Georgetown side wall bolts sheared off- and a fix!

[Tbonz]

Good job,however I am wondering if the backup camera is any use in the position that it is in??

[Eric52]

Originally Posted by Tbonz

Good job,however I am wondering if the backup camera is any use in the position that it is in??

That is the factory location.

[January Storm]

Sounds like we are not alone in this issue with the interior walls breaking free and having lots of fresh air rush into the RV along with a view of the great outdoors thru the gaps created with stuff breaking. We are to have our driver side repaired under warranty but I'm a bit concerned that the repair will be done correctly. The dealer told us that it would be rather extensive and would take several weeks.They said they would need guidance from Forest River. The bump out on the driver side bump out rivets were popping apart . The dealer fixed it twice but since the last fix it makes all kinds of thumping noises as we are traveling. We love our RV. Sounds like FR will take care of us. Besides this and the seats not wearing well we are very happy. We travel about once a month so it gets used hard. Hope you all have a satisfactory repair.

[BigJohnD]

For the poster on here that mentioned he was probably gonna go get a Tiffin, might want to go join that forum for a while before purchasing. They ALL break and have problems. Of course all brand specific forums tend to list a lot of problems. People don't rant about how great things are as they're usually looking for answers to issues a lot of times. Only difference is Tiffin has a little better customer service. We're considering selling our 7 month old 35QBA Allegro and moving into the class c. 1 trip back to factory, 5 at other repair facilities and 1 more trip to factory already planned per Tiffin. All that on ours in 7 months. Bowed main floor structure, slideout issues, main door and frame warped and getting replaced and the list goes on and on. Think twice before you pick a brand. We're of the opinion, they all have problems, so we'll just pick what we like this time and hope for the best.

[Tbonz]

We had a gap where the wall meets the floor,filled it up with the spray insulation in a can..

[pmsherman]

The wall is supposed to be attached to the steel frame that supports the floor. If there's a gap, you can easily fill it with foam but that's not a repair. The screws that hold the wall to the frame probably came loose which allowed the wall to pull free. When this occurs at the front of the RV, it allows the front of the coach to bounce up and down, independent of the lower frame which will only make the condition worse. The correct fix for this problem is to get the wall tightly attached to the steel framing so that it doesn't come loose again.

Phil

[Tbonz]

This problem was found about a month after purchase.There is no movement over in that area.I will look it over again next time I visit the mh.

[January Storm]

Eric 52,
How's your repair holding up?
We are dealing with Forest River and our warranty dealer Grumbines in Harrisburg PA today with this issue of our 2007 GTX toy hauler. Seems that both left and right walls are detaching. They told us that this would be covered under warranty since it is structural.
We like your fix and thought about letting both these parties see your repair. We question the long term repair of just replacing the self taping screws that it came with from factory. It seems obvious that these screws are unable to hold up under the demands of weight and movement.

[Eric52]

Though it has only been six months, we have driven about 3000 miles and it is still solid. I feel that I have fixed it for good. I wasn't going to have the same screws that the factory installed used again as the fix.

[cler-b]

I hope this dont happen to me I just bougth 2013 Georgetown 378 XL

[JayRay]

I was tempted to purchase a 2008 Georgetown 315DSSE after we sold our Cardinal Fifth, but after reading this I am very hesitant. I don't want issues when on vacation or traveling.

Are we sure there isn't a recall from FR on these? Being proactive would tell me that that this company wants customers to return.

[cler-b]

no a'm not afraid it can happen if it happen I will go after forest river it's warranty and it's structural, but as usual with a motorhome we have to be very carrefull so I allways check before I travel short trip or not I keep my eye open, am glad we have good people that sent good info on this Forum, and am allways willing to help , doesn't matter what you bye you
never know you might endup with a lemon hope not, have a great summer

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by JayRay

I was tempted to purchase a 2008 Georgetown 315DSSE after we sold our Cardinal Fifth, but after reading this I am very hesitant. I don't want issues when on vacation or traveling.

Are we sure there isn't a recall from FR on these? Being proactive would tell me that that this company wants customers to return.

There's lots of GT owners here, the op is one of two cases I've seen posted. Almost the same ratio of lightning strikes, if you ain't lucky don't be outside!

Enjoy whatever you pick.

