Vinyl just falling apart

[Welsal]

My 2015 Fr3 , I have replaced my entire dinet set because the all the vinyl was just peeling like a snake shedding its skin now my captains chairs are doing the same thing I had the dinet reapolsterd at a cost of 500.00 I'll have to either do that with the captains chairs or get new ones ,anyone else having this problem?

[nomad297]

This has been a problem with all Forest River (and other) motor homes since their conception. They have had lots of time to rectify it, but they keep on selling them this way because people keep on buying them.

Bruce

[KyDan]

You say they keep on selling them but the OP has a 6 year old unit.
I've heard it was a hybrid leather vinyl material.
I'm hoping they figured out what's going on and the new stuff won't peel.

[robo44]

I have a 2019 33DS and my dinette is just starting to show signs of peeling

[3 amigos]

I have 2015 DX3 which I just replaced all the material in the dinette ,sofa, and captains chairs. $6K. I did not use cheep material. I expect this to last.

[IICAPN]

Yes Same here. And I feel like a sucker (which I am - in this case). Our fifth wheel came with "La-z boy" branded "leather" furniture. Only to find out it is cheap bonded leather - peeling like a bad sunburn. In process of replacing now. BUYER BEWARE

[Escapenrv]

My 2018 Cedar Creek Cottage had 2 Lazy Boy recliners. Last year they started flaking off the top layer. Had a Leather repair shop look at them. I was told that the fabric was not a solid leather product. It is made of ground up leather scraps that are mixed with a glue and pressed to make a thin layer of this mix. It is then glued on to a fabric backing and is labeled as pure leather.
Body sweat and other moisture will cause the glue to fail and it just falls off.
The repair shop suggested we save the repair money and just wait and buy some good replacements. We do some upholistry work and have the tools and equipment to recover the chairs. We did so in a fabric material and are very happy now.
The RV industry just keeps sinking to new lows.
Escapenrv

[Larry-NC]

This is from memory, possibly incorrect. I imagine BC will pop in with corrections.

1) The problem occurs in high-humidity environments after several years. The material was used for several years before enough cases occurred to recognize the problem.

2) The material is not being used any more.

3) In some cases Forest River may be able to direct you to the manufacturer from whom you can get new seat covers at an advantageous cost.

4) I don't believe anyone is providing warranty replacements or seat covers.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by IICAPN

Our fifth wheel came with "La-z boy" branded "leather" furniture. Only to find out it is cheap bonded leather

Those leather La-Z-Boy recliners are an odd thing. I know some are like you just said, but the pair that came with my 2016 Windjammer are, indeed, genuine leather. I think it’s just one of those Windjammer things — there seems to be quality in them that the others just don’t have.

Bruce

[Vibe bigdawg]

We were having the same issue with our vinyl upholstery in our forest river vibe. We figured it might be the heat we have no humidity because we live in the desert. Camper world have the recliners on sale for $300 each I think I’ll have everything reupholstered.

Vibe bigdawg

[Luke Moseley]

Same thing happened in my 2014 Lexington. Had the dinette vinyl redone at a marine upholstry shop. I bought Carhart canvas covers for my captains chairs. They look great and won't wear out for years, if ever.

[Walholler]

Our Crusader Lite 5th wheel came with the fake leather couch/bed and the theater recliners. After three years the peeling began and growing tired of the mess, I threw all to the curb. We replaced with Lane recliners, big man size for myself and a ladies size for the wife. Only ones using the trailer besides my wife and I are our two Westies.

[hikerjohn7]

Originally Posted by nomad297

This has been a problem with all Forest River (and other) motor homes since their conception. They have had lots of time to rectify it, but they keep on selling them this way because people keep on buying them.

Bruce

Hey, folks it's not just happening with Forest River. I traded in my Georgetown with deteriorating vinyl in on what is considered the upscale brand of Jayco. Mine is a Precept. Just like the Georgetown, after only five years the Jayco's vinyl too is falling apart. The industry gets away with using a cloth with a very thin vinyl coating with has little resistance to any abrasion of even your clothing rubbing against it. But it looks beautiful when it's in the showroom and buyers keep falling for it. It's their dirty little secrete that even repeat buyers keep falling for. So just prepare yourself to having to pay big bucks to reupholster. I spent $1400 on my Georgetown. My Jayco is even worse so no telling what it will cost me. See my attached photos of my 2017 Jayco Precept's couch and seat cushions.

