Trading in a motorhome with water damage

I feel your pain. I have a 2016 Forest River EVO trailer. Used it last summer, took it to the dealer to have it winterized. This spring I noticed the paint on the front is peeling. Went inside and found a pool of water on top of the slide, water on the countertop, evidence of puddles on the floor, and the wallpaper peeling. Took it to the dealership. Apparently it's my fault since I didn't specifically request them to check the roof/seals last fall; I'm a newbie and didn't know that winterizing only means draining fluids/adding antifreeze. Oh, and I'd purchased their 'platinum protection plan'. Also a one-foot long section of seal over the slide had never been sealed from the factory (looks like whoever was installing the sealant ran out and never completed the job). The dealership has submitted claims to FR and they're awaiting the ok to go ahead and do all the repairs (the warrant will cover it). I've tried every argument to get a new trailer, but they say no. I asked about trading this one in, but I've only had it a year and owe way too much on it, so I'd be underwater before I even began and would have to buy a more expensive trlr so they could make their profit. I'm just sick about it. I guess it's my fault; I didn't buy a cover for it and we had the worst winter in years. However, I'd driven around my neighborhood last fall and within a half-mile radius of my house there are 46 trailers and 5 fifth-wheels and only 7 were covered. I figured 'they must know what they're doing.' I'm a 63-yr old single woman who tried to do my research. I didn't read all of my owner's manual, but I never dreamed that a 6-month old trailer would need to have a roof/seal inspection. NOW the dealership has a checklist of things to suggest when someone brings in their rv; but I sure wish they'd had it last fall! I had to cancel my reservation for a seasonal spot at a lake resort because I didn't know when I'll get my trailer back.

This is a pretty bad case of water damage, but it is repairable and if you are handy it can be pretry easy. Check out delamrepair.com they have great products

Something to consider; esp with the suggestions of killing off the shrooms and trading it in. There's no guarantee your 'new' coach will be any better than the one you're trading in. If you like your coach, fix it and move forward. Just my 2 cents...Dennis

I was in a similar situation last year about this time with a travel trailer I had. It was leaking over the slide, the repair estimate was in the $4k range. Paid $18k for the trailer new about 4 years before. While deliberating over what to do, a hailstorm came through and totaled it out. Got $16k from the insurance company. Problem solved!

I was leaning towards trading it in, only because I was wanting a motorhome. I figured I'd just take the loss now and get into what I wanted.

If you're happy with the motorhome and would use it for years to come, then fix it, if you were already thinking about trading it for something else, bite the bullet and take the loss now, fixing the roof probably won't increase its' value enough to cover the repair costs.

Just have it fixed and enjoy it. You'll be even someday.

Or use Microban. I've used it in restoring flood totals and in my RV. It's a moldicide, fungicide, algaecide, etc. Kills everything. Hospitals use it.Smells good too.

Clean everything you can and clean it with alcohol or bleach as necessary to rid the coach of any traces of the bad stuff. Trade the coach to anyone willing to buy it and move on. Don't look back. Your goal is to get as much as you can from whatever you have in hand. The dealer is doing the same thing. It is highly likely that the dealer did not give you ALL the details about your coach so you should not feel bad about not giving that same dealer all of the details.

msmith1199 wrote:
Your national has a steel frame and it's likely not damaged. The only thing damaged would be the wood paneling attached to the steel and the cabinet. They may not be that expensive to replace, or repair.

Same with my Allegro. It's an aluminum frame. The water damage, while it should be avoided at all costs, is mainly cosmetic. I had a few spots that I was able to re-seal from the outside. I repaired the interior spots.

I would hang onto it. Seal it up and repair the cosmetic damage best you can. If you do trade it in, mold and shrooms need to be eradicated first. Big red flags.

How handy are you? Do you feel you could do a good job of repairing it yourself? Repairing it myself that would absolutely be my course of action, because I can. It's the only way out of the situation (with integrity) without a big financial hit. I have known people who would just clean it up and dump it off on some other unsuspecting soul (basically just hiding the damage.) Not what I could do.

-Speak

Your national has a steel frame and it's likely not damaged. The only thing damaged would be the wood paneling attached to the steel and the cabinet. They may not be that expensive to replace, or repair.