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Old 04-03-2016, 06:23 PM   #21
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If it's gel coat then yes there could be a problem. It's my understanding that the darker the color the more it's susceptible to fading. That's why several MFGs have now gone to lighter colors for the front caps. Painting the only way to completely avoid the fading.
I won't buy a trailer that has a gel coated front cap. Well maybe a white colored front cap. Funny that that's the color that was so common for years. Wonder why?
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Old 04-05-2016, 08:24 PM   #22
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Try Poly-Glo. My 2010 had heavy oxidation all over. It looks brand new now. I can actually see myself in the front cap reflection.
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Old 04-06-2016, 09:55 PM   #23
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We own a 2015 34RL and just noticed the top of the front cap has faded bad. I contacted Henry Sears and he said because we are 2 months out of warranty, they would send x amount of money and decals and I would have to sign a waiver. I will take it and the x amount of money don't even pay for the painting materials to do it myself.
With cedar creeks brush off of the problem and of coarse my selling dealers lack and unwillingness to fix warranty items from day one I think I am done. I cannot tell people that want to look at our beautiful unit that all was well and it came without problems. In my earlier post when we first bought it we have a window that doesn't belong. It still has not been replaced in fact it was resealed when the dealer said they had the replacement. Cedar creek has said the right things but still not resolved. We are going to the frog rally in Aug and there I will do my damage with documentation.
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Old 04-06-2016, 10:26 PM   #24
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I was cleaning the black streaks off my 2015 FR3 when I put my had on top of the front cap for balance and "what the (bleep)!" This was 2 weeks short of my 1 year. I sent pics to the dealer and FR3 warranty rep and they are taking care of it. I will revisit this string afterward and update with my full opinion.


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Old 04-07-2016, 06:53 AM   #25
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Silverbackmel had his cap fade and re done and a re fade within 120 days.
Silverback mel is now happy, WHY, you ask?! Well, I was up to Goshen on other issues last year and was offered a 2016 OYSTER cap that was there as an extra in inventory. Mel said "Heck yes" and so it was done!
DW missed the "bear" decal for about a month. I missed it for 5 minutes. Unit looks great and NO MORE DARK COLORS FOR ME!
Thank you FR for the option. Fortunately, Silverback does not have a painted rear cap.
My unit: 2015 Silverback 33rl. LOVE THIS THANG ( Georgia speak &#128513.
See ya'll at The Rally in August. Requested parking with the "Creekers".
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Old 04-07-2016, 10:44 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 97flhtcui View Post
We own a 2015 34RL and just noticed the top of the front cap has faded bad. I contacted Henry Sears and he said because we are 2 months out of warranty, they would send x amount of money and decals and I would have to sign a waiver. I will take it and the x amount of money don't even pay for the painting materials to do it myself.
With cedar creeks brush off of the problem and of coarse my selling dealers lack and unwillingness to fix warranty items from day one I think I am done. I cannot tell people that want to look at our beautiful unit that all was well and it came without problems. In my earlier post when we first bought it we have a window that doesn't belong. It still has not been replaced in fact it was resealed when the dealer said they had the replacement. Cedar creek has said the right things but still not resolved. We are going to the frog rally in Aug and there I will do my damage with documentation.
Did you not get the 2 yr extended warranty?
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Old 04-07-2016, 11:06 AM   #27
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Cedar Creek has had a lot of problems with cap fade, it looks like they could have fixed the problem by now. The problem with cap fade has not just started. I had cap fade on my 13 model and now the 15 model as well.


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Old 04-08-2016, 03:24 PM   #28
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So, in a last ditch effort to get some relief on my front and rear caps, I contacted Henry Sears one more time with this email:

Henry –
I was going to reply to your response immediately but I decided to wait in order to couch my message in more temperate terms.


Thank you for reminding me that my warranty had expired on 11/19/2014. That, coupled with “We respectfully decline participation in this issue” tells me that your response was approved by your legal department.

Since you were kind enough to educate me by including: “Please note that this is not a painted cap. It is gel coat”, I decided to go back and review the claim regarding “gel coat” in your Cedar Creek product brochure and found this statement that had led me to believe that “gel coat” was far superior to paint:

“Cedar Creek uses True Noble ‘Classic’ Gelcoat STANDARD on ALL units. This product is the BEST OF THE BEST on the market and is a very expensive option on other products (IF it is even offered at all). This exterior is much thicker than other products on the market. This helps our units keep their color longer without fading or discoloring.”

My unit started to deteriorate at about the 18 month point, despite regular upkeep, as recommended. At the risk of repeating myself, as I stated before, no amount of professional waxing and buffing has been successful in stopping the deterioration of the paint, er, gelcoat. You state: “it is an environmental and maintenance issue that is outside of your control”. Perhaps it is, but not 18 months after delivery. If it is, you might be better off “painting” your product line and staying as far away from gelcoat as possible.

