I am thinking about purchasing a 2001 Coleman Sunvalley from a coworker for a really good price. But, they originally had this popup in Arkasas, where it sat and baked in the sun most of the time. They hauled it from AR to KY about two years ago, put a tarp over it, and really haven't used it much since then. But, the sun in AR did a number to the roof. The current owner said there is a crack in the fiberglass roof, and he feels the entire roof would need to be replaced.So, should I think about an entire replacement? Or is this something that can be repaired? It's fiberglass, I would think I should be able to repair it, but I haven't seen it yet. Cost wise, does it even make sense to consider repairing it? I'll be going to see it for the first time this coming weekend, and want to make sure I know what I'm looking for.TIA,nbrewer

Ill bet its not fiberglas but thermoformed plastic. New parts are probably not going to be available. So do a web search on how to repair plastic. If after reading all about it you feel it is a project you want to tackle then go for it. But it bettet be really cheap

It's $500, and I'm not sure how much the repairs will cost at this point. Continuing my research... Does $500 seem like a good deal?

The Colemans of that era had ABS plastic roofs the developed cracks. Coleman had a special warranty program that would replace the entire roof even after the standard warranty expired, but it was only available to original owners. It would be best to replace it with one of the new roofs, but I don't know what the availability is.You could check with Fleetwood; they made the Coleman brand then. Other than the roof, they were very good trailers. We had one & really liked it.

Depending how long tor large the crack is. I have used some bath tub repair epoxy to patch a crack on the nose of my rig.It comes with fiber glass matting which I did not use. Comes in white or cream color available at Lowes, Home Depot or Menards.I drilled a hole at the end of the crack then applied the epoxy mix to the spider crack about .5 inches on each side.

You may want to try out the ETERNABOND strips to see how that adheres to the plastic roof.You can get 3" x 24" short repair strips from WALMART and maybe try it out on an out of the way place on the roof to see if it works right.You hear nothing but good results from the guys on here about ETERNABOND fixes for the roof...You must follow the install instructions to the tee especial the pre-work getting the roof ready before you apply the eternabond tape If it works ok for your roof then go online and purchase longer spools of the Eternabond tape...Roy Ken

How to fix a cracked fiberglass roof on a popup

donn0128
Explorer II
Sep 15, 2014
Ill bet its not fiberglas but thermoformed plastic. New parts are probably not going to be available. So do a web search on how to repair plastic. If after reading all about it you feel it is a project you want to tackle then go for it. But it bettet be really cheap
nbrewer
Explorer
Sep 15, 2014
It's $500, and I'm not sure how much the repairs will cost at this point. Continuing my research... Does $500 seem like a good deal?
frankwp
Explorer
Sep 15, 2014
The Colemans of that era had ABS plastic roofs the developed cracks. Coleman had a special warranty program that would replace the entire roof even after the standard warranty expired, but it was only available to original owners. It would be best to replace it with one of the new roofs, but I don't know what the availability is.

You could check with Fleetwood; they made the Coleman brand then. Other than the roof, they were very good trailers. We had one & really liked it.
enblethen
Nomad
Sep 15, 2014
Depending how long tor large the crack is. I have used some bath tub repair epoxy to patch a crack on the nose of my rig.
It comes with fiber glass matting which I did not use. Comes in white or cream color available at Lowes, Home Depot or Menards.
I drilled a hole at the end of the crack then applied the epoxy mix to the spider crack about .5 inches on each side.
RoyB
Explorer II
Sep 15, 2014
You may want to try out the ETERNABOND strips to see how that adheres to the plastic roof.

You can get 3" x 24" short repair strips from WALMART and maybe try it out on an out of the way place on the roof to see if it works right.

You hear nothing but good results from the guys on here about ETERNABOND fixes for the roof...

You must follow the install instructions to the tee especial the pre-work getting the roof ready before you apply the eternabond tape

If it works ok for your roof then go online and purchase longer spools of the Eternabond tape...

Roy Ken
mbutts
Explorer
Sep 15, 2014
$500 doesn't sound bad since Coleman/Fleetwood used to charge double that for the shipping of the warranty roofs.

It might not have been the AR sun. My '99 Coleman had very stern warnings to NEVER cover it with a tarp or roof damage would occur.
nbrewer
Explorer
Sep 15, 2014
Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll be going this weekend to take a closer look, and will return with some pictures. From the research I've done so far, it doesn't look like it's terribly difficult to do the repairs. More time consuming than anything. But with winter just around the corner, that'll be just fine!
BarneyS
Explorer III
Sep 15, 2014
Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.
Hornnumb2
Explorer
Sep 15, 2014
Run away unless you are going to replace the roof with a new one. They are ABS and nothing sticks to them but abs. I tried patching my cracks with a abs flakes and mek solution and they came back, next step was rhino liner which last about one year before it started cracking. More than likely the roof also has some bowing where there is a gap in the from and back allowing water in while traveling. I really enjoyed my Coleman except for the roof, I ended up buying a late model used roof from a salvaged trailer and had it shipped from CA to TX.
DaHose
Explorer
Sep 15, 2014
Eternabond is a pricey, but good alternative.

ABS can be easily repaired with a welding kit. You can get one that looks like a soldering iron or one that looks more like a heat gun. I prefer the soldering iron type, but it takes longer. If it is not completely brittle and just needs cracks repaired, then I would consider buying. If it is COMPLETELY sun rotted and brittle, I would leave it be or be very ready for a massive repair project.

Jose