Another Thor Victim - Bad Fiberglass
We bought our first motorhome, 2006 Thor Fourwinds 31P, which only had 8300 miles and Mint on the inside. The person we bought it from, was far from honest about the history of the unit. It had all ...
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Thanks to all for the fast responses.
My unit is now painted. They put white paint ( I believe the same white as the 2006 Ford E450 cab) back over the side walls, to cover all the bondo and subsequent sanding. If the blisters had not chipped back off, it would have been a very decent job of the repair.
There are hundreds of these motorhomes out there. If you have never seen one, it is hard to describe the extent of the issue. I will attempt to post up a picture of a couple of the areas for you to see.
The published cause of this issue, is supposedly not keeping the equipment that lays up the .050" fiberglass sheet (which they made in 32 foot x 8 foot seamless panels) and the resin was not properly mixed with hardener and the mechanism that spread it, also left very small air pockets. On some days, you can touch some of the chips, and the goo in the cavity is still tacky.
There are literally hundreds of these small (1/8 a 1/4" diameter) chips.
With no prep work to the original chip, and the goo, the bondo (or whatever they used, it sure wasn't fiberglass based) just chipped back out with the first big temp swing.
These 'defective' panels were used by multiple brand names during the years I mentioned in the opening post. All of which started fixing the walls on units that failed during warranty as full wall replacement. They of course, went back to Crain looking for help and financial recovery... After several dozen (hundred) repairs, Crain filed for backruptcy, and walked away.
Today, Thor still will not admit to any of this history, and simply takes the stance of, "improper owner maintenance"... Now where, and how often, have we all heard that for any type of **** construction or workmanship at the factories ???
They can leave a crack the size of a canyon, but if it survives the warranty, then it is the owners fault it rots to heck two years later...
So much for my rant.
Let me get a couple of pictures sometime this week.
I know there are a few Forum Members who have seen this, either on a used lot, or in the campgrounds. Mine sparks many conversations from camping neighbors asking who 'shot me up' with a shotgun. Not LOL.
My unit is now painted. They put white paint ( I believe the same white as the 2006 Ford E450 cab) back over the side walls, to cover all the bondo and subsequent sanding. If the blisters had not chipped back off, it would have been a very decent job of the repair.
There are hundreds of these motorhomes out there. If you have never seen one, it is hard to describe the extent of the issue. I will attempt to post up a picture of a couple of the areas for you to see.
The published cause of this issue, is supposedly not keeping the equipment that lays up the .050" fiberglass sheet (which they made in 32 foot x 8 foot seamless panels) and the resin was not properly mixed with hardener and the mechanism that spread it, also left very small air pockets. On some days, you can touch some of the chips, and the goo in the cavity is still tacky.
There are literally hundreds of these small (1/8 a 1/4" diameter) chips.
With no prep work to the original chip, and the goo, the bondo (or whatever they used, it sure wasn't fiberglass based) just chipped back out with the first big temp swing.
These 'defective' panels were used by multiple brand names during the years I mentioned in the opening post. All of which started fixing the walls on units that failed during warranty as full wall replacement. They of course, went back to Crain looking for help and financial recovery... After several dozen (hundred) repairs, Crain filed for backruptcy, and walked away.
Today, Thor still will not admit to any of this history, and simply takes the stance of, "improper owner maintenance"... Now where, and how often, have we all heard that for any type of **** construction or workmanship at the factories ???
They can leave a crack the size of a canyon, but if it survives the warranty, then it is the owners fault it rots to heck two years later...
So much for my rant.
Let me get a couple of pictures sometime this week.
I know there are a few Forum Members who have seen this, either on a used lot, or in the campgrounds. Mine sparks many conversations from camping neighbors asking who 'shot me up' with a shotgun. Not LOL.
