I'm fairly new to RVing and had thought I'd found a good local (San Antonio, TX) service center to help me keep my fifth wheel in good repair. I just had it in for repairs. They were supposed to check all seals and clean out old caulk and re-seal everywhere necessary. I was in a rush on pick-up, only checked the areas I knew were problems. Those were dealt with, though their invoice indicated they addressed far more areas than I found had fresh caulk. Later, I pulled out my ladder and really went over all the seams (I was doing slide seal maintenance). On my detail check... I found multiple areas where the old caulk was cracked & they did nothing.I took photos and challenged them on the issue since I'd specifically told them I wanted to be proactive and I thought much of the 5-yr old caulk was going bad. Their response: 1) since I'd driven the RV (10 miles), new cracks had appeared due to road stress & flex2) there is no reason to replace aged caulk, just wait for the cracks to appear and only fix the part with cracksI say BS to both. But... I am new and may have an unrealistic expectation. I'm currently planning on dealing with the caulking myself. It can't be all that different from caulking traditional kitchen & bathroom borders and I have done that.Advice / Recommendations welcome!

You are correct, doing it yourself is a very good option. However, just because the caulk is cracked does not mean it's leaking.When removing old caulk, use a hair dryer or a heat gun on low and a plastic scraper. Just take your time.There are chemical caulk removers available.If the old caulk is solid, I leave it in place and apply new over top the old. Clean well before applying the caulk.Use Dicor Self Leveling caulk on horizontal surfacesConsider using Eternabond tape on the seams and wherever practical.If you chose to not to DIY, call a Mobile RV Tech.

It sounds like they didn't do what you wanted however, a lot depends on what you specially asked them to do. Did you ask them to remove and replace all of the caulk? It sounds like you didn't. In that case you left it to their judgement as to what needed replaced. While replacing all of the caulk is probably good it is also very expensive in manhours as all of the old caulk has to be scraped out, the area cleaned and then new caulk added. Due to the high cost most owners only replace the areas that are cracked. Doing it yourself is not difficult just time consuming to do it right. In regard to cracks that you see are they surface cracks or do they go all the way through the old caulk?

Yes, the cracks went all the way through the old caulk. In some places, the caulk was completely broken away and gone. BTW - the worst example of what they missed is the vertical seam on the side at the very back of the trailer. It is all cracked and at least 25% is completely gone.I didn't tell them to replace all of the caulk, but I did tell them that wherever it was cracked, they should clean and reseal the entire seam. I'd expected it to be pricy and had been surprised when the cost was so low. The price was fair for the limited areas they actually took care of. It definitely a disconnect between my expectations and their 'professional judgement'.

I would think that if the price was less than you expected you got less than you expected. Take it somewhere else or call a mobile tech and explain EXACTLY what you expect. Good luck.

Think twice before you pay for someone to do the recaulking. It is slow work to remove the old caulk and recaulk. You are going to pay a lot of money for a simple task you could do yourself. As long as you are agile enough to get on the roof, it just takes some time. It is also best to do it yourself because any mistake can lead to a leak and serious damage.

RV Service Centers... and Caulking | Good Sam Community

gbopp
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018
You are correct, doing it yourself is a very good option. However, just because the caulk is cracked does not mean it's leaking.

When removing old caulk, use a hair dryer or a heat gun on low and a plastic scraper. Just take your time.
There are chemical caulk removers available.
If the old caulk is solid, I leave it in place and apply new over top the old. Clean well before applying the caulk.

Use Dicor Self Leveling caulk on horizontal surfaces
Consider using Eternabond tape on the seams and wherever practical.

If you chose to not to DIY, call a Mobile RV Tech.
fpresto
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018
It sounds like they didn't do what you wanted however, a lot depends on what you specially asked them to do. Did you ask them to remove and replace all of the caulk? It sounds like you didn't. In that case you left it to their judgement as to what needed replaced. While replacing all of the caulk is probably good it is also very expensive in manhours as all of the old caulk has to be scraped out, the area cleaned and then new caulk added. Due to the high cost most owners only replace the areas that are cracked. Doing it yourself is not difficult just time consuming to do it right. In regard to cracks that you see are they surface cracks or do they go all the way through the old caulk?
Jcs1382
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018
Yes, the cracks went all the way through the old caulk. In some places, the caulk was completely broken away and gone. BTW - the worst example of what they missed is the vertical seam on the side at the very back of the trailer. It is all cracked and at least 25% is completely gone.

I didn't tell them to replace all of the caulk, but I did tell them that wherever it was cracked, they should clean and reseal the entire seam. I'd expected it to be pricy and had been surprised when the cost was so low. The price was fair for the limited areas they actually took care of.

It definitely a disconnect between my expectations and their 'professional judgement'.
bob213
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018
I would think that if the price was less than you expected you got less than you expected. Take it somewhere else or call a mobile tech and explain EXACTLY what you expect. Good luck.
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Jun 11, 2018
Think twice before you pay for someone to do the recaulking. It is slow work to remove the old caulk and recaulk. You are going to pay a lot of money for a simple task you could do yourself. As long as you are agile enough to get on the roof, it just takes some time. It is also best to do it yourself because any mistake can lead to a leak and serious damage.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018
Removing old caulk is not always necessary, and sometime can actually be a damaging endeavor. I have never removed old caulk. But I have cleaned up the old and put new on top of the old a few times now.
GeorgiaJim
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018
Has anyone tried polyurethane caulk? seems tough as nails and sticks well.
Just wonder why it not being used, only down side I see is it cost a little more and almost impossible to remove. The few places I have used around the house it is still flexible and intact even using it to fill large gaps.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Jun 12, 2018
If you paid by credit card, do a charge back. You were ripped off.
afidel
Explorer II
Jun 12, 2018
Jcs1382 wrote:
Yes, the cracks went all the way through the old caulk. In some places, the caulk was completely broken away and gone. BTW - the worst example of what they missed is the vertical seam on the side at the very back of the trailer. It is all cracked and at least 25% is completely gone.

I didn't tell them to replace all of the caulk, but I did tell them that wherever it was cracked, they should clean and reseal the entire seam. I'd expected it to be pricy and had been surprised when the cost was so low. The price was fair for the limited areas they actually took care of.

It definitely a disconnect between my expectations and their 'professional judgement'.

I have a mechanic like that, he's honest to a fault and would never overcharge me. Unfortunately he's either a bit too much of a tightwad or his typical client is a bit penny wise. As an example he pulled the head on one engine and replaced a failed coil pack. I asked him to replace all 3 on that side, he said that only the one was bad. I thought they're only $60 each, I'm over $400 in labor into this, spending $120 to avoid $800 in future expenses is cheap insurance. Same deal when the rear differential on another car went, I asked him to search nationally for the lowest mileage wreck to have one pulled from, spending an extra $2-300 to not have to re-do a $1,200 repair was common sense to me instead of taking one off a vehicle with nearly as many miles as mine that might go at any time.

I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes you have to be very upfront with good maintenance people that you're willing to spend more than their typical customer to have the job fully done to avoid future problems/expenses. Once they learn you're serious and that you honestly do want to spend the extra money they're generally happy to do the job right and charge you a fair labor rate for honest hours worked.
Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Jun 12, 2018
Keep in. Ind on the body 99% of the caulk you see is secondary and somewhat cosmetic. The real seal is butyl tape at the seam.
Fwiw.