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farmer_s_daught's avatar
Mar 18, 2017

Roof seals, window and slide seals & caulking

I bought a 24' Forest River Evo trailer last April, used it last summer and had it winterized by the dealer end of August,brought it home & parked it in my driveway. I had debated whether to buy a cover for it, but after looking on the forum and around my neighborhood, decided not to. In a 1/2 mile radius of my home there must be at least 20 trailers; only 1 was covered for the winter. Last weekend I noticed that the paint on the front was peeling, as well as the decals. Upon entering the trlr, I discovered a big puddle of water on top of the slide, water on the countertop, evidence of water damage on the walls, and on the floor. Also a foot of the seal on the outside on top of the slide is not there (non-existent.)I called the dealership; they said to bring it in. Then they told me that the buyer is responsible for checking all seals and caulking every 6 months and they're not responsible, but that they'll contact the manufacturer. I think I'm screwed! I purchased a warranty; apparently it doesn't cover seals/paint! At no time did they tell me the seals had to be checked every 6 months, or I would've had them do that. At the time of winterization they didn't mention it either. Now my brand new trailer that cost me $40K may have to be taken down to the studs to fix! The service mgr. said the manufacturers can't crank trailers out fast enough; and they don't care about the little man like me; only the millionaires who buy the huge 3/4 million dollar motor homes. Do I have my head in the sand, or has anyone else had this happen? I feel sick to my stomach. . .Thanks for any and all input. I'm a 63-yr.old female, teacher, single. My dream has always been to own a trailer and camp. Now what??
  • Since it is not yet a year old, your damage should be covered by warranty. I'd demand to see it in writing on something you signed or was furnished about the 6 month seal check garbage (although that's a REALLY good idea to do). Especially since you took it in and had THEM service it, I'd look at what their 'winterization' service is supposed to include. If the slide seal was cut too short by the mfg., that is certainly a warrantee item.
  • Unfortunately its a sad reality. Trailers are high maintenance and I know I am always going over my unit for bad caulking and cracking sealant. You must be able to do this kind of work yourself or it will be very expensive to have a dealer do it for you and even then there is no guarantee that things were sealed up properly. As diligent I am in trying to keep up with things on my unit I still got a spot of delamination that showed me I had a leak somewhere. It only takes a small hole to let a lot of water in. Its a constant battle. I hope things turn out for the better for you.

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