Roof leak at front cap on 2016 3101ss

[VinceU]

Nice job however the valves under the sinks are air ADMIISSION VALVES only. The vent most likely is combined with a lateral inside the walls. A steady supply of gray water gas would run you out in short order.

[HappyGuy]

Originally Posted by VinceU

Need to think this over very carefully, once this tape is applied the roof and coach are downgraded to "patched". No one expects to sell on the spot, maybe upgrade or worse. The roof will be "patched" forever. Yes the buyer will notice, and yes no one can tell what's under that "patch".

An excellent point that I had never even considered. I was considering having a bed liner professionally applied to the top of my rig to cover all of the seams around the edge of the fiberglass but it would have required removing all of the accessories like vents, AC etc and after that the etching process might damage the fiberglass or worse the liner wouldn't adhere completely and would start coming off later.

Opted to stock up on dicor instead and keep any weight away (like my fat foot) from the front seam where the cap connects to the roof. It's a weak point even after it was reinforced.

[bambam]

Originally Posted by VinceU

Nice job however the valves under the sinks are air ADMIISSION VALVES only. The vent most likely is combined with a lateral inside the walls. A steady supply of gray water gas would run you out in short order.

Maybe, nothing visible so far. I would personally doubt otherwise the Admission Valve won't be required, correct? Takes a lifetime to get familiar with all the guts of the RV. Cheers!

[PA Campers]

Obviously not a surprise that we have a leak. We bought the unit from Campers' Inn in Philadelphia in June of 2017 (it was a leftover). Our story begins soon after we bought the RV. We anticipated having some problems; it has been the inability to get these problems fixed that has us at the end of our tether. We took the RV back to Camper's Inn of Philadelphia (where we purchased it) on June 29, 2017 for a leak in the roof. They had the coach for about a week. We picked it up and was told the leak was fixed. First rain, the leak was back. We took the coach back on August 9, 2017. This time they kept the coach for 3 weeks. They assured us that they had fixed the leak; the length of time needed was to take cap apart and find/fix the bad joint. We picked up the coach on Sept 1, 2017. It rained last week and the leak inside the coach is worse than ever. We looked on the roof and could see that nothing had been done. The same caulking that was there before was still there (we have pics of before and after). I am not sure what they did, if anything, for the three weeks they had the RV.


Currently, the RV is at the Mercedes dealer getting the fuel tank replaced. They found damage to the electronics due to the water leak. The repair due to that corrosion is not under the warranty from Mercedes. Who will pay for that and future damage (mold and delamination) that will be due to the water?

Before we purchased, we had read that Forest River stands by its products. We have contacted them and the Campers' Inn customer service. Haven't heard anything more yet other than they are sorry and want to help...we'll see. The BBB is our next step.

Any advice at this point?

[poppytoymaker]

Send your info into Motor Home magazine, they do an article every month of people that have problems wit RV companies and vendors and try to resolve them and are successful in most cases.

[WayneLee]

I mentioned the "fix" on another thread, but it bears repeating here. My dealer tried three times to fix my front cap leak, I did not give him a fourth chancel!

After 3 times, my warranty was over and I took my coach to my normal repair shop, which is rated one of the best in the West. The owner took me on a tour of his lot to look at his backlog of RV's waiting repair. There were 5 FR Class C's and 4 FR 5th wheels.

The owner told me that all those RV's were there because of leaks, and that the leaks were very common in FR products that had the one piece front cap, occurring at the joint between the front cap and the roof. He had developed a repair plan for the leaks and it was successful in almost all the FR products he had worked on.

His solution was to completely remove as much of the old sealer as possible between the cap and the roof. Then using dicor, reseal the joint. Then, they put a 6" wide strip of eternabond tape, spanning over the joint the entire width of the roof, followed by a bead of dycor around the edges of the strip. Then, they remove and reseal all the marker lights on the front. He told me that every two years, I should bring my coach back in so they could check how the joint was holding up.

Since then, NO LEAKS. But, wow, that 6" tape is really expensive, but worth it!

[newRVer]

Originally Posted by bambam

One inch hole for the wires which I protected with black plastic sleeve (automotive style) to ensure they are protected against rubbing against sides, also filled the hole with dicor sealant. The hole inside is also accessible in the back of cabinet, so if anything happens I would know [knowing is key]. I'll post another thread at a certain point re: solar install.

What you did sounds similar to what I've been thinking about doing. Pictures of that work would be helpful.

[newRVer]

Originally Posted by WayneLee

I mentioned the "fix" on another thread, but it bears repeating here. My dealer tried three times to fix my front cap leak, I did not give him a fourth chancel!

After 3 times, my warranty was over and I took my coach to my normal repair shop, which is rated one of the best in the West. The owner took me on a tour of his lot to look at his backlog of RV's waiting repair. There were 5 FR Class C's and 4 FR 5th wheels.

The owner told me that all those RV's were there because of leaks, and that the leaks were very common in FR products that had the one piece front cap, occurring at the joint between the front cap and the roof. He had developed a repair plan for the leaks and it was successful in almost all the FR products he had worked on.

His solution was to completely remove as much of the old sealer as possible between the cap and the roof. Then using dicor, reseal the joint. Then, they put a 6" wide strip of eternabond tape, spanning over the joint the entire width of the roof, followed by a bead of dycor around the edges of the strip. Then, they remove and reseal all the marker lights on the front. He told me that every two years, I should bring my coach back in so they could check how the joint was holding up.

