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Ragman49's avatar
Ragman49
Explorer
Jul 16, 2019

So I bought a new to me travel trailer and.....

Hello all. New member here. Quick info, Married Dad of 3 kids, only 1 of which still living at home. Been camping for years and have owned 2 pop ups, a Hybrid and now a Travel Trailer.

Purchased a 2017 Keystone Passport GT 2670BH from Camping World in Harrisburg PA back in late April. We have had it out 4 times and we really like it.

ANyway this last time we took it out we got some branches stuck in the awning and it stopped working. I used the manual (drill and 7/16 bit to retract it so I could get it home. When I got home I grabbed a ladder to investigate the problem and noticed something that really disturbed me.

I looked on the roof and there is a taped patch in the middle of the roof, about 16X16 inches square. I was not informed of this when I purchased it. Im actually a little pissed off. Not sure if something used to be there where the patch is or if something fell on the camper and put the hole in it.

Now I know, "Buyer Beware" but this was from a dealership and I asked if there was any major damage and was told anything that was wrong with the camper was purely cosmetic.

I feel its my fault for not asking to look at the roof when I picked it up but I also feel that if a dealership is going to advertise a sell a used camper then they should fully disclose anything that is wrong with it or that happened to it.

What do you guys think?

Thanks.

13 Replies

  • If the roof was damaged with a little tear, then properly repaired, no big deal. The repair will last as long as the roof. If you have no water intrusion/damage, shine it on. For peace of mind you could get up there with some Eternabond or self leveling Dicor and seal the edges of the patch. And while you're up there, do the rest of the edges and trim with Eternabond, then you'll NEVER have to go up there again.
  • I am sorry it happened to you. Being Camper World, it wouldn't surprise me if they knowingly sold you a damaged RV. However, if the dealer took the TT in as a trade and were never told of the issue, they may not even know the patch is up there. They may never have been on the roof either.

    When we traded in our Class C, the dealer do a pretty thorough inspection on the inside, but they didn't open the slides and they didn't get on the roof. They based the trade in value solely on what they saw on the inside.

    When buying a used RV, even a new RV, you really should get on the roof before signing anything. The roof is the most important part to keep maintained. Most leaks come through the roof. I am not blaming or bashing you. The first 2 RVs we bought, I did not look on the roof. I wish I had with our Class C, because when I finally did get on the roof, I noticed a depression right behind the seam between the roof and the cabover. Water never leaking through that area, but I would have asked the dealer to fix it before buying.

    Do you know what the patch is? Can it be removed? There is a good chance it could just be a tear in the roof membrane. Perhaps a tree branch fell on it or a branch rubbed on it while driving down the road. At least it is patched, hopefully properly. If Eternabond was used, then using heat you can remove it to inspect the damage. If they used a caulk like sealant, it too can be removed with a dull scraper. Be careful not to tear the membrane while removing it.

    No matter what you do DO NOT take it back to Camper World. Give them a bad remove or something like that, but DO NOT expect them to fix it. It will only make you even madder. If you don't want to do the work yourself, hire a mobile RV repair guy to come look at it. He/she will be quick and thorough. You can also ask him/her to just give a quick look over the entire RV to make sure there aren't any other undisclosed issues.

    Two big lessons to learn, 1) NEVER deal with Camping World for anything (other than this message board). 2) ALWAYS do a thorough inspection of a used RV. Even a new RV should get a pretty good look over and let them repair anything before you take delivery. The dealer will work much quicker if the paperwork hasn't been signed yet.

    -Michael
  • If your purchase agreement says used unit and/or 'sold as is' the dealer fulfilled their obligation. If you're not experiencing water intrusion/leaks in the area of the patch and the patch looks competently done, no worries.