Possible frame weld broken on new Montana
Hi guys. Our new Montana was delivered in April and last week while unhitching the unit at home, I noticed the side- nose wall of the camper had broken the silicon bead at the bottom. Once I put the w...
Forum Discussion
Well, picked up the camper today from the dealer. It had been returned from the Marive?RV specialty repair center near Lake Lanier. According to the dealer, now a well known establishment to all the major brand RVs and boats manufacturers. This facility repairs all fiberglass and structural components on just about anything. The service manager said that my Montana was one of the 'cheaper' rigs on the lot with multi-million dollar motorhomes, boats and high end 5ers. He said, I am by no means putting down the Montana, but there are numerous 5ers there of over a hundred grand. Most have a defect or have been involved in a collision of some sort.
Anyway, I got clarification of what Montana wants to do next. Take a look at this pic.
The center section between the nose and the slide has to be taken out as they believe the frame "cage" has a broken component. There is a seam at the bottom, but not at the top. YET! The slide will be removed and the section will be cut and removed to gain access to the studs and front nose top/bottom frame. That is where they believe something is now wrong. A new set of decals has already been ordered for the left front. The section will be examined and repaired ever how they see fit. Then it will be put back together with a seam at the top, just like the one at the bottom. It will only be about a 6" seam at the top that will be hidden by the slide topper. When I asked about possible delam, I was told that it should never be a problem the way that it will be done. The owner of the business assured the dealer that no one will ever be able to tell what has been done. Stated they have done many like this with great success.
So the unit will be delivered back to them the week following my trip and will be down for about a week. They told me not to stress over this as it will be done correctly. I'm still not sure about the side wall of the camper being cut, although 3 of the new ones I saw on the lot today from Montana to Big Country have that section with a seam!
The skirts were repaired while the unit was at this new service center and my dealer changed out the resetting breakers on the hydraulic pump and the AC thermostats. As well as a few other odds and ends I'd found.
So, I will keep you updated as we go along. Sorry for the long post.
Anyway, I got clarification of what Montana wants to do next. Take a look at this pic.
The center section between the nose and the slide has to be taken out as they believe the frame "cage" has a broken component. There is a seam at the bottom, but not at the top. YET! The slide will be removed and the section will be cut and removed to gain access to the studs and front nose top/bottom frame. That is where they believe something is now wrong. A new set of decals has already been ordered for the left front. The section will be examined and repaired ever how they see fit. Then it will be put back together with a seam at the top, just like the one at the bottom. It will only be about a 6" seam at the top that will be hidden by the slide topper. When I asked about possible delam, I was told that it should never be a problem the way that it will be done. The owner of the business assured the dealer that no one will ever be able to tell what has been done. Stated they have done many like this with great success.
So the unit will be delivered back to them the week following my trip and will be down for about a week. They told me not to stress over this as it will be done correctly. I'm still not sure about the side wall of the camper being cut, although 3 of the new ones I saw on the lot today from Montana to Big Country have that section with a seam!
The skirts were repaired while the unit was at this new service center and my dealer changed out the resetting breakers on the hydraulic pump and the AC thermostats. As well as a few other odds and ends I'd found.
So, I will keep you updated as we go along. Sorry for the long post.
