issue. Contact Russ at FR or just call this number and they will ask what you have and then transfer you. 574-206-7600

He knows what the issue is and will talk to the service department where you are having the repairs done and explain/help them through this issue.

Ours has been in twice now for this issue and we are pretty sure it has been repaired properly as they have spoken to FR and there is no leak at this time.

Russ was great and even took all our info and made note on the account that it has this issue and is being taken care of in case it continues after the warranty is up.

We love our rig and are trying to remain focus that we are just down to one small issue and hopefully will be home free after the outside compartment door is repaired (it's stuck).
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Old 05-23-2016, 09:43 AM   #95
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where do you live Dago Dan?
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Old 05-23-2016, 09:55 AM   #96
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Leak

I live in central oregon. I just talked to Russ. He was no help and just wanted me off the phone I think. He just said to send him the invoice for the repair. The problem is nobody can find the leak. I've taken it to two different places. The first place had it twice and couldn't fix it. The second place did a pressure test and said the only place they saw a bubble was around the cabover window. They removed and resealed it. Still leaking unfortunately.
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Old 11-06-2020, 05:29 PM   #97
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Originally Posted by Cfritts View Post
We had the same issue. Contact Russ at FR or just call this number and they will ask what you have and then transfer you. 574-206-7600

He knows what the issue is and will talk to the service department where you are having the repairs done and explain/help them through this issue.

Ours has been in twice now for this issue and we are pretty sure it has been repaired properly as they have spoken to FR and there is no leak at this time.

Russ was great and even took all our info and made note on the account that it has this issue and is being taken care of in case it continues after the warranty is up.

We love our rig and are trying to remain focus that we are just down to one small issue and hopefully will be home free after the outside compartment door is repaired (it's stuck).
Has anyone ever figured out the real issue and solution? I have a 2016 Forester MBS that we just obtained. The dealing was selling on consignment and has been good and the seller authorized them to do a pressure test. They said they found nothing. First week we got it we scrubbed it good and had a little rain and just around town water started pouring out of the visors. We have had water after every rain. Except, last week we had over 3" of rain over 24 hours and then left for a long weekend. There was at least a gallon of water in the cab roof. You could hear it sloshing around overhead as it came pouring out of the visor post and seams next to the dome light. I am an architect and know this ain't good nor sustainable. No other leaks that we know of so far and we love the coach.
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Old 11-14-2020, 10:05 PM   #98
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Forester roof leaks : new rigs

Maybe FR will pay for this roof. Worth asking about. Of course, the rest of the damage will need to be replaced/repaired.

https://rvroof.com
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