Need help with oxidation question

Question

My wife and I are looking for our first 5th wheel. We have found two that we are very interested in. However, one has an issue that we are not sure how concerned we should be. 5th wheel one is a 7-year-old Jayco Pinnacle. We like everything about it EXCEPT, it has some moderate oxidation taking place on the front and rear caps. it is priced at 6,500 below low retail and 13,000 below high retail.

The second 5th wheel is a 5-year-old Durango gold. The only issue with this would be possibly a low front living ceiling and low shower. I am 6'3" and the from living is 6'5" and shower would requite me to bend down. I could live with that for now, but the wife is concerned that it may be an issue later in life. This one is from a dealer and would come with a 90 day warranty.

Would/should the oxidation on the Pinnacle be a concern? Especially if we would be looking to sell it in 5 years and are trying to sell a 12-year-old unit with some ugly looking oxidation.

Looking for some opinons from those with more knowledge on the oxidation issue than we have.

chum_lee · Answer

mrad wrote:My wife and I are looking for our first 5th wheel. We have found two that we are very interested in. However, one has an issue that we are not sure how concerned we should be. 5th wheel one is a 7-year-old Jayco Pinnacle. We like everything about it EXCEPT, it has some moderate oxidation taking place on the front and rear caps. it is priced at 6,500 below low retail and 13,000 below high retail.The second 5th wheel is a 5-year-old Durango gold. The only issue with this would be possibly a low front living ceiling and low shower. I am 6'3" and the from living is 6'5" and shower would requite me to bend down. I could live with that for now, but the wife is concerned that it may be an issue later in life. This one is from a dealer and would come with a 90 day warranty.Would/should the oxidation on the Pinnacle be a concern? Especially if we would be looking to sell it in 5 years and are trying to sell a 12-year-old unit with some ugly looking oxidation.Looking for some opinions from those with more knowledge on the oxidation issue than we have.IMO, water leaks are far more important than exterior surface oxidation.  As you describe "moderate oxidation" on a 7 year old 5th wheel is no big deal and generally can be buffed out, then protected (on a regular basis)  with one of many available polymer type coatings.  You should question WHY this hasn't been done regularly for the first 7 years.  Suspect other neglected maintenance.IMO, insufficient headroom is a deal breaker.  You can't easily resolve that. Chum lee

rhagfo · Answer

Chum lee wrote:mrad wrote:My wife and I are looking for our first 5th wheel. We have found two that we are very interested in. However, one has an issue that we are not sure how concerned we should be. 5th wheel one is a 7-year-old Jayco Pinnacle. We like everything about it EXCEPT, it has some moderate oxidation taking place on the front and rear caps. it is priced at 6,500 below low retail and 13,000 below high retail.The second 5th wheel is a 5-year-old Durango gold. The only issue with this would be possibly a low front living ceiling and low shower. I am 6'3" and the from living is 6'5" and shower would requite me to bend down. I could live with that for now, but the wife is concerned that it may be an issue later in life. This one is from a dealer and would come with a 90 day warranty.Would/should the oxidation on the Pinnacle be a concern? Especially if we would be looking to sell it in 5 years and are trying to sell a 12-year-old unit with some ugly looking oxidation.Looking for some opinions from those with more knowledge on the oxidation issue than we have.IMO, water leaks are far more important than exterior surface oxidation.  As you describe "moderate oxidation" on a 7 year old 5th wheel is no big deal and generally can be buffed out, then protected (on a regular basis)  with one of many available polymer type coatings.  You should question WHY this hasn't been done regularly for the first 7 years.  Suspect other neglected maintenance.IMO, insufficient headroom is a deal breaker.  You can't easily resolve that. Chum leeI agree on both counts, the previous owners  may have checked the roof, but not into polishing and waxing. I would give the roof a good inspection.Headroom, wow our first 5er, we bought very used, it was a 86 King of the Road, bought as a way to see if would still like RVing. The headroom in the bedroom was about 5’ 10”, DW could stand, but  at 6’ I could not, it hurt my back to make the bed. Still loved that 5er, just too small.

lwiddis · Answer

Won’t even be the tenth time you bang your head in the shower you’ll realize you made a mistake.

dougrainer · Answer

The ONLY fix for a Jayco front cap oxidation is to strip the decals, sand and then paint the cap then clear coat and install new decals. THAT is what Jayco pays to do when the 5th wheel is under the 2 year warranty. Doug

chum_lee · Answer

dougrainer wrote:The ONLY fix for a Jayco front cap oxidation is to strip the decals, sand and then paint the cap then clear coat and install new decals. THAT is what Jayco pays to do when the 5th wheel is under the 2 year warranty. DougAgreed.  If the oxidation is so severe (not moderate) that within a two year warranty period it needs all that work, well, IMO, there's no excuse for that.  It's clearly poor quality materials/construction.  That said, there are no photos provided.  If lightly buffing the 7 year old gel/clear coat gets you through it and into the substrate, then what Doug (Jayco) suggests is appropriate and the sales price should be appropriately (substantially) reduced should you decide to purchase it.Chum lee

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