replacing front and rear caps on 2016 Cedar Creek

[kenenn]

You are quite correct , it is in Topeka but since my Niece lives in Elkart, I always refer to the " area " as Elkhart. My bad !!

[B and B]

I would say pain them. Replacing opens up all kinds of issues with seals and roof leaks. Too bad they did not paint them in the first place. They have known for 5 years prior in 2016 they fade and look bad.

[keith52]

Originally Posted by spock123

Thirty miles is a good ways. I like the Shipshewana area. If at the factory in Topeka be sure and check out breakfast at Tiffany’s

Spock, if you miss breakfast at Tiffany's, the BP gas station on the corner sells a great hot dog. Just try to get one that hasn't been on the roller since the previous day. If they are sold out of hot dogs, try the fried chicken, it's just like the Blue Gate.

[rlreed]

Replacing both caps because they are faded. Absolutely no way would I do that if they're not leaking. Once their opened up there is a good chance they will leak. Any good body shop can paint them to match and you would never know the difference..

[Rookiewood]

Absolutely not ! Not if they’re only faded !
I replaced my front cap ones because I had to do it it. It was leaking bad,factory paid for everything but it was never ever the same....
Ended up with delamination and factory didn’t pay the second time around!
My2¢

[Jcoope]

We had the same problem with fading front cap decals. They were replaced twice and the second decal is severely faded. We keep the RV under a shelter and in the shade. Shop foreman's last opinion was to leave the decals off. Not what I wanted to do/hear but that will solve the problem. By the way, I did communicate with Forest River, no help.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by milehicampers

We've been trying to reason with Forest River for the past several months - the front and rear caps on our 2016 Cedar Creek 36CKTS have faded - we purchased an extended warranty - it's not covered - took 6 weeks to get that answer; Forest River said they will replace the caps IF we pull it to Indiana, they will not send the caps to Camping World (where we purchased it) for them to do the job. They said they would give us $1500, and ship the caps if we bought them outright. Cost to replace is $2400 labor PLUS the cost of the caps. Cost to repaint is $8,000. We are not retired, and we are 1200 miles from Indiana so can't drive there easily and wait a week then drive back. Any suggestions are appreciated! Tomorrow we will try to escalate at Forest River - but their last word was take it or leave it.

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

I'd say get a commitment for the replacements to occur at factory and then plan a nice road trip to Elhart for next Spring Summer or Fall. They build those units in 3 days. A both cap replacement can be done in 1 or 2 days at the factory. Just put them in the middle of a 2 or 3 week vacation. I was at the factory last August and I saw how fast, efficient and dedicated those guys are.

Just my 2 cents.

That's what we did in 2017. Got a commitment and planned a trip through there on our way west.

Originally Posted by splong16

I just called Shawna at the factory on October 29, about our cap fade. We now have an appointment in late April for replacement at the factory. It takes 2 days ( 1 day for each cap).

Originally Posted by mecd

September 2017 we had both front and rear caps replaced by Orvan and crew at Amish Family RV. We had the option of the factory or Amish Family and we were pleased with the Orvan. Replacing both caps was a morning event, but needed to leave the unit off the road to allow the sealants to fully set. That was advised to me by other shops on an earlier fiver when sealants were replaced.

As for shipping the caps, good luck with that. The New Brunswick CC dealer stated that it is virtually impossible to have them shipped and not have damage no matter how much protection and padding is used. The bouncing along the lovely roads chaffs the caps. That dealer recommended the factory route.

Actually we enjoy Indiana's RV area having spent several trips there over the years. Go to the Elkhart tourist bureau, get a 2-disc CD that provides a very interesting self-driving tour of the greater area. May make another trip in 2019 and it is not around the corner for us.

They have special trailers to transport these caps standing up. They have several of them loaded in special racks (sorta like the way glass windshields are transported). So, getting you one would be very expensive in transportation/shipping cost.

Originally Posted by Sparkyone

We have the same problem with the Faded Gell- Coat Cap on our 2016 Tracer --Had lots of communication with both the Dealer (Travel Land RV in Langley BC) and Also with Forest River --with no one accepting any responsibility to look into having it repaired properly. Even with the extended warranty, no one cares, they have your money.

So I guess its us, the owners of these crappy nose cones to come up with the money to repair it.

One thing I was looking into was to have it Vinyl Wrapped -way cheaper than repainting. The vinyl wraps they have these days are very durable and last if applied properly. They can pretty well get the vinyl in any colour you want. Maybe the way to go for repairing these problems.

Forest River as far as I know, had settled on an agreement with the cap manufacturers that caps would be warranteed for 30 months from date of manufacture, not the date you bought it & to the original owner. So, check your date of manufacture (white sticker on the drivers side). Sounds like you're close or past the 30 months but.....

When we had ours replaced it was touch & go. I first noticed the issue around the 23rd month of ownership (Sanibels have a 2 year warranty), so I notified Prime Time. First they said send pics., so I did. They agreed to do the repairs & I would bring it to Indiana around August of 2016. I kept taking pics. & sending them to my assigned contact at PT. We couldn't make it to Indiana in 2016 so when I tried to contact them about it and make other arraingements, they said they weren't going to cover it because they had no evidence and "white ones don't fade". They may not fade but, they get dull & blotchie. Apparently, my contact no longer worked there and they didn't have access to their emails. No problem, I have the paper trail and resent all the pics. & correspondence. Needless to say, my cap was replaced with a painted one in June 2017 & they even sent it off to a "rain bay" facility to make sure it didn't leak.

Originally Posted by GOTTOYS

I don't know who gave you those quotes, but I sure wouldn't get any work done there. $8,000. to paint both is only about $6,000. too high. Check with a local shop that paints trucks and buses. They will have a big enough paint booth. Most RV dealers don't and they will send it out and mark up the price. Painting them is the only real cure. New caps will fade in a few years too. It's the gelcoat that fades. Take some pictures, use them to get some quotes. You won't need to haul it around that way. Cedar Creek helped me out when I got mine painted. If you need a shop in MN I can recommend one that did a great job for me.

Originally Posted by B and B

I would say pain them. Replacing opens up all kinds of issues with seals and roof leaks. Too bad they did not paint them in the first place. They have known for 5 years prior in 2016 they fade and look bad.

You may not have a choice. It's quicker for the manufacturer to have one painted before your arrival so they can replace it faster. Painting one on the RV requires special facilities and more man hours to prep the cap, cover the entire RV then paint. Then there is the issue of the sealant. Some sealants are not paintable so, the paint job will not have a good sealed edge where it meets the sealant & may start to peel in a few months/year because it couldn't adhere.

[johnstammy]

I would think you could get it repainted locally cheaper and less headache than going back to the factory. I have a 2015 Wildwood and it's frontcap is faded too.
Get the factory to send you new decals and have it repainted with better quality paint/gel coat.

[hughd033]

I would also suggest that after you get it done get paint protectant warranty and then get a cover built or pull over to store the unit out of the sun. Even though it is painted it is also not a high grade several clearcoat finish and the sun isn’t your friend. Had a 18 by 41 foot Carolina storage unit built to put my previous 2016 5er and now 2018 class A under and I can tell you the 5vr looked like the day I bought it as did the roof. If you can and have the space it is an investment that pays back in reduced maintinance. as well as increased resale value