Water Leak - Dealer can't find it

[GBarrett]

Sorry, I didn't read all the way down on the previous post.



(Uhm, if where the rv is stored has lawn sprinklers, I can't control that. Why wouldn't the cargo door be able to resist an irrigation sprinkler?)

I don't know how this will play out. There are times I feel that if it was raining one hundred dollar bills, I would get hit in the head with a sack of pennies. My hopes aren't high on this.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by GBarrett

Uhm, if where the rv is stored has lawn sprinklers, I can't control that. Why wouldn't the cargo door be able to resist an irrigation sprinkler?



Am I missing something?

What you are missing it that this damage, if caused by at a storage location by the location water system has nothing to do with YOUR insurance company, but the storage locations insurance company. It (may) seem(s) that your equipment had a flaw of construction... construction flaws should go back to the manufacturer. You would/could be filing a false claim and should be drop from your current insurance company for doing so.

The storage location will reject your claim as the door should not have leaked.
Your (current) insurance company will reject your claim. If you go to far and lie to your insurance and they 'pay' and then find out, they can and will sue you for cost and more.

My wife is an agent and I hate it when she 'brings her work home and talks about it'.

[GBarrett]

Oh, ok. That makes sense. If the insurance company suspects anything bogus, they will let me know. I haven't called them.



My real concern is that the dealer hasn't truly found the source of the leak and is trying to BS their way out of this. Two weeks ago they told me they had been spraying the outside of the RV for six hours non-stop and didn't find anything. I'm not sure how they have "all of a sudden" had an epiphany and found the source of the leak. Since the floor inside the storage compartment is fine, including the carpet, how did water get through the storage door, along the floor and into the bedroom without damage to the storage area?



I'm truly expecting the insurance to do nothing, and not much from Forest River warranty either.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by GBarrett

Oh, ok. That makes sense. If the insurance company suspects anything bogus, they will let me know. I haven't called them.



My real concern is that the dealer hasn't truly found the source of the leak and is trying to BS their way out of this. Two weeks ago they told me they had been spraying the outside of the RV for six hours non-stop and didn't find anything. I'm not sure how they have "all of a sudden" had an epiphany and found the source of the leak. Since the floor inside the storage compartment is fine, including the carpet, how did water get through the storage door, along the floor and into the bedroom without damage to the storage area?



I'm truly expecting the insurance to do nothing, and not much from Forest River warranty either.

Your BS meter is working correctly. They most likely still have no idea what is going on but need 'someone' to pay for tearing up your unit and that 'someone' that they are looking at is YOUR insurance company to pay for it. I would not call 'my' insurance company unless I had a straight answer to everything and you have none. Insurance companies can and do 'ding' person for discussing a potential claim. You call and tell them about 'damage'.... if it is not coverable on your policy, and it is not fixed by a dealer/repair place. They will note that and may down grade your policy. I would never call my insurance company if they may not and need not be involved, nothing good will come from it.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by GBarrett

I just heard from the service manager at the dealer. They think they found the leak. From their investigation, it seems that a sprinkler may have been spraying the cargo door and water found its way into the rv. They will try to get my insurance to cover it, although I'm not sure why warranty wouldn't play a part in this if water has been getting past a seal somewhere. I still haven't heard if I'll be able to keep my reservations on the other coast for my vacation.

My guess is that warranty might not cover as the seal was never intended to keep water out from a direct spray like a sprinkler. Just normal rain with occasional wind blown drops. Not a high pressure "hit" from a sprinkler nozzle.

I would have a talk with my Insurance Agent. Often they can talk to people the customer can't and work out a reasonable resolution. At least my agent has helped me like this in the past.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Brother Les

Sprinkler.... sprays door????

(YOUR) Insurance company should laugh at this sDealer. and then drop you...

Sell your unit and buy from a different dealer.

Why would they laugh? Probably happens more times than you know around the country.

As for getting dropped just for filing a claim, usually that only happens with lousy insurance companies.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Why would they laugh? Probably happens more times than you know around the country.

As for getting dropped just for filing a claim, usually that only happens with lousy insurance companies.

Getting dropped is for filing a FALSE claim.

The description by the dealer of how the water is coming in and how it is trans versing to another areas sounds suspect.


