2010 Flagstaff 228D top issue

kharless · 04-17-2011, 03:31 PM

Greetings,

Bought new late last year, used twice so far, and already seeing some micro cracks in the edge of the top plus a discolored yellow line where the top rolls to the back and down the center. Going camping this next weekend so don't have time to put back in the shop.

Questions;
Is this indicative of a serious problem?
I heard some people paint their tops with reflective paint, does that violate the warranty?
What about roof racks, does drilling through the top violate the warranty?

Kurt

kharless · 05-01-2011, 08:47 PM

Apparently no one else is experiencing cracks in their tops. Lucky me. Now I would rather just paint it with some good RV white coating and hope for the best, but I do not wish to violate the warranty if indeed the top becomes an issue. Anyone paint their tops? Any advice?

grhodes50 · 05-01-2011, 08:56 PM

The best thing you can do is take pictures, document everything and get it back to your dealer. It sounds like you have some serious problems going on.

Do not paint anything on top. It could void the warrranty.
While these roofs are made for someone to walk on on, they're not made to carry cargo. So I wouldn't add any roof racks.

It would be good if you could post some pics. We could then see exactly what your talking about and it could help if anyone else is experiencing the same thing.

and

to the forum.

kharless · 05-01-2011, 09:06 PM

Here is a link to our shutterfly account where I uploaded some pics from the top; I know the cracks are small but this camper is new!

Pics

grhodes50 · 05-01-2011, 09:08 PM

After re-reading your post I thought about the caulking. If that is what your seeing cracking and discoloring, then that's normal.

So if it is the caulking, then you need to clean the caulk with accetone or something similar, then fill the cracks with Dicor Self-Leveling Sealant. If you don't, then you may experience leaks and all the problems that can cause.

Maitenance of the caulking is the owners resposibility and damage due to lack of maintenance is not covered under warranty.

Good luck.

grhodes50 · 05-01-2011, 09:13 PM

OK, I was typing while you posted the link to your pics. It's not the caulking. I would get it to the dealer as soon as you can. I would think your warranty will cover it.

Sorry about your problem and I hope things work out for you.

kharless · 05-01-2011, 09:48 PM

Thanks for the advice. I will take it to the dealer. Any idea how long the warranties normally last on the roofs?

grhodes50 · 05-01-2011, 09:59 PM

I believe it's 12 years on the roofing material.

sherdep · 05-01-2011, 10:20 PM

It doesnt look like the Rubber Membrane roof mine has so not sure if it would be 12 years or not but I would think it would still have some sort of warranty on it.

Hopefully you got the 2nd year warranty since your's is a 2010 - then there would be no questions or hassle's.

When you touch or rub your hand on the rood does it feel like painted fiberglass or does it feel like a rubber coating?

grhodes50 · 05-01-2011, 10:28 PM

It looked to me to be a vinyl roof. It carries the same warranty the rubber roof carries.
kharless, if it's niether one of these then you need to check with your dealer. Regardless, it still should be covered under the original warranty since you've had the trailer less than a year.

sherdep · 05-01-2011, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grhodes50

It looked to me to be a vinyl roof. It carries the same warranty the rubber roof carries.
kharless, if it's niether one of these then you need to check with your dealer. Regardless, it still should be covered under the original warranty since you've had the trailer less than a year.

I didnt see the Late Last year part until I re-read the first post

- I agree it should be covered under warranty since it hasnt been a year yet - good luck and let us know how you faired out on getting it resolved

kharless · 05-01-2011, 11:03 PM

They said fiberglass but I would agree it feels like some sort of textured vinyl or plastic. I will swing by the dealer this week and see what they say and report back. Thanks for all the great advice. Hopefully it's nothing. I still would love to put a cargo rack up there. My truck is full since their is minimal storage in the trailer. Think I should have gotten a High Side!

grhodes50 · 05-01-2011, 11:48 PM

I guess I opened my mouth before I opened my eyes. I'm just now realizing that you have a pop up. I believe the tops are fiberglass, so maybe an easy repair. Depending on how bad it is, they may replace the top.
I know there are bike racks made for pop ups, so check with your dealer about a cargo rack. Of course you'll need to watch the GVWR of the trailer.

Good luck and I apologize for giving you bad info.

sherdep · 05-02-2011, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grhodes50

I guess I opened my mouth before I opened my eyes. I'm just now realizing that you have a pop up. I believe the tops are fiberglass, so maybe an easy repair. Depending on how bad it is, they may replace the top.
I know there are bike racks made for pop ups, so check with your dealer about a cargo rack. Of course you'll need to watch the GVWR of the trailer.

Good luck and I apologize for giving you bad info.

your info wasnt too far off though other then maybe the warranty length - I didnt put two and two together either on a pop up also

to the OP - most likely it is a rubberized paint with the non slip in it painted over the fiberglass shell - I would still take it in for warranty work so it is documented provided you are the original purchaser - Forest River only gives warranty to the original purchaser and not the 2nd one and so on like a car manufacture does.
and like stated above - I would say it probably is an easy fix

flyrotor · 05-02-2011, 01:36 PM

On my previous pop-up trailer I put a roof rack on my trailer, I do believe that it would probably void the warranty as I had to drill through the roof, but honestly I didn't even think of it at the time. The roof was made of the same materials as seen in your pictures. The roof is a fiberglass overlay laminated to what appears to be a 1/4 in sheet of plywood, on the interior there appears to be another sheet of plywood, the two sandwich the framework, and are filled with a hard foam insulation (seems like the expanding foam squirted between the layers then hardens)

The rack system I used was Thule, included the roof rails accessories that can be installed on Leer truck tops, then using accessories I was able to haul three kayaks on the top, or 6 bikes, or a combo of both.

I don't have close up pictures, but this is what it looked like loaded. It worked very well, all the screws installed where sealed with silicone caulk as was the bottom of the rails as I installed them.

I am not saying this is/was correct and appropriate, but I can say I did not have ANY adverse problems, and it worked very well for me. Loading was simple due to the height of the trailer, the weight seemed very well distributed using the Thule system. Just of note, it is difficult to find the roof rails on Thule's site because of the vehicle fit program they use. I bought the whole thing from rackwarehouse.com. Just look through all the Thule accessories or search for rails.

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