New Silverback - Cracking in Front Cap

[heavynlori]

we used a product called Liquid Roof on our old slideout - goes on like thick syrup and worked great !!! sounds like that might be what they used.... it comes in gallons and quarts

[BigJohnD]

That sounds like what it might be. I'll shoot them an email this morning and find out for sure.

[Pitcrew18]

Glad everything worked out well for you also, it makes you feel really good when a dealer as well as a manufacturer does the right thing when you have a problem.

[10x]

Looks good!

[BigJohnD]

Just got a reply back from my service guy. The coating they use on the roof seams is in fact Liquid Roof by Pro Guard Coatings. I like the looks of it on ours. Maybe I'll take a picture and post it.

[10x]

Originally Posted by BigJohnD

Just got a reply back from my service guy. The coating they use on the roof seams is in fact Liquid Roof by Pro Guard Coatings. I like the looks of it on ours. Maybe I'll take a picture and post it.

Take a few pics, I would like to see it.

[MMattox]

Me too!
I would also be interested in what that roof coating costs, can not be cheap but would sure be nice!

[heavynlori]

when we bought it online it was about $30 for a quart - it comes in gallon and five gallons too - approx $300 to do roof of whole camper with one slide at that time and we did it ourselves - great info and pictures on Liquid Roof website

[BigJohnD]

heavynlori, that's about the same price they had quoted me for the quart. Here's just a few pictures of the stuff on our roof. Pretty much flows into every crack and crevice, better than dicor does. You can see the dicor outline, and then where the liquid roof is. I know you pretty much have to have dicor initially, but this just makes me feel better. Thinking about doing my cargo trailer with this stuff.

Looking at the pictures in the post, it's better to click on them to blow them up to see it better.

[heavynlori]

yep same stuff - amazing product - we had a hole in slide roof that we patched and sealed whole thing with product - filled in outside edge of slide where debris collected before (no toppers on old Dutchmen &#128521. no problems ever after that - have a quart now and will do new Crusader as soon as it is warm enough

[BigJohnD]

Well, guess I got excited too quick. Just when I thought we were home free and most all the problems worked out in 4 months, it gets worse. First, the repaired cracks in the cap came back just as bad, so a new cap is in order. Cracks that we had repaired in the outdoor kitchen door are starting to resurface, so we have to get that replace. And the doozy, water damage. I had noticed a small drip every once in a while on one corner of the bedroom slide. This has gone on for a while and I never really paid it much mind. Well curiosity got the best of me today since it hadn't rained in a while, and I started removing trim. Removed the angle trim on the side and noticed mold and the luan backer had wicked water up in the wall. After a while, it was dripping more. I pulled the bottom t-molding / flange off, and it poured. What looked like it was sealed very well, must not have been. The molding must have been leaking since it left the factory. Now, the luan backer is soaked most of the way around the slide, and the floor, being the almighty OSB, has soaked it up as well. I left the moldings off for now to try and let it dry some. Now, full timing comes to an end temporarily. We have to bring it in in a week and leave it for no telling how long. From my observations, the whole slide floor and walls need to be replaced, but tearing into it will determine what all is a loss. I have calmed down a little, but this morning I was ready to throw a match in it and chalk cedar creek up to no better than the cheapest one the lot. I know it happens, but a water damaged floor should never happen this quick. We've already sunk so much money in this thing with upgrades, it's not worth getting rid of at this point. What stinks is my wife and kids have to go live with her parents while I'm at work, then when I get back we have to move back into my shop until it's done. I'm gun shy to say the least.

Word to the wise, check your t-molding on that slide. After looking at another new one on the lot today, it's well on it's way to the same problem. Notice in the second picture, NO butyl tape or sealant on the outer wall. It was just top sealed, and looked pretty good, but was still leaking.

[sidney]

Sorry to hear about the new and recurring problems John.

Do you believe the water is entering at the bottom of slide at the angles you removed? Is there any sign of leaking inside the camper? Have you checked your other slides?

Can this be related to the plastic glides you had installed to prevent damage to the darco fabric?

