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Old 01-30-2012, 11:46 PM   #1
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rockwood 128 door problem

The day when we picked up our A frame, the man doing the demo tried to force the camper close while the top and bottom of the door were still latched together. Three days later I realized that the hinges of the top portion of the door are bent so the door is not alined. There is also many areas where the caulking seems messy.
When I first called the dealer were we picked up the unit I was told that I did not point this out. After explaining what had happened I was told that since I live 4.5 hours away I could try getting a quote and see if Forest River would agree to pay.
Has anyone had any damage like this, or has had any problem with Forest River? Anyone ever repair this problem?
Any help or advice will be appreciated.
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Old 01-31-2012, 01:49 PM   #2
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Hi Edgar. I'm sorry your new camper has a problem. There are a couple of points I can give from the experience of many of us on the forum that may help you decide how serious the problem is:
1. There is a small amount of upper door misalignment that is common on these units. By that I mean that the upper door doesn't close as flush to the sidewall as the lower part does. Many of us have noticed and commented on that and it was one of the first things that startled me after the golden aura (that I kept seeing every time I looked at my new camper) faded <grin>. I can only guess that it's a result of some design factor. I'd estimate that at the very top of the door my aluminum door molding stands a quarter to three-eighths of an inch out from the mating sidewall frame. That's part of the reason for the little plastic turnbuckle on the inner side of the upper door--to pull the door in tight when you're buttoning up for the night. Even if I leave the turnbuckle unfastened, though, I've found that the upper door's weatherstripping keeps rain out just fine. If your upper door is farther out of alignment than this, it does seem like it's a repair issue.

2. The second thing is the turnbuckle itself. More than once I've been startled to see a huge upper door misalignment only to find that the turnbuckle had become turned while the door was opened. That made the door hard to shut and pushed the upper part out a lot. I only mention this as an example of what can happen, not to diminish the situation you're seeing.

One thing I might suggest if your hinge(s) are way out of true is to see if there's a friendly local body shop that would bend them back for a few bucks. They have specialized tools that perhaps even the dealer wouldn't have. Might be worth a try. If it worked it could save you the trouble of filing a warranty claim.

Maybe someone else on this forum will make a better suggestion. Lots of good people here.

Last point is that one of the door problems on one of the other brands of A-frame campers (i.e. not a Forest River brand) is that the upper door falls through its frame while the camper is folded and on the road. At least we don't have those problems!
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Old 01-31-2012, 04:24 PM   #3
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I can confirm as Hamguy states. The upper door does not close flush on many of these units. I also failed to notice in my new camper ether induced state of drool and awe that my door didn't make it against the door frame.

After reading here and asking around I felt better.

I have been lucky enough to not have experienced a heavy rain as of yet (only got a limited # of trips in between Sept and Nov but it did see some limited rain with no ill effects in the yard before one trip). Using the travel latch on the upper door should cover things when I'm inside the camper and the design does appear to be such that any intruding rain will drain straight down the door frame and out the bottom of the door (outsider he camper).

On my camper there is no damage to the door, frame or hinges. It's just the way the door is designed.

I did find wrapping a strip of paper around the metal latch that holds the top door to the bottom door (the little metal U shaped rod attached to the latch) tightens up the top door making it a little closer to flush. Might help you out too.
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Old 01-31-2012, 05:29 PM   #4
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I forgot to mention that I've been through three tremendous storms in my camper in the past year, including one of the infamous Lake Superior storms while camped lakeside, and I've never had a door leak.
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Old 01-31-2012, 09:13 PM   #5
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128 door

Thanks, people. I appreciate the response. My door seals tight all around . It is actually out of square or... hanging down on the left and only the top portion.
ps. this is sure a friendly helpful place!
Happy Trails!
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Old 01-31-2012, 09:35 PM   #6
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Ah. Different issue then. An auto body shop might still be the way to go, both price- and time-wise. Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out!
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Old 02-01-2012, 05:13 PM   #7
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open your camper and look towards the radio, fire extinguisher cabinate. If you see the top of the cabinate off from the wall, the idiot who walked you through the camper, pulled the screws that hold the sidewall, above the passenger side wheel well away from the countertop, which is a huge no-no. This is what it sounds like to me .... and must be fixed by FR.
Oh .. and get the extended-lifetime warrenty on the cabinates, flooring and outside fiberglass for the extra 100 bucks ... it will save you years of concern in the longrun.

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