Water leaks

[Barteln]

Water Leaks
We have a 2014 122S that we purchased during the summer of 2013. We had a water leak around one of the front windows. Dealer sealed all windows and said we would not have a problem again. This winter we discovered a crack in the new caulk and fixed it. After driving in rain and snow yesterday, we had a major water problem. Water leak around one front and back window and water that came into the center of the camper - wet bed, wet floor water running off heat pump and microwave, soaked curtain over the microwave cabinet. We are very distressed about the situation. Does anyone have any suggestions. We will take the trailer back to the dealer tomorrow and don't anticipate great service as they told us they don't make enough profit on an a-frame to want to do service work.

[D-mo]

dont make enough off of Aframes to do the warrenty work?? what a load ...
in my experience with our leaking window issue, caulking is only going to fix the problem temporarily. I have even masked the window, and applied RV flex to about 1/2 inch of a bead ... and it still leaked after a few weeks .. just drips .. not lots.
your best bet is 3m extreme sealing tape .. my dealer did the repair under warranty last year. great stuff ... this was also supplied by the dealer for the fix.
phone forest river if you have any issues with this dealer .... they need to know. they will most likely sent you to another.

d-mo

[Pooneil]

That kind of cynicism is galling. If an auto dealership maintained that low of an opinion of its self and its products, it would be out of business quickly.

I've not experienced the problem, but enough members have to be sure it is a manufacturing quality issue. D-mo's advice of using the 3M Extreme Sealing Tape seems to be the best solution and a good preventative measure too. Make sure the dealer fixes any internal water damage too.

[rawlus]

The 3M tape was identified as the preferred and recommended solution in the first model year based in a few cases if leaking in those early models... I don't think there is a better or easier solution.. I too would not recommend caulking, it seems caulking never holds up on exterior surfaces and requires regular inspection and attention if used.

[loki008]

I am not surprised the attitude that your dealer gave you. I got the same thing when I took my unit to my local dealer for some minor seal issues and was told they had no interest in servicing it because the warranty work wasn't profitable. If i wanted to pay out of pocket it would be $150 - $200 if i wanted to have them to do the work otherwise i was free to take my "business" elsewhere.

Its pathetic how some dealers behave. I wish the manufacturers would hold them responsible

[rawlus]

The issue is the manufacturer will only reimburse the dealer a certain amount, and for small repairs it likely is below the dealers standard labor rate or cost.

Dealers are usually a necessity to obtain a new unit, afterwards it helps to be self sufficient, handy and resourceful. If I had a major issue I'd likely hire the traveling RV repair person over dealing with a stationary dealer miles away who doesn't want to deal with me in the first place.

I suspect all dealers hate doing warranty repairs and if you have a little $10k camper they don't mind telling you to buzz off completely, that's just the way dealers are....

If you're interested in a $200k class A they'll fall all over themselves to help you.

[loki008]

Originally Posted by rawlus

The issue is the manufacturer will only reimburse the dealer a certain amount, and for small repairs it likely is below the dealers standard labor rate or cost.

Dealers are usually a necessity to obtain a new unit, afterwards it helps to be self sufficient, handy and resourceful. If I had a major issue I'd likely hire the traveling RV repair person over dealing with a stationary dealer miles away who doesn't want to deal with me in the first place.

I have heard this several times as "justification" as much as I can understand the logic, its complete BS. Whether $10k or $100k these are still new units that carry a manufacturer guarantee and you would expect to be able to get service for any issues that a new unit has.

I think the issue lies both with poor customer service with the dealer, as well as the manufacturer.

The dealer fails in the fact that in the case where they wont touch the unit because you didn't buy from them in so far as there is a reason that they didnt gain the business in the first place. This is their second chance to kindle a relationship that they failed to capture in the first place. In my case I know full well that this camper is a starter unit. Its perfect for me and my wife right now, but after we start a family we will likely quickly outgrow it. I expect to upgrade within 5 years personally. Secondly its a chance to upsell services. A car dealer gets below market rate on their warranty service, but every time I have had a recall or service on any of my cars the local dealer has always strived for excellent customer service to win my non covered business such as my oil changes and recommended service. Whereas what I have experienced so far has driven me away from ever trusting them with my service and even for maintenance I will stay far away from them.

As for the manufacturers. Well frankly that there isn't some language in their reseller agreement to require a certain level of customer service is a huge failing on their part. Either you are a factory service center or you are not. You should not be able to pick and choose based on profitability of the individual job. If warranty service isn't profitable, thats fine, then you aren't a factory authorized service center.

[D-mo]

i think one of the main reasons my dealer did the fix was that i purchased a lifetime warranty for the unit for 100 bucks and change from FR. this ensures that problems with the externals are covered, roof, siding, frame and flooring are fixed until i sell the unit to another person.
Did you purchase this extended FR warranty Bartlin? this warranty offer is held close to the chest by some dealers, including mine .. until i researched it, and found the offer and presented it to them when purchasing the unit.

d-mo

[Pooneil]

Although I don't have any personal experience int the industry, I would be surprised if the OEM does not have a requirement that the dealer perform any warranty service brought in for the type of campers they sell.

OTOH, I wouldn't be suprised that the OEM ignores or selectively enforces this. If the dealer is selling enough high value trailers and a few PUPs, the OEM would focus on keeping the dealer happy just to keep the PUPs on the lot.