[cfo111]

My 2006 Georgetown 34.4 triple slide had problem but it was a few years old when I got it. Put seat covers on captain seats and covers on rest. At least I feel I didn't pay new price for the garbage that steel case who built the seat and the rest of unit. I look at it this way it matches the quality built of Forest River they didn't want to built something better in put there stuff into less quality just built to match it. My F57 chassis is super what was built on top was a master Joke on it's public.

[NJKris]

Holy smokes, I'm glad I didn't go 'high end'! The upholstery in my GeoPro kind of reminds me of high end school bus seat material. I can't imagine them getting like that, but then again, only into 3rd camping season.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

This is from memory, possibly incorrect. I imagine BC will pop in with corrections.

1) The problem occurs in high-humidity environments after several years. The material was used for several years before enough cases occurred to recognize the problem.

2) The material is not being used any more.

3) In some cases Forest River may be able to direct you to the manufacturer from whom you can get new seat covers at an advantageous cost.

4) I don't believe anyone is providing warranty replacements or seat covers.

Yes, pretty much sums it up. It is called hydolysis. As someone mentioned (though people just keep ignoring), it affected the entire industry, not just Forest River.

There are 5-6 fabric suppliers to the RV industry (and many large furniture suppliers). Rich-Loom, Pletcher Fabrics, Swavelle/Mill Creek, Fabric Services. The OEM's do not go out and choose the fabric, the fabric supplier does. They come in, we look at samples from their mills, and a designer will pick materials based on how it feels and looks. No one ever knew about Hydrolysis back in the day because all motorhomes had come in primarily fabric. More than one fabric supplier bought from a mill that had these issues and many manufacturers ended up with one of those interiors.

Today, we know more about it and can ask the proper questions from our suppliers. The suppliers now test their material specifically for this.

Some data from Rich-loom. Itt was just the first one in google that popped with a definition.

https://richloom.com/content/Richloo...nformation.pdf

[camaraderie]

Very interesting read on the Rich Loom link Brian...Thank you.



For the OP...my 2015 everything made of this stuff G'Town had the Captains chairs & covers made by Williamsburg Furniture in Indiana ...link below...and with a few pictures they were able to identify the model I needed and sent me swaths of replacement cover colors and choices for much better materiail. Very pleased with exact but better replacement covers they made for me and local folks had no issues installing them. Happy I decided to purchase from them. Couch and dinette were done locally with the same fabric. Good luck...it's a problem for vast numbers of people in all brands.

Williamsburg Furniture

http://www.wbfusa.com

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Escapenrv

My 2018 Cedar Creek Cottage had 2 Lazy Boy recliners. Last year they started flaking off the top layer. Had a Leather repair shop look at them. I was told that the fabric was not a solid leather product. It is made of ground up leather scraps that are mixed with a glue and pressed to make a thin layer of this mix. It is then glued on to a fabric backing and is labeled as pure leather.
Body sweat and other moisture will cause the glue to fail and it just falls off.
The repair shop suggested we save the repair money and just wait and buy some good replacements. We do some upholistry work and have the tools and equipment to recover the chairs. We did so in a fabric material and are very happy now.
The RV industry just keeps sinking to new lows.
Escapenrv

This is not unique to the RV industry. We purchased and expensive dining room set advertised as having "leather" upholstery. When the upholstery started to discolor, we were advised to use leather cleaner. We applied it to one chair, and the color washed off. They were not leather. The chair had to be reupholstered.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by Escapenrv

.....big snip..... We did so in a fabric material and are very happy now.
The RV industry just keeps sinking to new lows.
Escapenrv

The RV industry was blindsided by this as much as the rest of us. See post 16.


We were effected also. We bought a recliner from a Georgetown owner and loved it until it started peeling. UGH! A local upholsterer wanted $700 to recover it and the ottoman. We opted to buy a new European recliner for half that but it is fabric and not any sort of vinyl or leather.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by nomad297

Those leather La-Z-Boy recliners are an odd thing. I know some are like you just said, but the pair that came with my 2016 Windjammer are, indeed, genuine leather. I think it’s just one of those Windjammer things — there seems to be quality in them that the others just don’t have.

Bruce

I had a 2015 V-lite that came with the the La-Z-Boy recliners and where the real thing no issues in the 5 years I owned. Windjammers and V-Lite where made in the same factory. Later RJD