2000 Wildwood Lite - 28QBS

[Golddisk]

I have a 2000 Wildwood Lite model number 28QBS and we have have issues with the roof leaking. The dealer said that the whole roof needs to be replaced at a cost of 7,000 $. We don't feel it would be worth putting 7,000$ into a trailer thats already 10 years old, however at the same time we don't have enough money to purchase a new trailer.

The camper did sit for a few years when my Dad had a heart attack and then also lost his job. We didn't have the money to go camping and we weren't able to do much with it. It has been leaking for possibly around a year. We didn't know how serious the problem was until we went camping and the one night it rained and leaked all over the master bed. I would also assume that theres mold due to the water.

I've heard that there is a 12 year warranty on FR roofs. We are the original owners and I just want to know if it would be covered.

[NWJeeper]

There in only a 1 year warranty on any RV unless you buy one of the big rigs worth a million or more then they stand behind them real well. Sorry to say but if the damage is more than the trailer is worth then pull it to wrecking yard. Don't throw good money after bad.

[Golddisk]

I see.

The 12 year roof warranty was in reference to this topic:
RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Travel Trailers: forest river 27bh roof leaks

Where someone has posted this:

The original rubber roofs on FR units has a twelve year warrenty for the original owners.

I wasn't sure if this was true or not and now I guess I got my answer that it isn't.

[mtnguy]

I also understood that there is a 12 year warranty on a rubber roof......it was listed in my brochure as "rubber roof with 12 year warranty". If it were me, I would be checking it out to see exactly what the warranty covers.

[Dave_Monica]

The roof warranty stipulates that normal maintenance is done, ie caulking as required to prevent leaking around roof openings such as a vents, A/C, etc. As the camper was sitting around for several years, this obviously wasn't done. Any warranty claim will be denied.

Sorry for your luck.

Dave

[Golddisk]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

I also understood that there is a 12 year warranty on a rubber roof......it was listed in my brochure as "rubber roof with 12 year warranty". If it were me, I would be checking it out to see exactly what the warranty covers.

Thanks for the answer. We are the original owners so we hopefully are covered. We will be calling Forest River to inquire about it tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

The roof warranty stipulates that normal maintenance is done, ie caulking as required to prevent leaking around roof openings such as a vents, A/C, etc. As the camper was sitting around for several years, this obviously wasn't done. Any warranty claim will be denied.

Sorry for your luck.

Dave

We did caulk quite a bit along the seams, around the vents and antennas. We also kept he roof clear of leaves as much as we could. By "sitting" i just meant that the camper hadn't moved. We still did complete maintenance on it.

[Dave_Monica]

I don't know? I look at the roof warranty as a false sense of security. The roof almost always leaks around some roof opening...manufacturer will say maintenance not done or done improperly and therefore, no claim. The roof leaks because of damage, tear, etc...manufacturer will say roof was damaged outside of normal wear and tear and therefore, no claim.

I seriously doubt that any manufacturer pays many claims on roof leaks outside their 1st or 2nd (optional) year warranty.

Dave

[NWJeeper]

I really have to agree with dave here. The 12 year warranty if it applies to you is on the rubber roof membrane itself not the places that need to be caulked. If the rubber itself wore out then maybe but that doesn't sound like the case. It won't hurt to try but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

[Golddisk]

In response to Dave's post that sounds like most companies.

If it isn't covered under the warranty we will probably put it up for sale and get whatever we can. Not much else we could do.

[Dave_Monica]

$7000 to the dealer to replace the roof seems like something close to sexual assault (if you now what I mean). That's 58 man hours assuming a typical shop rate of $120/hr.

Perhaps Milzat will respond...I believe he's been involved in roof replacement.

The big question is the source of the leak. You should be able to tell by soft areas on the roof or water stains inside on the ceiling. The entire roof membrane would have to be replaced, but only some sections of roof under-structure would have to be replaced. Do some investigating on your own, then take it to another dealer or two for quotes. Better yet to get a quote from a RV repair shop if there's one in your area that doesn't have sales overheads he's trying to cover.

Dave