I can understand that Forest River has no control over the environmental issues, but you had to know that a 40ft fifth wheel was destined to spend its lifespan in the wind, sun, snow and rain and that the paint, er, gel coat needed to withstand such exposure for a nominal period. Had this happened at the 5-7 year mark, I might not have reacted with much surprise. But 18 months? C’mon, man…..

Again quoting from the same brochure:

Cedar Creek Back to Basics Fact #8 – “Cedar Creek is one of the most desired used products on the market to date because of how well our product ages”

Well, now we both know better than that, don’t we? It’s a MANUFACTURING defect, Henry, plain and simple. And since I’m not the only one with this problem, I’m thinking Forest River should have recourse with the vendor for providing you with a series of defective front and rear caps, rather than trying to point the finger back at the consumer.

I was hoping your reply would have included some sort of accommodation beyond attaching a PDF from the vendor on how to maintain my RV – that’s pretty insulting

As the now fairly ticked off owner of a barely 2 year old Cedar Creek 38FL - which had an original MSRP just north of $92K - I sincerely hope there is more that can be done to rectify this situation.

All things being equal, we’re getting ready to hit the road on a 4500 mile trip in a unit that appears to have a growing cancer, front and rear. What we tell people about this very visible defect will depend entirely on what remedy Forest River deems more cost effective…….

Dan
Here is his response:

Dan-

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately, our denial stands as there is no defect here and your unit’s warranty has expired with us.

I included helpful information on the email on how to keep it looking nice, not to insult you, which is the extent of the service I can provide you. This is something that can happen to anything made of this material.

Painted units are available as an option.

Thank you,


Henry Sears
Cedar Creek Warranty
Forest River, Inc
Office: 260.593.4000
Fax: 574.322.6751
Email: hsears@forestriverinc.com

So any of you that think just maybe Forest River will help with the cap issue once the petty warranty has expired.......



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Old 04-08-2016, 03:58 PM   #29
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I do like the wording to the email to Henry. I also thought about the factory tour at cedar creek 2 years ago but then remembered they were talking about the side panels apparently. I think I would rather get a cap like silverbackmels. The light color would look more attractive and how many rv's out there with light caps have this problem? 14 months and fading? And while we are at it how about them life time warranty LED gig lights.
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Old 04-08-2016, 08:41 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MeepMeep View Post
So, in a last ditch effort to get some relief on my front and rear caps, I contacted Henry Sears one more time with this email:

Henry –
I was going to reply to your response immediately but I decided to wait in order to couch my message in more temperate terms.


Thank you for reminding me that my warranty had expired on 11/19/2014. That, coupled with “We respectfully decline participation in this issue” tells me that your response was approved by your legal department.

Since you were kind enough to educate me by including: “Please note that this is not a painted cap. It is gel coat”, I decided to go back and review the claim regarding “gel coat” in your Cedar Creek product brochure and found this statement that had led me to believe that “gel coat” was far superior to paint:

“Cedar Creek uses True Noble ‘Classic’ Gelcoat STANDARD on ALL units. This product is the BEST OF THE BEST on the market and is a very expensive option on other products (IF it is even offered at all). This exterior is much thicker than other products on the market. This helps our units keep their color longer without fading or discoloring.”

My unit started to deteriorate at about the 18 month point, despite regular upkeep, as recommended. At the risk of repeating myself, as I stated before, no amount of professional waxing and buffing has been successful in stopping the deterioration of the paint, er, gelcoat. You state: “it is an environmental and maintenance issue that is outside of your control”. Perhaps it is, but not 18 months after delivery. If it is, you might be better off “painting” your product line and staying as far away from gelcoat as possible.

I can understand that Forest River has no control over the environmental issues, but you had to know that a 40ft fifth wheel was destined to spend its lifespan in the wind, sun, snow and rain and that the paint, er, gel coat needed to withstand such exposure for a nominal period. Had this happened at the 5-7 year mark, I might not have reacted with much surprise. But 18 months? C’mon, man…..

Again quoting from the same brochure:

Cedar Creek Back to Basics Fact #8 – “Cedar Creek is one of the most desired used products on the market to date because of how well our product ages”

Well, now we both know better than that, don’t we? It’s a MANUFACTURING defect, Henry, plain and simple. And since I’m not the only one with this problem, I’m thinking Forest River should have recourse with the vendor for providing you with a series of defective front and rear caps, rather than trying to point the finger back at the consumer.

I was hoping your reply would have included some sort of accommodation beyond attaching a PDF from the vendor on how to maintain my RV – that’s pretty insulting

As the now fairly ticked off owner of a barely 2 year old Cedar Creek 38FL - which had an original MSRP just north of $92K - I sincerely hope there is more that can be done to rectify this situation.

All things being equal, we’re getting ready to hit the road on a 4500 mile trip in a unit that appears to have a growing cancer, front and rear. What we tell people about this very visible defect will depend entirely on what remedy Forest River deems more cost effective…….

Dan
Here is his response:

Dan-

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately, our denial stands as there is no defect here and your unit’s warranty has expired with us.

I included helpful information on the email on how to keep it looking nice, not to insult you, which is the extent of the service I can provide you. This is something that can happen to anything made of this material.

