Anything wrong with this?

[trdutch]

Yep mine pulled away (no black piece ever installed)
They fixed it and now it is coming away again
I think the black piece is a Hokie fix for a design flaw

[wamafi43]

That looks absolutely wrong!
What does it look at the outside.
It almost looks that plastic strip shrunk and pulled away from the original position.
If it looks the same at the outside, water will get in there and you will have a lot of problems in the long run.
Send a picture to the manufacture's service department and let them handle this.
Have it fixed before the warranty runs out.

[A32Deuce]

wamafi43 do you have a class C?

[wamafi43]

I don't have a class C, but on my 5er, I have the same overhang in the front and if this would happend to me, I would want it fixed from a dealer under warranty.
You do it, they may wash their hands and void the warranty on your unit, specially if you should have water damage in the coming month.
That's what I would do anyway.
Ones the unit is out of warranty you can do what you want with it, it's your penny then

[rockfordroo]

If you follow the piece that curves down to the bottom, is there any "extra" down there? Seems like it should be pushed UP so that it closes up the gap better. Doing this may or may create another issue at the bottom.

Also, if the gap is only on the inside, it's probably not as big a deal, either; it's somewhat protected up under there.

[SS Cruiser]

Originally Posted by wamafi43

That looks absolutely wrong!
What does it look at the outside.
It almost looks that plastic strip shrunk and pulled away from the original position.
If it looks the same at the outside, water will get in there and you will have a lot of problems in the long run.
Send a picture to the manufacture's service department and let them handle this.
Have it fixed before the warranty runs out.

The outside looks just as you would expect it to look - fiberglass sheet with the trim sealed to it. Nothing is out of place and it all seems quite solid - just no caulk on the leading edge of the hard black insert. That insert is in tight and solid as well.

[A32Deuce]

Looks like the black piece is to fill in the transition with the flat piece behind the cab and the curved side wall. If the side wall was cut square, you would have a problem with cracking. A little calk and it should be fine. That is how mine is and no leaks.

[SS Cruiser]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

Looks like the black piece is to fill in the transition with the flat piece behind the cab and the curved side wall. If the side wall was cut square, you would have a problem with cracking. A little calk and it should be fine. That is how mine is and no leaks.

I agree with you about caulking it, good to know you have no leaks. Just to be on the safe side, I have sent a question to the FR service department. If I learn anything from them I'll be sure to share.

[A32Deuce]

I have been in some rain and wind that I started looking for the ARK. No leaks so far!

[Wandering]

My black insert didn't move & seemed firmly attached. Just had a gap along the bottom. Caulked it today. Look forward to hearing what FR says.


Forester 2451s

[BobHanke]

Send a picture like you showed us to your dealer so he is aware of the situation. Follow up with a phone call. As long as you register the problem now, he might allow a delay before correcting this under warranty.

[SS Cruiser]

Originally Posted by BobHanke

Send a picture like you showed us to your dealer so he is aware of the situation. Follow up with a phone call. As long as you register the problem now, he might allow a delay before correcting this under warranty.

Good advice. I was planning to contact the dealer tomorrow. We bought it at McGeorge's Rolling Hills RV in Ashland, VA. We will be passing through the area on our way to Florida later this month and it would be good for them to have a heads up.

We had a great experience purchasing from this dealership and I'm confident they will take care of us if any action is required.

[knockando]

Originally Posted by Big bird

Hi,

Your front bulkhead is loosening. There are screws that hold the bulkhead to the frame. It is more decoration than structural, but not to be ignored. You may have jumped a curb or hit a large chuck hole. To repair, take off the rubber strips that cover the molding on the outside edge of the bulkhead. You will see screws where the rubber strips where. Some should be lose and others missing. They are self taping about a quarter inch long. They should attach to an aluminum frame. Get half inch screws one size larger and replace all the existing screws on all four sides. You may find it necessary to add more screws near or at curves. It is OK to add more screws. If your rig is new, this repair is under warranty. If you are not handy, have an RV shop do the work. Make sure and reseal all molding.

This is ridiculous. Mine is the same way, as is many others as replied on this thread.

[rad_jr]

Totally normal...my 3100ss looks the same. The black plastic corner piece allows for a one piece metal molding with a smooth curve, as opposed to two pieces miter cut at a 90 degree angle. This is how my old Coachman was...the plastic trim looked like crap since it was smashed in the channel at 90 degrees, and when it popped out, it was a PITA to get back in. This setup is much nicer.

[A32Deuce]

Class C MH are built at different locations and different assembly ways as other FR products. Each have their own set of parts to deal with. Like comparing apples to oanges, yes its an RV but they are different.

[Joshua Cavitt]

This piece of trim is used Simply for aesthetics. None the less it needs to be fixed. To get it back to where it was you can heat it up and run a bead of glue down the back side and stick it back up there.

[SS Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Joshua Cavitt

This piece of trim is used Simply for aesthetics. None the less it needs to be fixed. To get it back to where it was you can heat it up and run a bead of glue down the back side and stick it back up there.

Stick it back in where? It's already in there. It couldn't be any more in there. When I push on it it doesn't move. Good to know it's only decorative, but I do think that it needs to be caulked on all three edges.

Given the variety of responses, I'm thinking that a picture is not enough to convey what is going on with this. If I boil down all the comments, I think I can be reasonably assured that this isn't a real problem. I'm still waiting to hear back from FR Service.

[A32Deuce]

SS Cruiser. Yours didn't fall out. Sealing it was proper. FYI Joshua Cavitt is our go to on this forum.

[bclemens]

Let me clear up any speculation since there seems to be a lot of "jumping to conclusions".

The part in question is a black plastic block in the first picture, not the white plastic screw cap. Previously when a Class C is built, that section USED to be a 90 degree angle. In fact it still is...sort of. The framing structure is till 90 degrees...however many customers felt that a radius there would be more "aesthetically pleasing".

So...the framing is still built at a 90 degree angle, but the skin (as all our units are) hangs over the edges of the framing. The line will then ADD the radius corner block in that area and then route the fiberglass skin off along the radius. There is nothing wrong with that picture. You could take the block out, route the skin to 90 degrees and and add the trim back and boom, no more plastic block. The only thing that could be said is that the radius block could be more aesthetically pleasing from the cab area. Plant could have used white...but those blocks don't come in white and they already used those for radius window corners. So with a part they already stock they were able to get a nice curve on that section. They have been running them that way for probably 4-5 years (or more) and no one said a thing.

[SS Cruiser]

bclemens, thanks so much for clearing that up. I'm sorry if my previous comment seemed a bit snarky, but I was getting frustrated by the variety of responses I was getting, many of which didn't seem to apply to my situation.

I never did think that there was anything wrong structurally. I just thought that it looked unfinished and I was concerned about the lack of sealant on the leading edge of the black insert.

I sealed it up today with Proflex and now I'll move on. I haven't heard back from FR Service, but that's a mute point now. Thanks again.