5th wheel renovations
Our 5th wheel lost its side panel drivers side from the nose cap to thee bedroom window. You can see details here:
5th wheel damage
The insurance denied my claim so I found a place local to me that will repair the sidewall but I will have a seam where the old meets the new.
The amount is significantly less than what the insurance adjustor stated the repairs would be. He claimed a $10,000 fix and this place is charging $2400.00. It will take about three weeks or so but the repairs will put new life in the 5th wheel.
Since it needs several other issues addressed I wanted to get a feel of what to expect in performing the following:
1. Refrigerator is a Dometic 2652 and has been losing its cooling capability to now it barely does anything. I have priced remanufactured cooling units at $475 (includes shipping) a replacement frig is over $1200. I would like to get another 3 to 4 years out of this RV if at all possible. With this in mind is replacing the cooling unit the best choice? Is it something the average person can do on their own? Anything to be aware of while replacing the unit?
2. The awning needs replaced. It is the original awning and has separated and cracked all over. The awning fabric length is 13 feet 9 inches. Where is the best place to purchase a replacement awning fabric? The awning arms etc. are still in good shape and functional. I have watched several videos on what is needed but this seems doable by me with a lot of help from friends and family. Has anyone replaced their awning and if so any gotchas I need to know about?
3 the linoleum flooring is worn and outdated. I researched and found Allure flooring at Home Depot. It is a click lock floating floor system. The person at Home Depot stated I could put this down with or without an underlayment. The underlayment is not expensive so I'm not against using it but concerned that this might interfere with my slide out. I plan on replacing the vinyl as well as the carpet in the kitchen living room area. I will NOT be replacing the carpet in the slide out. I also plan on replacing carpet in hallway to bedroom and the vinyl in the bathroom. I will have to deal with one step from living to bedroom. Once again any issues to be ware of? Has anyone used the Allure product in their RV? Have you been satisfied with it?
4. The decals on the outside are in poor condition. I have removed them from the front cap, the rear and the Flagstaff logo from the side. The stripes down the side are still intact but show their age somewhat. I have tried finding OEM decals but no luck. Can anyone recommend a source for decals? I have been trying to find a local airbrush artist for the front cap but so far no luck. Also anything I need to know about replacing the decals?
As I stated earlier I want to get another 3 maybe four years out of the RV before looking at replacing it. I don't want to go crazy on things for a 12 year old RV but do want it safe, functional, and fairly decent looking.
Any ideas towards performing the above tasks are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Dave
5th wheel damage
The insurance denied my claim so I found a place local to me that will repair the sidewall but I will have a seam where the old meets the new.
The amount is significantly less than what the insurance adjustor stated the repairs would be. He claimed a $10,000 fix and this place is charging $2400.00. It will take about three weeks or so but the repairs will put new life in the 5th wheel.
Since it needs several other issues addressed I wanted to get a feel of what to expect in performing the following:
1. Refrigerator is a Dometic 2652 and has been losing its cooling capability to now it barely does anything. I have priced remanufactured cooling units at $475 (includes shipping) a replacement frig is over $1200. I would like to get another 3 to 4 years out of this RV if at all possible. With this in mind is replacing the cooling unit the best choice? Is it something the average person can do on their own? Anything to be aware of while replacing the unit?
2. The awning needs replaced. It is the original awning and has separated and cracked all over. The awning fabric length is 13 feet 9 inches. Where is the best place to purchase a replacement awning fabric? The awning arms etc. are still in good shape and functional. I have watched several videos on what is needed but this seems doable by me with a lot of help from friends and family. Has anyone replaced their awning and if so any gotchas I need to know about?
3 the linoleum flooring is worn and outdated. I researched and found Allure flooring at Home Depot. It is a click lock floating floor system. The person at Home Depot stated I could put this down with or without an underlayment. The underlayment is not expensive so I'm not against using it but concerned that this might interfere with my slide out. I plan on replacing the vinyl as well as the carpet in the kitchen living room area. I will NOT be replacing the carpet in the slide out. I also plan on replacing carpet in hallway to bedroom and the vinyl in the bathroom. I will have to deal with one step from living to bedroom. Once again any issues to be ware of? Has anyone used the Allure product in their RV? Have you been satisfied with it?
4. The decals on the outside are in poor condition. I have removed them from the front cap, the rear and the Flagstaff logo from the side. The stripes down the side are still intact but show their age somewhat. I have tried finding OEM decals but no luck. Can anyone recommend a source for decals? I have been trying to find a local airbrush artist for the front cap but so far no luck. Also anything I need to know about replacing the decals?
As I stated earlier I want to get another 3 maybe four years out of the RV before looking at replacing it. I don't want to go crazy on things for a 12 year old RV but do want it safe, functional, and fairly decent looking.
Any ideas towards performing the above tasks are appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Dave