As for talking to 'your' insurance agent and letting him deal with it as 'he' can talk to others people that 'you' can not. This is to 'establish' liability of 'paying' 'damages' and what %percentage of liability does each 'company' hold. That is what I was alluding to before. No insurance company at this point in the process will except liability for the damages. Not the storage place, not the manufacturer, not the RV owners insurance company.

(Love reading your posts)

[GBarrett]

As for the sprinkler idea, I'm not convinced that is what I'm dealing with here. I went to where the RV was stored and there are no sprinkler heads near it. The ground is hit from a mister not a stream. I'm trying to not get too overheated on this yet, but I'm close. Since the dealer has seen the RV before and the leak was there when the camper wasn't stored where it is now, that makes me suspect.



So far Forest River is trying to shift responsibility to the dealer. I just want it fixed and paid - warranties are supposed to cover things like leaks.

Is that too much to ask?

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by GBarrett

As for the sprinkler idea, I'm not convinced that is what I'm dealing with here. I went to where the RV was stored and there are no sprinkler heads near it. The ground is hit from a mister not a stream. I'm trying to not get too overheated on this yet, but I'm close. Since the dealer has seen the RV before and the leak was there when the camper wasn't stored where it is now, that makes me suspect.



So far Forest River is trying to shift responsibility to the dealer. I just want it fixed and paid - warranties are supposed to cover things like leaks.

Is that too much to ask?

With what you have said, this does not entail your insurance company or the storage site insurance company.

The responsibility is on the dealer and it is also the responsibility OF The Dealer (not you) to work this out with Forest River. Tell the dealer that you want another unit in trade for your unit. He could not fix the unit that you bought so the contract should be null and void. The dealer then can work out a return of the defective unit back to Forest River and you should not be involved in that defective return but only the dealer.

[GBarrett]

In a perfect world I see that happening but,...

I've been exchanging emails with Forest River. Since the unit is just barely out of warranty, they're barking a bit, BUT it's documented at the dealership that I brought it in well inside the warranty period and they couldn't resolve it.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by GBarrett

In a perfect world I see that happening but,...

I've been exchanging emails with Forest River. Since the unit is just barely out of warranty, they're barking a bit, BUT it's documented at the dealership that I brought it in well inside the warranty period and they couldn't resolve it.

At this point, I would talk to the dealer about not 'repairing' HIS unit, but on what unit he will give you to replace of an unrepairable unit. Warranties are there for a reason. Repair defects. This unit is unrepairable and the amount of work that NOW needs to be done will undermine the unit more than it should. The dealer should talk to Forest River about replacing this unit with another NEW unit. Through no fault of your own, this damage has grown worse and worse and the CAUSE has truly not been found. Work with the dealer to replace the unit as soon as possible. there is no good reason to keep moving forward with this unit, for you or the dealer. You need to dump it back on the dealer and the dealer needs to dump it back on FR and FR will smash it flat.....

I know that that is easier said than done, but any other options going forward will satisfy no one.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Brother Les

At this point, I would talk to the dealer about not 'repairing' HIS unit, but on what unit he will give you to replace of an unrepairable unit. Warranties are there for a reason. Repair defects. This unit is unrepairable and the amount of work that NOW needs to be done will undermine the unit more than it should. The dealer should talk to Forest River about replacing this unit with another NEW unit. Through no fault of your own, this damage has grown worse and worse and the CAUSE has truly not been found. Work with the dealer to replace the unit as soon as possible. there is no good reason to keep moving forward with this unit, for you or the dealer. You need to dump it back on the dealer and the dealer needs to dump it back on FR and FR will smash it flat.....

I know that that is easier said than done, but any other options going forward will satisfy no one.

This is pretty much how I'd feel about a problem like this.

Unfortunately, warranty fine print USUALLY gives the factory the option to repair to what they consider satisfactory standards. Yes, THEY pretty much get to decide.

Customer can make demands to the Dealer, Dealer will point to Factory as the deciding authority, and the Factory will offer whatever they decide. If customer demands a new unit, good luck. I guess it is possible the Factory will do that but the skeptic in me says "not likely".

Also, fine print often excludes consequential damage. Factory will say the leak is their problem (maybe) but the damage is a consequence of the customer not being diligent enough to notice it earlier (like when it first started).

