Questions about repairs about to begin

My Winnebago Brave was damaged in a wind storm and repairs are about to begin. The RV repair shop gave me a quote for replacing the awning. The OEM awning was an A&E brand, while the repair estimate says Dometic. I asked the shop and they told me the two are "the same." My b.s. alarm wants to know: Are the brands functionally the same or actually the same as in parts from one will fit the other? Is there any other difference(s) I should know? Do the two brands have different quality levels available? My rig was in their shop while waiting for my insurance company to pay and I was going to be out of town for a while, so I went to pick up my RV and found they'd removed the existing A&E from the rig. Red flag?

When the wind ripped the awning frame apart (not the fabric; as far as I could see only three very small holes in the one-year-old fabric before winding it up to continue to my destination where repairs could be done), the arms flipped up over the roof and cracked the fiberglass in the curved area by the edge (each of two about 6" long). I'm considering doing that repair myself to make up my fairly high deductible, using this kit:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-system--fiberglass-repair-kit-105-k-repair-kit--12954095

The kit is epoxy based, which I've read adheres better than resin kits. I have pretty good skills and the tools I'll need: basic hand tools, plus a belt sander and an orbital pad sander. I'm not quite sure of the best way to approximate the color of the 17 year old roof, but at 17 years old... I'm more worried about paint failing to adhere than getting an exact match. Suggestions on color-matching with paint, getting paint to adhere, type of paint to use, or tinting the epoxy welcomed.

Should I drill a small hole at the end of each crack to keep it from continuing or will the epoxy prevent that? Would the epoxy run into the hole that I cannot block from the back side?

Any reason(s) I should NOT do the fiberglass repair myself?

Thanks for any suggestions or help.

Class A

13 Replies

dan23
Explorer
Jan 13, 2015
My decision is to let the repair shop do all the work. I've weighed many factors and one of them was to see how well they do; they gave good answers to my questions. Now I shall see. Also, my facilities for DIY here are not as good as at my summer digs where, for example, I can quickly put up a stable, level platform to grant access for working on the roof.
fcooper
Explorer II
Jan 13, 2015
I had to repair a hole in my fiberglass front cap last year. You can see the steps I took to accomplish the repair at the link below:

Repairing hole in front cap

I failed to mention in the link above, but when grinding the backside of the fiberglass edges of the hole in the roof, I used an electric drill/sanding pad 36 grit, but reversed the pad so that the sandpaper was facing the drill.

I made no attempt at color matching the fiberglass, but repainted the top part of the front cap. I had paint mixed to match the faded color of the front cap, and had convenient molding lines available where I stopped the paint. Unfortunately, your repair might require painting the entire roof unless you get lucky with the color match, or don't care if it's a little off color.

Good luck with your repair if you decide to do it yourself. It's really not that hard.

Fred
deandec
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
dan23 wrote:

the arms flipped up over the roof and cracked the fiberglass in the curved area by the edge (each of two about 6" long). I'm considering doing that repair myself to make up my fairly high deductible, using this kit:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-system--fiberglass-repair-kit-105-k-repair-kit--12954095

The kit is epoxy based, which I've read adheres better than resin kits. I have pretty good skills and the tools I'll need: basic hand tools, plus a belt sander and an orbital pad sander. I'm not quite sure of the best way to approximate the color of the 17 year old roof, but at 17 years old... I'm more worried about paint failing to adhere than getting an exact match. Suggestions on color-matching with paint, getting paint to adhere, type of paint to use, or tinting the epoxy welcomed.

Should I drill a small hole at the end of each crack to keep it from continuing or will the epoxy prevent that? Would the epoxy run into the hole that I cannot block from the back side?

Any reason(s) I should NOT do the fiberglass repair myself?

Thanks for any suggestions or help.

I have done small fiberglass/gelcoat repairs on a 21' speed boat and on my motor home bumper. But I am no expert since I learn as I go.

Color matching is difficult, even for the pro.

Fiberglass repair is the easier component to accomplish.

I suspect your cracks are not easily viewed from the ground so color precision and maybe even repair precision is not paramount.

If your epoxy kit allows for color tinting, that could be the color solution.

I would use Bondo, since I have some already, and then maybe tint a gelcoat patch over the Bondo since I have that on hand as well.

Paint will adhere if you sand the fiberglass with 400 grit sand paper.

But you would be applying a patch of paint surrounded by colored gel coat?

Of course you could try the paint, and if not happy with the result, remove the paint with a bit of sanding.

If you have holes which do not allow a backing plate for the repair material, epoxy or bondo some fiberglass cloth into the recess and then gradually fill the recess.

At the roof curve, sand your repair spot with a flexible sanding block as your power sanders will not make the curve very well.

There is some online help for these types of repair.
2bzy2c
Explorer II
Jan 12, 2015
If you have worked with fiberglass before and are comfortable with it, then I say you should give it a try. Otherwise, if this is your first time, don't do it. You might be headed for trouble.

You know what the shops say...

Labor rates-

$90 per hour if we do the work
$125 per hour if you did the work
$150 per hour if you help
dan23
Explorer
Jan 12, 2015
dougrainer wrote:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28138835.cfm

Copy and paste this link and read all the replies before attempting to do the fiberglass repair yourself. This is under the current thread of "Winnebago roof blows off". Doug

I came upon that thread when I did a quick search before posting, but I did not read it all the way through. Now that I did, though, the drawing of how the roof edge is made confirms my mental image formed as I removed the old sealant along both sides of mine, blew out debris and resealed it over the last summer. It took one day for each side. I used silicone caulk as a sealant, but I've since read at least one person who said that's a no-no. I considered EternaBond on both sides, but the caulk seems to be holding up-- so far.

I'm planning to talk to the repair shop tomorrow and find out more details on what they are actually going to do for the money. I partly lean toward having them do the repair, but there are reasons for DIY beyond money. Yet, there are good arguments for having them do it. (One good argument is that they were telling the truth about the awning.)
Dutch_12078
Explorer III
Jan 11, 2015
dan23 wrote:
Thanks. Dometic is equivalent to A&E. And the estimate shows the one I had.

Dometic and A&E are not "equivalent", they are exactly the same. A&E is a division of Dometic.
dougrainer
Nomad
Jan 11, 2015
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28138835.cfm

Copy and paste this link and read all the replies before attempting to do the fiberglass repair yourself. This is under the current thread of "Winnebago roof blows off". Doug
dougrainer
Nomad
Jan 11, 2015
dan23 wrote:
Thanks. Dometic is equivalent to A&E. And the estimate shows the one I had.

The link I posted indeed does not work. Doh to me. Thanks wolfe10.

A&E was the original brand name 30 years ago. Dometic purchased the company 30 years ago and the Awnings are called Dometic A&E. There is NO Dometic Awning and a A&E awning. They are one and the same. Doug
traveylin
Explorer
Jan 11, 2015
my experience with fibre glass repair was replacing half the cabin on a 35 foot boat. adherence to old fibre glass is tough. chemically it has to be prepped to activate the old fibre glass. a good marine dealer will provide the resin, glass and pretreatment. be sure to buy the high dollar paint 60 buck a quart. any thing less will peel in 6 months
dan23
Explorer
Jan 11, 2015
Thanks. Dometic is equivalent to A&E. And the estimate shows the one I had.

The link I posted indeed does not work. Doh to me. Thanks wolfe10.