Ceiling Nightmare

[Kilcrease]

I have a 2023 25' Forester LE with 7K miles on it. The strapping used to cover the ceiling seams will not stay up. I have glued them countless times and now the front ceiling is starting to separate from the roof. The craftsmanship on this thing is horrific, and I regret ever purchasing this brand. This is not our first RV. Any suggestions for keeping these strips from dropping down other than 5" nails?

So far I hired a carpenter to replace a warped closet door that was also installed improperly and a plumber to install the front sink properly. Two dozen or more screws have fallen out of the slide out, and Alpin Haus claims that is normal.

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the General Tech and Repair section to the Forester and Sunseeker sub-forum for better help from other Forester owners and possible factory support.

[Kilcrease]

Thank you.

[RobbieH]

Hey Kilcrese, unfortunately I can't help you, but I'll warn you in case you change your mind on your purchase, don't buy a Thor. My $125,000 Thor was an absolute piece of junk. It was in the shop for 172 days on the first 11 months of ownership. Over on IRV2, I found out that I wasn't alone either, they really just slap them together and shove them out the door. They don't even clean up the construction mess before they ship them, I have pictures somewhere but there was all sorts of cut wires, sawdust, etc. in any bay they could throw it in. I've had our Rockwood now for 5 years and nothing but just minor stuff has gone wrong - this is our third RV so I'm not a newbie either. I finally had to file lemon law to get out from under it.

[Kilcrease]

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. I bought this in Oct of '22 and it has been in a shop most of the time. It's been to three RV centers now. The rear camera dies right out of warranty, and it is the biggest source of stress I have with one thing after another. We had a Class A Holiday Rambler that we actually lived in for four months with two kids and never had any issues. I had no idea how messed up an RV could be with this.

[RobbieH]

Originally Posted by Kilcrease

We had a Class A Holiday Rambler that we actually lived in for four months with two kids and never had any issues. I had no idea how messed up an RV could be with this.

Sorry to get off topic here... but...

I'm glad you said that. My last coach was a Safari Gazelle, also a Monaco. We sold it with 119,000 miles on it, and it never had a single problem until the transfer switch went out the day someone came to look at it. Those old Monacos are awesome. If I ever bought another pusher, I'd be going back to them again -- pre 2007 of course. 2007 is when the quality of them really started going downhill, and REV just made matters worse.

[ChrisParise]

As.far as the ceiling trim is concerned, I had one in my sunseeker that separated in one place from the ceiling. Just like yours.

I think I used clear RTV to reattach it. But since then there's a product out there for bonding shower stall walls to the wall studs called Power Grab. Not sure I think it's a Locktite product.

Rtv is usually in a squeeze tube, cleaner easier to apply
Power Grab needs a caulk gun so use caution on how much you apply or you'll have to cleanup the excess
Might be able to find it in a squeeze tube but used it for a shower stall and needed 2 or 3 tubes.

Power Grab is probably a permanent fix imo

I've used both quite a bit and because your fighting gravity with this issue, I'd recommend some bracing to keep pressure on the work pieces. The rtv will cure faster but I'd keep pressure on either for at least 24 hours for a good bond

[Mokurt]

Originally Posted by RobbieH

They don't even clean up the construction mess before they ship them, I have pictures somewhere but there was all sorts of cut wires, sawdust, etc. in any bay they could throw it in.

The mfg's just sweep everything under the rug!

[karykatz]

Kilcrease,

I'm sorry to read about the issues you are experiencing. we don't like to just sweep issues under the rug, and we want to help. Can you please let us know your vin number so we can investigate.

[RobbieH]

Kary believe me I was talking about Thor. I have not experienced that issue with Forest River products.

[karykatz]

Thanks Robbie. We appreciate your support.

[Kilcrease]

Originally Posted by karykatz

Kilcrease,

I'm sorry to read about the issues you are experiencing. we don't like to just sweep issues under the rug, and we want to help. Can you please let us know your vin number so we can investigate.

This is a 2023. VIN 4X4MFRX23PF060612, Chasis VIN 1FDWE3FN7PDD08717

It is a 2023 Forester Limited Edition. It was purchased in late Sept 2022, it now has only 7K miles on it since it has been being serviced so many times. It has been in the shop collectively more than in my possession. It was delivered to us with plumbing, lighting, finished carpentry, and wiring issues. The dealer was useless. We had to replace the backup camera and I had to hire a carpenter to fix the closet doors. Thanks to this thread I have the ceiling strips falling off fixed, and hopefully for good. Somebody installed them with tiny headless nails, and no glue.

[phalexander]

Sorry you’re having so many issues. We also purchased a 2023 Forester - our 6th motorhome - and it has been totally trouble free. Literally the only “repair” I’ve had to make in 10,000 miles has been to adjust the entry door striker. We downsized from a Newmar class A that many more issues. The others were a Thor, two Winnebagos and a Fleetwood. All of them had issues, and I’m sure this one will as well at some point. I can appreciate that you are very stressed but it is not fair to suggest that all Forest River products are poorly made. Good luck in your repairs.

[Kilcrease]

Hi, I don't recall suggesting that every RV made by FR is defective. I merely mentioned that ours has been extremely problematic and I was looking for a solution for one of many issues. I also mentioned that I previously owned another brand that I had no problems with for over twelve years. I will also add that the dealer we bought the FR was horrible. We were charged prep on the unit and it was turned over with over a dozen issues that continue to be problematic. We wound up going to another dealer who doesn't sell FR, but has been helping us through the mess.