Lost - Norcold External Vent Cover

[Willbetravlin]

1st trip. Went @85 miles. Good road, no wind, no trees. Three days later, on the way home, I stopped for a break and discovered the lower vent cover was gone (see pic). My guess is that the cam locks at the upper edge broke or simply vibrated loose, since there was no damage to the frame where the cam locks engage. IMHO the design is bad. The dealer has tried to get Crossroads to warranty it, but so far the word is they "may" be willing to replace it with an unpainted one as an act of "goodwill". I could live with that and have it painted locally, but they keep asking for more photos. I've sent everything they have asked for and still have no firm commitment from them. I have modified the upper cover to ensure it will never fall off. Anyone else have had this issue and what were your results? Was I being unreasonable to ask for a replacement of this item for a brand new $70/+K RV? I have already repaired a few items myself that manufacturer QC should have caught.
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[Shane Wood]

I would hope they replace it. I do not know why they are still using the cheap plastic retainer when there are better screw in models available

[Willbetravlin]

I fixed the upper panel this morning. Two #8 x 3/4", stainless, pan head screws with a tiny rubber cushion washer. One through each edge, 5" from the top, with a plastic insert in the frame to secure the threads. I will finish the heads when I can get to my touch-up paint.

[r time soon]

Just looked on ebay and amazon. There are some out there for $25 to $27.

Google search for Norcold 621156pw for the polar white, or Norcold 621156bk for black.

Cheap enough.


I would hope that RW might help replace it for you.

Always double check that the water heater and refer covers are secure before traveling, especially after opening for any reason. I had the latch for my water heater door rotate when I washed our RW. Was looking for clearance to pass, looking in my side mirror when I saw it tip out and then proceed to fall off the unit at 55 mph. Pulled over and walked over 1/4 mile to find it in one piece. Only 2 tiny scratches on the paint and clear coat. Not sure why it flew like a frisbee and didn't get run over by all the traffic. If I wasn't looking in my mirror I would have never known where to look for it. Probably would have been $20 for a replacement cover, and $150 to paint and clear coat the 2 colors.

Chris

[r time soon]

I would also be concerned from looking at your picture, of the large hole in the platform for the refrigerator. The water line and gas line go through a large hole. Water can and will get in there and cause damage. Seal it good with a silicone sealant/ caulk. I even coated my raw wood platform and wall luan panels edges of the walls in the refer opening with an anti-wick compound. Don't want it to absorb water and have the possibility of delaminating the exterior fiberglass. Not sure why Redwood doesn't do this.


Chris

[Willbetravlin]

What is the name and source for the anti wicking compound?

[r time soon]

Here is a few pics of my refer platform that I used the anti-wick on. I also run my refer drain thru a hole in the vent cover so it drains outside. I am not a big fan of the small plastic tray that it normally drains into on the back of the refer. Without some external heat I believe the tray will overflow and water will run down to cause some expensive damage.

If my refer vent cover fell off or was lost, I am sure it would be very costly to paint and clear coat due to the number of colors in our paint scheme.

Not sure where you can purchase the Anti-wick. I work for a competitor rv company and not sure where you can get it. We use 5 gallon buckets of it using paint trays and rollers to coat needed surfaces.

Chris

[Shane Wood]

Chris
I bet bet there is no talk about Redwood sitting in the lunchroom

[r time soon]

Shane,

They sometimes call me Redwood since most know that we own one. If you want to call 1 picnic table a lunchroom you can. One 10 minute break at 9:20 and 15 minutes at 12:00 if we are still there by then. We start at 5:30 AM

Chris

[Shane Wood]

Chris
Maybe we need you to go to work for Redwood and help straighten them out. Even though it looks like they are heading in the right direction