[BigJohnD]

On the bedroom slide, there are no plastic glides as it doesn't have the Darco wrap. It's just some sort of coating. There was no evidence from the inside that anything was wrong. No wet carpet or walls. Looking up behind the fiberglass, it appears the insulation is dry. Just the bottom 1 to 2 inches is wet and stops somewhere about where the aluminum framing is. I guess that's a good thing. With only that much wet, it's almost obvious it's the t-molding leaking, which is also what the dealer mentioned as a possible problem. I have checked the other slides although they are totally different. No water anywhere. On the 3 flush floor slides, I will be removing all the screws from the strips at the bottom and putting sealer in the holes, then maybe a strip of eternabond over them just to be on the safe side. If I wouldn't have checked out this drip, The floor would've completely rotted before really noticing anything. Guess it's a good thing I noticed it this quick, and also a good thing I just got the 2nd year warranty. Might need it. At this point, I refuse to let this fifth wheel whoop me.

Only bad thing about this, is most of the time after they tear into one this deep, it's just never the same. But, I do have a good dealer that's already working on this with CC. It's the only dealer I actually trust to make it right.

This is the second water problem I've had with FR products, the first being with our Forester, which was still leaking when I traded it. Even the factory service didn't get that one fixed after a major attempt. I won't knock CC, but after owning several brands, I realize I'd be better off building my own in the future, to get it right the first time. No doubt, ALL manufacturers have problems. The market says build more, build faster, and we all pay the price for the demand.

[MIFarmer]

If you ever get a tour of the plant (which they schedule after-hours), you'll notice that when the 2:30 buzzer sounds the workers literally drop what they are doing and bail. You'll literally be stepping over plugged-in nail guns and screw guns laying in the isles or where ever work was being done on the unit. Then when they show up the next morning they'll hopefully just pick up and go from wherever they stopped. Kinda makes me wonder how many of these simple little mistakes in construction are a result of that work flow. It's easy to miss things in those conditions, especially when you're already running at 110% capacity.

Hopefully you'll get a quick remedy on this one. Out of curiosity, what was your build date?

[BigJohnD]

I think this one was built in November 2013, but I'd have to check the tag again. I totally understand the factory thing. I've not been to CC, but have been to several others and it's the same song and dance everywhere. The most recent one was the Forester plant, and I spotted several things missed here and there. We were supposed to be making a trip to Indiana soon, just to pay several manufacturers a visit, with a list of questions, and a LOT of suggestions. We keep up with the market as a whole, and take a lot of notes. The biggest item on my list was the Darco under the slides, which is just flat out uncalled for when there are many better ways of doing this. The plastic glides is not the fix, it's just a bandaid to a known problem.

[sidney]

John... know you've got a lot on your mind with the new problems... but if you can find the time I'd like to see pics of the plastic glides. Maybe they're better than nothing at all to protect the darco.

thanks

[BigJohnD]

Sidney, here's a few pictures of the glides underneath our slides. They're about 4 inches under the slide and turn up and are secured under that trim. Hard to see in the other picture from the inside, but you can barely see how it contours to the wedge. Our dealer stocks these things as they have seen the same problems with the Darco on a LOT of brands. Other picture is of the bedroom slide, and you can see how the glides aren't necessary on that one.

[sidney]

Thanks for posting the pics John.

My Darco is not tearing... yet... but I can see some wear. I'm going to talk to my dealer about adding the glides.

Good luck with your fixes.

[Pitcrew18]

Any chance of Forrest River taking it back as a lemon?

[BigJohnD]

The lemon thing would never happen. I've been around several manufacturers, and they'll practically rebuild the entire rig before they call it a lemon. No joke, I've seen both side walls and roof replaced on a motorhome under warranty. I wouldn't want the thing after that, but some are ok with it. The way I see it, it's aggravating, but at least it's only 1 small slide, and of course the cap and outdoor kitchen door. Nothing structural, just a little cosmetics and a small slide. It does piss me off, and I'm not as thrilled with cedar creek as I once was, but we need a home, and this is it for now. I've joked about it before, but now I'm thinking more serious about being just as well to buy the cheapest thing on the lot next time, as they're all built similar. Other option is to build my own, which is a possibility down the road. I wouldn't feel so bad right now if I'd only spent $30k opposed to $50k. So, I guess you don't necessarily get what you pay for. Ever look at just how much laminated MDF board is in a Silverback? Pretty sickening. I don't exactly buy the fact that more money equals more quality. All that said, there is no fifth wheel that I know of for the price of a Silverback that has all solid wood cabinets, little to no MDF, solid surface under the slides and a box tube frame, with the 35QB4 floor plan.