Sidewall separating from the floor

[djmathat]

We have had our 2001 Windsong 329 for 4 yrs in August this year and have driven it and lived in it full time during that time driving throughout the USA, Canada and up to Alaska and back and are now in Illinois and have put over 31K on it. Previously the original owner had it 10 yrs and drove it 26K during that time occasionally.We have had and still have the normal problems with this amount of use so ongoing. The repairs have been done religiously. But they are increasing in occurrences and I have a Good Sam extended warranty that has so far pretty much been more than useful for the repairs and replacements to systems and appliances we have needed.

However I now want to put a question to this forum....Has anyone had any problems with the side wall b4hind the passenger captains chair separating from the floor of the coach, up to a inch and getting longer and wider depending on whether parked and leveled or driving down the road. It seems like the entire coach is shifting from side to side while going down the road and I do not drive over the speed limit and mostly stay at 50 to 55 on the interstates. Now that we have found this gap about 2 ft long I do not want to drive any further without some more information. I had a RV repairman look at it and he said he did not do body work but recommended I call a local body shop and that it must be an insurance claim problem and not warranty as the roads would have caused the separation damage while constant banging up and down the uneven surfaces???? Was going to call Forest River today and found the forum and decided to use it first. Next month I will officially not have any more payments on the coach and it is ours. I am not laughing, it should have been a great month but now am wondering if we need to consider purchasing another or repairing this big box that is 14 years old and the extended warranty will be up next May??? I am sure it would be a nice stay in one place for someone who wants to purchase it and just live in it but we are in Illinois and need to go back to the West Coast by winter and had planned to go north and then down past the Great Lakes and up into Maine and back through the fall color and across the middle of the states to reach California by the holidays and now am wondering if I should even leave this military Fam Camp park we are in for another week???

[KyDan]

Bump-- anyone have any suggestions for this new member???

[harderd]

Perhaps some pictures and a better explanation. I can't picture in my mind what you are saying.

[B and B]

OP, you are pretty close to Goshen Indiana. Might be worthwhile taking pictures and if determined roadworthy head over there. There are some subcontractors the FR uses like RV Specialties that might be able to assist and give you an idea on repairs. I did not notice anything searching on FR Forums on Windsong wall separation. It might be possible to find a mobile RV mechanic to fix the separation where you are at.

[Crockett]

Id submit to insurance...could have been a frost heave in Alaska. Low miles and paid for..id keep but im cheap. either way it need repair. Due to age, I would worry about cosmetics too much. If insurance was a no go, I would try to get a good, functional, repair cheap. Fix it now and make it pretty later I always say...

[djmathat]

The discussion with Forest River to stop and take some time to get a good RV repair shop to evaluate the problem as the Georgetown rep said he might have a fix to discuss with a RV specialist. We had the park private business RV mechanic and repairman look at it and he discovered that the whole frame had broken clean through and dropped over itself where there were a couple of clean breaks in the steel framing and then it progressively caused the screws to break off or pull out and push the top of the coach out away from the flooring. Long story short this was submitted to our National General Insurance through Good Sam as an Other than Collision problem as it does not come under mechanical for the extended warranty. This coach has 57,000 miles on it and has been cared for by both the original owners and ourselves. I know there comes a time when one has to move on to another "home" but I just paid this coach off last month, was hoping to get a few months without any more payments. Never driven over 55 MPH it was remodeled with new flooring and furniture in Feb. 2013. The evaluation by Majestic Truck Collision Frame Repair has been done and they come highly recommended and they are wonderful to work with. It may take up to two weeks beyond our planned stop at Cutty's Camping and RV Resort in Grimes, IA and they have been very understanding to allow us to extend our Coast to Coast time so we do not have to go into a hotel until the coach is scheduled for the repair that will take up to 2 days maybe 3. The entire front right side of the coach back through the propane compartment has to have new angle iron and steel attached and be reset and the coach have new steel welded and re-screwed to the frame of the chassis of the coach. There is no water damage or any indication of mold or rust or anything but clean wood and metal as the breaks are clean and fresh and the under side of the chassis is tight and sturdy and without any play on the suspension, differential and other parts.

NOW my question is; has anyone of you ever experienced or know about coaches steel frames that connects to the chassis break and push and pull out the screws along the side of the coach and the the coach wall and frame drop slightly and separate from the floors??? (I have a friend who has spent 11 years full-time and their first 35 ft Coachman had the problem and it was fixed under the Other than Collision clause on their policy. Not heard of very often supposedly?

The adjuster suggested that this may be normal wear and tear and not covered under Other than Collision and when asked what that meant she said it meant like hail or flooding. I asked her if potholes on the highways were Other than Collision or Collision as there have been so many of those that could not be avoided due to traffic configurations the steel frame problem could have snapped and finally broke more to the point it is now visible???
Well she has all the pictures and estimate for repairs and it will be a week until they can decide if the repair shop can do the work under insurance coverage or if they will deny it's not covered? Many of you have been here with issues I'm sure . It is just so difficult to think that you pay and pay and pay to cover all of the possible problems with your motorhome and then find out that there are other things they may be able to squeeze out from under to repair at actually your cost that you pay for many times over while owning the coach. Insurance poor and I am hoping against hope they will be willing to honor what appeared to be coverage for this type of breakdown. Any suggestions or comments are most welcome.

[harderd]

There is a thread on Georgetowns separating. Search for it, quite informative. Attached with sheet metal screws, fixed with bolts.