Painted units are available as an option.

Thank you,


Henry Sears
Cedar Creek Warranty
Forest River, Inc
Office: 260.593.4000
Fax: 574.322.6751
Email: hsears@forestriverinc.com

So any of you that think just maybe Forest River will help with the cap issue once the petty warranty has expired.......




Look why don't you contact a lawyer, Cedar knows about this problem with the cap fade. My first Cedar Creek faded at about 15 months, I had the 2 year warranty, Cedar Creek wanted to pay for a 4 hour fix, Tom Johnson wanted to have camper sanded and painted. The Cedar Creek I have now faded at 10 months, Cedar Creek is going to replace the cap. The is a lot of Cedar Creek owners that have the same problem, other manufacturers have the same problem but Cedar Creek does brag about how good there gel coat is.


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Old 04-08-2016, 09:21 PM   #31
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I've always had excellent results with this:

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Old 04-08-2016, 10:28 PM   #32
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Sounds like it is time for class action suite.


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Old 04-09-2016, 12:12 AM   #33
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This fading issue has been a thorn in my side for a few years. I went through this with a Heartland product. After some prodding i was able to get them to pay for painting the front cap. A couple years later I ended up paying to paint the rear cap. It is still a problem to find a shop capable of painting it, then drag it around for estimates etc. This is a major stumbling block to my purchase of a new 36CKTS. Cedar Creek claims this issue has been resolved with a "new improved" gel coat that they currently use on all end caps starting in the 2015 model year. Yet I hear of 2015's getting painted..I refuse to purchase until I see that this issue is resolved..
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Old 04-09-2016, 07:17 AM   #34
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Meep Meep - Dan
Excellent letter to Henry Sears and a very disappointing reply from him. Now I realize how lucky I was that my dealer got a new front cap replaced on my CC. Without knowing for sure, I think my dealer was compensated by FR for painting the cap and he ate the difference and ordered a new cap and put it on. It cost him a chunk of money but he took care of the customer. My dealer is a 300 mile round trip for me but rest assured if I purchase another RV it will be from this same dealer. Nothing was done to my rear cap but only the very top is oxidized at this time, three years out. If I keep the trailer for another few years I will eventually have to paint the rear cap myself. If the "new" front cap starts to fade again any time soon, I will head to my dealer and trade for something else. As stated by someone, it is very difficult to find an experienced repair shop that has the facility to accommodate a 13' 6" fifth wheel. I guess I will start looking for a shop now.
Good luck Dan.
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Old 04-09-2016, 08:22 AM   #35
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I think the "true noble classic" gel coat described by Forest River is only on the sidewalls and not the caps. While loading my kayak on my truck, which wasn't quite pulled far enough forward, the rudder slightly scratched the front cap. The scratch is about an inch long and can barely be felt with your fingers and is less than the thickness of a piece of paper. The brown scratched like a thin coat of paint, which I believe it is(I can actually scratch it further with my fingernail), and the white is showing. Now I don't really know much about fiberglass fabrication but I thought gel coat was thicker and more durable than paint. If the caps are gel coated as claimed then it's ultra thin and of far less quality than the sides... There were several Cedar Creeks where we wintered this year, most have some degree of fading on the front caps(mine doesn't, yet). Forest River can claim what they want and throw blame for it on the consumer, environment, supplier or whatever. But when they sit side by side with other older units in a campground and theirs is the one with obviously fading caps despite being obviously a newer unit, well it looks like 'buyer beware' and they get checked off the list for potential buyers. The side are beautiful, smooth, and shiny. The front caps, which is what you first look at to see the logo, look out of place, like it's several years older than the rest of the fifth wheel. It doesn't make a very favorable impression to say the least. It begs the question 'gee, I wonder what else goes wrong with those?' It's obvious there's a problem and the manufacturer hasn't stepped up to take care of it. Reputations are what you build and not what some joker on the phone tells you what they are. Forest River needs to step up and take care of it's customers instead of making them feel like now that they have their unit they're on their own.
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Old 04-09-2016, 10:32 AM   #36
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Don't get me wrong I like the 36CKTS and I would like to get one but with that being said with the troubles I have had with cap fade on two Cedar Creek's I'll have to think about it. I think they fixed the cap fade on the Siverback's, now they sport a white cap or its lighter in color


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Old 04-09-2016, 10:35 AM   #37
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Oh yes we are taking the Creek to Alaska this year from NC and the cap looks like it's 20 years old instead of only 15 months. It will be October before it goes back to the factory for cap replacement


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Old 04-09-2016, 02:42 PM   #38
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goduc-
No I didn't get the 2 yr warranty. I have an extended 7 year but that isn't the point. If you have as many units with the same problem just after 12 months you call that a defect. We can't let company's hide behind wording like that.
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Old 04-23-2016, 11:18 PM   #39
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Update: looks like we are getting new caps!!!! Yeah
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Old 04-24-2016, 05:48 AM   #40
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That's great. I just hope the cap I get does not fade for a long time


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