[January Storm]

We too have this same problem AGAIN. 2009 Georgetown 36' toyhauler.
Left and right walls were repaired by dealer early in spring of this year.
Unfortunatly they repaired them the same way the factory built the RV even though we had asked for some upgrading. Well it's now fall and 3000 miles later the left wall is loose again. We are following Eric52's plan of repair ourselves. We are doing both sides. Thanks to the helpful Eric52. Hopefully get this repaired once, well, actually twice and done. I must add though that overall we are very happy with our RV. This is our second RV.
Mechanically it has been reliable and sound for 24,000 miles. I'll update on how we make out. Any suggestions for perfecting this repair?

[January Storm]

Originally Posted by wingardc

We have FR Georgetown 350 - gaser 2009. While traveling in New England in 2011, there were scraping sounds coming from the driver's side wall and then a bang and the wall separated from the floor. My husband checked it out upon our return, saw that the screws had broken off. We contacted the Camping World we bought it from and were told that it was not covered under warranty. So my husband replaced the 3 broken off screws with 6 new screws. This year, in June, the "fix" broke again on drivers side. We were not too concerned and continued our trip. In Aug, in Canada, the passenger side started making odd sounds and two days later a big bang, bang and the wall separated from the floor and I could see the ground below as we went down the hiway. We continued towards the US and in the next few days we could see the dashboard moving from side to side; our chairs we wobbling up and down, there was a snapping sound in the cap, the front door would not close properly, we had a short in the outlets in the cab and the dashboard started to crack. Upon arriving in Bellingham, WA, we contacted a CW who told us it was not covered under warranty. I asked for FR's number and contacted them with a detailed message. We continued towards CA very slowly and the next day FR contacted us and said it was covered and asked us to go to Indiana. That was not possible, so they hooked us up with a repair facility in Fontana, CA. We took our RV there and 6 hours later it was fixed. We were in CA for 9 days and then headed east towards FL our home. On day 4, in TX, the driver's side snapped again. On day 5, in LA, the passenger side snapped again. Contacted FR and they hooked up up with a repair facility in Ocala, FL and that is where the RV is now. Repairs are done but they are awaiting the strip that goes on outside. Question - what guarantee do we have that this will not happen again?

Question - what guarantee do we have that this will not happen again?
None. The dealers will only repair it with what the factory used.
Do it yourself or hire Eric52 to repair it!

[cler-b]

side wall shear bolts, no didn't have any probleme yet I have 3000 milles on the RV
but keeping my eyes open never know when it will happen, it's like anything else even in our house appliances need to be fix, so if it happen I will contact FR
and get it fix like our friend did eric 52, bolts and nuts it's the only way it will hold the wall in place,

[Arvicru]

A little worried here. Drove to Montana this week to see some family and while I was driving to fill my propane tank I made a turn and noticed my driver side wall moved independent of the floor When I got back to where we are staying, I looked underneath the wheel well and noticed about an 1/8 inch gap (which I could see day light)between the frame and outside wall. I leave back home (Ontario, CA.) on Friday and hope it doesn't get worse. I think I am going to pop the trim off and see if I can tighten the screws up. Hope it helps until I can get home a repair it properly. Any thoughts or advice?
Thanks,

[jd-ford-hd]

Originally Posted by Arvicru

?........... I think I am going to pop the trim off and see if I can tighten the screws up. Hope it helps until I can get home a repair it properly. Any thoughts or advice?
Thanks,

My guess is when you pop the trim off you will discover that the screws are actually broken. If your sidewall moves up and down in relation to the floor, broken screws are indicated, they will not tighten. So if you pop the trim, I would suggest being prepared to perform a repair. I dread having to rip up carpet and floor insulation to perform the nut/bolt solution. I'm thinking about doubling the number of self-tapping screws,(if our GT ever needs it) applying the "strength in numbers" logic..! Maybe even four times the number. Also, I will be sure the screws I use are long enough to go thru both sides of the steel square tubing. I have the same year and model as the OP, so far ours is holding up.

[Arvicru]

The wall is only moving a little and you can't tell unless you put your foot against where the floor and the wall meet. The gap is not big enough the see the actual screws, so I am kind of hoping they might have worked their way loose and I can possibly tighten him before they shear off, this how I think it happens anyway. The screws loosen up and then the movement of the wall increases until the screws snap. I could fix it properly if I was at home with the bolts.

[Joann26552]

Our 2008 Georgetown 350SE is in the repair shop for this for the second time. They are covering it under the 100,000 mile chassis warranty.
Our coach has 99,100 miles on it. I've had it since 14,000 miles.
We are full timers.
Please tell me that your fix worked over the last year or so!

Thanks!