[doc73]

Should. Find that video that was posted about a recent court case in Illinois maybe. It was an interesting video of what the law required on whether you need to allow for the dealer to correct the issues.. In short you do not in Illinois (I think it was). Only good in that state, for now..

[whjco]

We bought a used Starcraft and didn't realize that there was a leak in the shower. The water from the leak got trapped between the plastic barrier and the chipboard floor and soaked the insulation. In addition, it was soaked up by the insulation in the walls so the water came up from the bottom. The leak was due to corner moldings in the shower that had absolutely no sealant behind them so water leaked around the molding and into the insulation below the floor. I took the molding loose and caulked the joints behind the molding. However, getting the water out of the trailer was extremely difficult. I installed vents, left a dehumidifier running and kept fans circulating. I still ended up with damage in the base of the walls as well as the floor.

[DouglasReid]

I recently found a leak I would have never located unless I was doing some maintenance. In fact I was installing an EMS behind my Load Center and just inside of the exterior connector plug.

The job actually needed me to remove that outside plug. When I did so I found the exterior wall and the 3/4" plywood backing were soaked, and soft from water that had leaked around a very poorly sealed exterior plug. The top half of the hole was OK, but the bottom half needed some work very badly.

I let it dry for a couple days and then applied Minwax Wood Hardener using a syringe I got from the drug store. I soaked it with that hardener til it would not absorb any more and then let that cure.

I then drilled out the holes a bit and put dowels in them, counter sunk about 1/8", glued in with Gorilla Glue. After sealing the ends I used JB Weld to cover and seal them further in that 1/8" space. I was able to predrill the dowels and install new stainless screws to attach the exterior receptacle again.

[Dog]

What I don't understand is why the dealer and Forest River are willing to let this thread continue without getting more involved. Forest River and the dealer's reputation are being destroyed. This is going to hurt the bottom line more than the repairs. Someone needs to step up and do the right thing and get the OP's investment fixed, ASAP.

[iammoco]

We had a leak for two years we couldn’t find, mainly because it wasn’t consistent. Sometimes the carpet in the front bedroom would be wet when it rained, sometimes not. I resealed all the windows, wasn’t that. Finally, I noticed water damage on the ceiling all the way in the BACK of our trailer. I had checked the roof a few times and never found anything, but climbed up there again. It was the hole/pipe in the roof the TV antennae cable was routed through, the sealant was gone. That pipe was the size of my thumb. So water was coming in that hole through the roof, down the walls, and on to the floor, as well as spreading across the inside of the ceiling all throughout the trailer.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by Dog

What I don't understand is why the dealer and Forest River are willing to let this thread continue without getting more involved. Forest River and the dealer's reputation are being destroyed. This is going to hurt the bottom line more than the repairs. Someone needs to step up and do the right thing and get the OP's investment fixed, ASAP.

While there maybe be a few FR people on here this forum is privately owned and not affiliated with FR in anyway.

[BTKIGHT]

Originally Posted by GBarrett

My 2018 Grey Wolf MK23 has had a water leak in the bedroom for quite some time. I had it into the dealer within the warranty period to have them fix it. At the time, the leak damage was small. The service department said that we must have let a sink overrun or something similar. I pulled the camper out of storage and prepped it for use when I discovered the leak damage was excessive. I took it back to the dealer and they just called me to tell me they can't find the leak anywhere and again said that I must have let a sink continuously run or something similar. They've checked the shower, which is on the other side of the wall. there are no water lines beneath the floor in that area. There is a window just above the damage, but dealer says it's not leaking there. Any ideas? I can't use it like this.

We had a leak in our bedroom but it was only on the right side of the bed/ slide. We thought it was possibly the toilet since that wall is between the 2 rooms. We then noticed it happening when it rained. We called out a repairman and they got on the roof and they discovered the cap that goes on the sewer vent was gone. New cap...problem solved.

[Togger]

If this leak was in fact reported to the dealer within the warranty period and has not been resolved, you need to get in touch with the Forest River customer rep for this brand and demand that it be resolved. If the dealer can’t resolve it, then it is considered a factory defect. Forest River needs to repair it at their factory where they can disassemble, find the source, and fix it right.

My Wildwood was repaired at the factory 16 months after purchase for a leak. It required very many email communications with the Wildwood rep and much persistence, but when the local dealer would no longer work on it Forest River had a hauler pick it up and take it to the factory and they fixed it right.