Regardless of the reason, anyone that gets this kind of answer from a dealer should, IMO, relate the experience in any and all online reviews of the dealer so potential buyers can get a fair picture of the after sale experience.

In this regard, I took my A122S camper back to Toppers in Waller, TX recently for what I thought was a leak in the draw tube from the fresh water tank. The dealer worked on it and determined the fresh water low point drain was not seated all the way. They said to push a bit harder when closing the valve if it ever leaked again, thanked me for the business and sent me on my way with no charge. The leak could be from a low quality valve or be considered a user error, but they took my concern seriously and made sure it wouldn't happen again.

[loki008]

Originally Posted by Pooneil

Although I don't have any personal experience int the industry, I would be surprised if the OEM does not have a requirement that the dealer perform any warranty service brought in for the type of campers they sell.

Nope, I called FR and they said they cant require a dealer to perform work and that they are free to chose what work they perform. I was then given a list of other FR dealers in the area to try. That kind of response from the manufacturer makes me think they don't have any such agreement in place for service.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by loki008

Nope, I called FR and they said they cant require a dealer to perform work and that they are free to chose what work they perform. I was then given a list of other FR dealers in the area to try. That kind of response from the manufacturer makes me think they don't have any such agreement in place for service.

Nothing like the horses mouth.

[Barteln]

Thank you for taking time to reply to my concern. We have an appointment for May 7 to have the leaks fixed. I will insist on the 3M tape around the windows and hope they can find the "big" leak that may be coming from the roof gasket when the camper is closed. The dealer again told us that a leak is very rare and there have only been two of us with a problem They did say that the manufacturer changed the caulk they use on the new 2015 models. If they don't think this is a serious concern for us, I will see what they would give us for a trade on a 2015. By the way, we did purchase the $100 extended warranty.

Do you think the rockwood a-frames are always going to be prone to leaks? We love our A122S concept, and had no problems downsizing from a 40 ft Allegro Bus. The convenience in towing, storing, parking, insurance, fuel, etc has been worth the small size.

[OutAndAbout]

I have the a122s also, so far no leaks...... But the roof gasket you mentioned where the top half of the roof comes down on the lower half developed a gap between the gasket and the edge on the top half. Looking across the lower roof I noticed that it was bowed, causing the gap. I called Rockwood warranty service and they said that the lower roof half will need to be replaced, as a warranty service. Currently waiting for them to switch over to making aframes so they can make my replacement roof panel, with better reinforcement. I keep it under a carport and within 3 days they sent me a second gasket to install on top of the existing to temporarily keep it from leaking until I get the new roof installed. I had mine out last week for 4 days, one day we had up to 50 mph winds with buckets of rain and I had no leaks. Maybe just luck. If no one has told you, or maybe you know, when not in use keep the front of the aframe 3-4 inches higher than the tail end to keep water away from the gasket. My dealer has agreed to do the repair but he is 360 miles away, noon of the local FR dealers would do it.

[rawlus]

Prone to leaks, no. Amongst all the units out there we have a few complaints on the forum...I've had mine since they were first made with no leaking issues. For those buying new and concerned about leaks, obtaining and applying the 3m extreme tape around the skylights as a permanent lifetime precaution is both inexpensive and easy enough to do yourself.

As to dealers. I don't rust them and don't expect much from them. And a lifetime warranty from FR doesn't do anything for you if you can't find a dealer to do the work. So for me, I expect to be self-reliant after purchase.

And I'm not at all justifying dealer bad behavior. I don't think it's justified, I just thing it is typical. My personal belief is dealers are Rather seedy characters not to be trusted on anything.

[Steve 911]

Wow, and I was already to go shopping for that brand....I wonder if Chalet units have the same issues?

[rawlus]

I believe any rv with similar construction could have issues. The issue is related to how the windows are attached to the roof ( screws which cannot be torqued too tightly ot they will crack the material) combined with this rv caulking product which is prone to cracking, is difficult to determine if application is completely waterproof and which requires regular maintenance (removal and reapplication)

I think the 3m product is great because it does not require maintenance or reapplication, an effective seal is both inherent in the product due to coverage area and also easy to confirm visually. It's not too costly. It can be applied by yourself. It's UV resistant or seems to be, What's not to love?

The factory has recommended it as a repair product in the past. They should really switch to using it on the production line and lower their claim costs.

[Barteln]

We heard that that rockwood is now using different caulk material on skylights and windows. Maybe they recognized the problem. Have any of you heard this. We are thinking that we might trade our 10 month old unit for a new one as we really like the 122s.

[Janet624]

I guess we were lucky. Our front bubble window started leaking less than a year from purchase and our dealer ordered a new roof for that side and replaced it. However, the new roof was not packed properly during shipping and we were left with two bubble windows with corrugated cardboard scratches. I complained bitterly about this and we are scheduled to have our front roof changed once again as the new roof is there but our trailer just came out of storage. I guess we have a great dealer when I see other stories.

[Barteln]

We are happy to report that our dealer found out why we have been experiencing water leaks since our trailer was new. All three of our bubble windows had failed corners. The dealer had 3M Extreme tape put around all of our windows so we can "dry" camp until our new windows are installed.