Repair abs exterior trim on 2002 Trail Lite

chooochoooboy wrote:
Trail Lite used abs plastic to trim out bottom edge of exterior including the rear "bumper" that holds the sewer hose. My right front corner piece got damaged and I need to repair it since R-Vision (Trail Lite Mfg.) is out of business and parts are not available as far as I've been able to determine. Has anyone had experience repairing abs???can I use fiberglass cloth and bondo?? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

My trailer (2007 HR Aluma-Lite) was made by R-Vision and has the same type ABS moldings as yours and I had to strenghten my LP/Battery Cover when it started developing cracks around the bolt holes. In fact I lost my entire rear ABS bumper on my trailer that simply fell apart after only about 3 years mainly I think due to the thinness and design that caught the wind on the bottom and flexed it to death. Two things you MUST DO if you want your repairs to last is to use ONLY ACTUAL ABS CEMENT and use ABS sheets (available from AMAZON in various thicknesses) or fiberglass open mat for strength. DO NOT use any of the multi-purpose cements that mention other materials in their name besides ABS. NOTE: I would ignore that link to the folks that did the reapairs on that APACHE trailer because they used the multi purpose cement in their link. BTW I had the same trailer back in the early 70s and had to make continuous repairs to that ABS material on that trailer. The reason is all the others do not have actual ABS Resin dissolved in them. The ABS cement has actual ABS Resin dissolved in the cement and is a solvent based cement and you can mix that with shavings from abs sheets and make a paste of actual ABS Resin material which far exceeds the strength of other cements and repairs. You won't find the ABS cement in the big box stores and will have to go to a plumbing supply place or order it on-line. Below is a pick of the Oatey ABS cement (it also comes in a milky white and special version). I has an actual shelf life so you have to make sure what you are using is fresh. In fact I just fixed a glove box retainer post on our 2001 Sebring with some ABS cement that I broke when removing it to replace the blower motor.



You can build up and form any repairs with this ABS cement and the biggest down side is you are limited in the colors available, but what I'm doing to all the ABS trim on my trailer is covering it in black "Plasti-Dip" spray and it looks better than the funky original brownish color of the OEM ABS moldings.

Larry