Cracking RV body

[TNTBaker]

Well darn then. Our 2015 definitely does NOT have an expansion joint. Hopefully it won't make it's own :-(

[atom ant]

You can see it if it had it Todd. I saw on on a new 38RL the other day at the dealer. I'll scout their website to see if I can find a pic.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Keystone suffered from this issue a decade ago, so they started adding the flex joint in production.

I'm just not sure why it took so long for Redwood to learn this. As I understand the new models have this joint.



I think Dave has pictures of his fix from the service center.

Mine looks just like this one that AA posted. I never had any cracks but the service center put that joint in mine I guess as a preventative measure.

[Railcat]

Our 10/13 2104 38RL has the joint, I don't have a picture to post though.

[Oriana]

We had ours fixed but the plastic doesn't match the paint. We dropped the coach off with our dealer this morning and they will paint to match.

[0nTheRoad]

It took almost 2 years but ours is just now starting to crack, I've already called the Service Center to have them put a note in our service record so we can have it taken care of if we can't get it done before our 2 year clock runs out.

[Don and Judith]

Our 2015 38RL has the joint.
Hey Andy... Maybe I'll see your rig there! Moving onto Fraserway's yard tomorrow for about 4 days while they do a bunch of work and replace the awning we lost.

[lwg]

Originally Posted by Oriana

We had ours fixed but the plastic doesn't match the paint. We dropped the coach off with our dealer this morning and they will paint to match.

Did you have the service center fix it, or your local dealer? I'm trying to line up some items for our dealer (Lazydays) to fix and was wondering if I could get this proactively fixed... I'm certain it will eventually crack based on the noises I hear when hooking up.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by 0nTheRoad

It took almost 2 years but ours is just now starting to crack, I've already called the Service Center to have them put a note in our service record so we can have it taken care of if we can't get it done before our 2 year clock runs out.

Wouldn't this be covered under the 5 yr warranty?

[usaf1949]

I would also think it would be covered under warranty. Seems like a lot of fellow owners have had theirs fixed and I have not heard of anyone paying that was under warranty.

[Oriana]

Originally Posted by Don and Judith

Our 2015 38RL has the joint.
Hey Andy... Maybe I'll see your rig there! Moving onto Fraserway's yard tomorrow for about 4 days while they do a bunch of work and replace the awning we lost.

Hi Don - Affirmative, Stevie mentioned you were arriving Monday. Ours will go into the shop on Monday or Tuesday, then to paint when they finish yours.

Might be able to pop out to Abbotsford 1 day next week.

Andy

[Oriana]

Originally Posted by lwg

Did you have the service center fix it, or your local dealer? I'm trying to line up some items for our dealer (Lazydays) to fix and was wondering if I could get this proactively fixed... I'm certain it will eventually crack based on the noises I hear when hooking up.

The cracks started the day after we left the service centre in August, after the Rally. I found a great dealer in Delhi, Ontario who fixed the crack and our water pipe issue.

It is a really easy fix - he cut a channel in the gel coat and slid in a plastic fitting. Our dealer at home will now paint it to match the coach.

[0nTheRoad]

Originally Posted by Rick and Mindy

Wouldn't this be covered under the 5 yr warranty?

Good question, I don't know?

I have a few other issues that need to be taken care of, they are all minor, cosmetic, and they would be covered by the two year warranty and are noted in our service record so I'll get them all done at the same time.

[JerryL]

On a side note, I haven't saw anywhere in the paperwork that my 2015 has the 5 year structure warranty. I have saw the 2 year warranty in the manual.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Oriana

The cracks started the day after we left the service centre in August, after the Rally. I found a great dealer in Delhi, Ontario who fixed the crack and our water pipe issue.

It is a really easy fix - he cut a channel in the gel coat and slid in a plastic fitting. Our dealer at home will now paint it to match the coach.

Andy, Did they pull the bottom trim and slide it up from the bottom, or were they able to get it down from the top? I'm thinking I may just do it to save the body work if the crack picks a different direction.

[camachinist]

Originally Posted by JerryL

On a side note, I haven't saw anywhere in the paperwork that my 2015 has the 5 year structure warranty. I have saw the 2 year warranty in the manual.

Some other 2015 owners can chime in; my experience has been, and you can ask your dealer about this on the 2015, that one must return the trailer to a Redwood dealer each year, both during the comprehensive 2 year <bumper to bumper> warranty and the extended 5 year <structural> warranty, for the dealer to perform, at owner cost, a factory mandated inspection of the coach, hitting a checklist that the factory has published for the dealer. That has 'validated' the five year warranty on the unit I've interfaced with. On the positive side, this inspection has caught some warranty issues that otherwise might not have been caught, as well as a few service issues not covered under warranty which were addressed as operational maintenance.

I'll be interested to read if the program has changed. The unit I'm referring to was sold new in 2012.

Edited to add, relevant to the thread topic, that the 34SK covered under this warranty did develop the side crack under the bedroom slide, it was addressed cosmetically awhile back, I believe last year, and now the unit is at the dealer with the front cap off and pin box under skin off for inspection of the front frame section and coach body frame due to other issues.

[superduty glampers]

Originally Posted by JerryL

On a side note, I haven't saw anywhere in the paperwork that my 2015 has the 5 year structure warranty. I have saw the 2 year warranty in the manual.

I think you are correct, I picked up a new brochure 2 weeks ago when I dropped mine off for warranty work. It only states 2 year warranty, no more 2+5 like the previous brochure.

[Oriana]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Andy, Did they pull the bottom trim and slide it up from the bottom, or were they able to get it down from the top? I'm thinking I may just do it to save the body work if the crack picks a different direction.

Brad - He removed the bottom trim, then cut a straight line through the gel coat at an angle away from the corner.

Getting the plastic insert started was a challenge, but once he got it started it slid in fairly easily. The gaps in the plastic insert are really tight, hence the challenge getting it started.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Oriana

Brad - He removed the bottom trim, then cut a straight line through the gel coat at an angle away from the corner.

Getting the plastic insert started was a challenge, but once he got it started it slid in fairly easily. The gaps in the plastic insert are really tight, hence the challenge getting it started.

Do you have a picture of that fix. All the fixes I have seen are straight up and down below the corner of the slide. It makes sense to angle it based on the crack but I've never seen it.

[Oriana]

Originally Posted by superduty glampers

I think you are correct, I picked up a new brochure 2 weeks ago when I dropped mine off for warranty work. It only states 2 year warranty, no more 2+5 like the previous brochure.

At the Rally they confirmed 2 + 5.

Wouldn't be too concerned with the brochures, as RW do not have a sterling history on proof reading material before publishing.

The brochure on the website still mentions 1 + 5.