Since then, NO LEAKS. But, wow, that 6" tape is really expensive, but worth it!

There are a number of threads on here about using eternabond on the roof joints. It would be great if someone can include a few pics of what there repair looks like after the work is done.

[HappyGuy]

The fix on my rig included a reinforced cross brace right where the seams meet to provide additional meat for the screws to bite into. The folks that do the factory repairs in Elkhart cut down a larger chunk of wood to fit the curve of the roof and installed it under that seam. However, if those screws ever leak that wood will rot out. Ideally an aluminum brace CNC cut with tapped and drilled holes and sealant in each hole would be the ultimate fix along with the external sealing but the cost of such a fix is likely the reason nobody does it. That or a multi-piece setup similar to a negative arch spring with brackets on the end to hold the leafs. However, those leafs would need to be tack welded post install to reduce flex and prevent the potential problem of that spring compressing and pushing the walls out when a heavy weight steps on the seam. Maybe I'll take that on if mine develops a leak again.

I redo the dicor every other year on that seam and around the perimeter.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by bambam

Maybe, nothing visible so far. I would personally doubt otherwise the Admission Valve won't be required, correct? Takes a lifetime to get familiar with all the guts of the RV. Cheers!

No sorry are are needed to allow drainage water to fall into the grey tank. Sinks would not drain without them. Vents on the other hand allow tanks to rise and fall almost like breathing. They are often combined into one rider through the roof.

[prien007]

Originally Posted by VinceU

Need to think this over very carefully, once this tape is applied the roof and coach are downgraded to "patched". No one expects to sell on the spot, maybe upgrade or worse. The roof will be "patched" forever. Yes the buyer will notice, and yes no one can tell what's under that "patch".

What is the downgrade for a rotted roof? Seems many people are stuck with a defective product or one that they lose more than average on in trade in. If I had known, I would have preferred a dry patched to instead of the mess I have.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by prien007

What is the downgrade for a rotted roof? Seems many people are stuck with a defective product or one that they lose more than average on in trade in. If I had known, I would have preferred a dry patched to instead of the mess I have.

Seems most of these posts are new or mostly new seams failing. My advice- don't overreact, it costs.

[prien007]

Originally Posted by VinceU

Seems most of these posts are new or mostly new seams failing. My advice- don't overreact, it costs.

New seams, as in fresh from the factory? Either ways, its a chronic problem if my 2012 leaks, and 2016 models are still leaking. To each his own. This is not something that can be fixed after it starts. The coach is never undamaged again. My advice is unchanged.

[benagi]

Wow, I can't believe a 2014 Forester roof got that bad . I was told by CW that the roofs on Forest River had a 10 year warranty. That should include cracks on the roof.
Our rear cap was leaking and now I'm in the process of applying eternabond to the rear cap and front cap seams on our 2016 Forester.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by benagi

Wow, I can't believe a 2014 Forester roof got that bad . I was told by CW that the roofs on Forest River had a 10 year warranty. That should include cracks on the roof.
Our rear cap was leaking and now I'm in the process of applying eternabond to the rear cap and front cap seams on our 2016 Forester.

Ben, what color Eternabond and how wide, 4 inches? Any photos?

[KayleysMom]

Originally Posted by newRVer

There are a number of threads on here about using eternabond on the roof joints. It would be great if someone can include a few pics of what there repair looks like after the work is done.

There are several pictures included in this thread: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ip-135894.html

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by PA Campers

Obviously not a surprise that we have a leak. We bought the unit from Campers' Inn in Philadelphia in June of 2017 (it was a leftover). Our story begins soon after we bought the RV. We anticipated having some problems; it has been the inability to get these problems fixed that has us at the end of our tether. We took the RV back to Camper's Inn of Philadelphia (where we purchased it) on June 29, 2017 for a leak in the roof. They had the coach for about a week. We picked it up and was told the leak was fixed. First rain, the leak was back. We took the coach back on August 9, 2017. This time they kept the coach for 3 weeks. They assured us that they had fixed the leak; the length of time needed was to take cap apart and find/fix the bad joint. We picked up the coach on Sept 1, 2017. It rained last week and the leak inside the coach is worse than ever. We looked on the roof and could see that nothing had been done. The same caulking that was there before was still there (we have pics of before and after). I am not sure what they did, if anything, for the three weeks they had the RV.





Currently, the RV is at the Mercedes dealer getting the fuel tank replaced. They found damage to the electronics due to the water leak. The repair due to that corrosion is not under the warranty from Mercedes. Who will pay for that and future damage (mold and delamination) that will be due to the water?



Before we purchased, we had read that Forest River stands by its products. We have contacted them and the Campers' Inn customer service. Haven't heard anything more yet other than they are sorry and want to help...we'll see. The BBB is our next step.



Any advice at this point?

Depending on your state, it has the making of a Lemon Law claim. How much time were you denied use due to shop repairs. The magazine help is by action line, very successful with arbitration.

[benagi]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Ben, what color Eternabond and how wide, 4 inches? Any photos?

Sage, I bought a roll of 6 inch white. Will install this weekend when the weather is drier. Will take pics then.

[newRVer]

For all of those who completed the Eternabond Roof repair, how far past the seam did you go down the side 1", 2" ???

[benagi]

Originally Posted by benagi

Sage, I bought a roll of 6 inch white. Will install this weekend when the weather is drier. Will take pics then.

Here are a couple of pics I took today after I finished. Note, I only taped the areas of my roof that hold standing water after it rains.