The manufacturer of your rig was depending on the caulking or sealant at the seam to stop water intrusion. fender flare is decorative at best since the fender flare can't stop the water that is flung around by the tires.
Someone did mention using "EternaBond" tape which is most often used to seal up roof issues. I suspect, it will do the job. Follow the instructions and I believe part of the instructions include using a small roller to put pressure on the tape. The pressure helps the tape bond to the material under it. You will need to make sure the tape is covered by the fender flares when they are installed.
I have never needed to use EternaBond tape so I can't attest to how well it works but have seen a lot of positive posts about it.
Something I have used for places that won't be visible is called "Peel and Seal". It is a modified rubber/asphalt self stick roofing/flashing product which is available with an thin flexible aluminum top.. It is super, super sticky and the same idea as EternaBond applies, use a small roller to press it to the surface you are applying it to. The advantage of Peel and Seal is it's flexibility, it stretches with any expansion/contractions involved with different materials and yet doesn't rip, tear or lose the seal.. You can buy it in widths from 6" to 36"..
Found HERE
They do have white sold as Peel & Seal Power Bond in 4" width..
Found HERE
Both products need to be applied to a clean dry surface.
Note, when they say self stick, it is self stick, don't let it touch anything including it's self when installing.. Once it touches anything other than the backing paper it isn't going to come off without a fight.
Never tried the white myself, just the aluminum version but the white version should work just as good.
On edit..
Forgot to mention, any "tape" based solutions will need the top edge of the tape applied above the wheel well material but not any higher than the fender skirt. I would shoot for covering the fender skirt screw holes then allow to run down to the wheel well metal, fold under and into the wheel well making sure you have firmly pressed the tape to all surfaces.
The Peel & Seal since it is a modified rubber/asphalt product also is self healing so running screws through it results in a seal around the screw threads. Not sure if EternaBond is like that.
Someone did mention using "EternaBond" tape which is most often used to seal up roof issues. I suspect, it will do the job. Follow the instructions and I believe part of the instructions include using a small roller to put pressure on the tape. The pressure helps the tape bond to the material under it. You will need to make sure the tape is covered by the fender flares when they are installed.
I have never needed to use EternaBond tape so I can't attest to how well it works but have seen a lot of positive posts about it.
Something I have used for places that won't be visible is called "Peel and Seal". It is a modified rubber/asphalt self stick roofing/flashing product which is available with an thin flexible aluminum top.. It is super, super sticky and the same idea as EternaBond applies, use a small roller to press it to the surface you are applying it to. The advantage of Peel and Seal is it's flexibility, it stretches with any expansion/contractions involved with different materials and yet doesn't rip, tear or lose the seal.. You can buy it in widths from 6" to 36"..
Found HERE
They do have white sold as Peel & Seal Power Bond in 4" width..
Found HERE
Both products need to be applied to a clean dry surface.
Note, when they say self stick, it is self stick, don't let it touch anything including it's self when installing.. Once it touches anything other than the backing paper it isn't going to come off without a fight.
Never tried the white myself, just the aluminum version but the white version should work just as good.
On edit..
Forgot to mention, any "tape" based solutions will need the top edge of the tape applied above the wheel well material but not any higher than the fender skirt. I would shoot for covering the fender skirt screw holes then allow to run down to the wheel well metal, fold under and into the wheel well making sure you have firmly pressed the tape to all surfaces.
The Peel & Seal since it is a modified rubber/asphalt product also is self healing so running screws through it results in a seal around the screw threads. Not sure if EternaBond is like that.
PButler96 wrote:
I've now owned 5 all purchased new including an Aerolite back a few years ago which was a sister to a Kodiak. Anyone who tells you X made by Y is better than K made by Z is mostly full of it, there are few exceptions if any in a mass produced RV.
If you get upset about what was hidden behind the wheel skirt, never, I repeat NEVER, drop a coroplast underliner and take a good look at what's hidden in there.
Seal the thing up, put it back together, and use it.
There is a lot of truth packed into PBulter96 post.
Mass assembly lines require some take and give, it is typically all about building a device or product as quick as possible to minimize costs and delivering it to the customer at a price point the masses are willing to pay all the while delivering the company enough profit to pay for materials, buildings, utilities, accountants, workers, sales people, taxes and yes, provide the owners of said company profit they can reinvest into the company and draw a paycheck for themselves.
The take and give comes at the cost of QA, rarely does a company do 100% QA inspection, nope, most will use the sample method.
Accept/fail is often done using statistics, ever hear of a "Bell Curve"?
HERE
" The term bell curve is used to describe the mathematical concept called normal distribution, sometimes referred to as Gaussian distribution. "Bell curve" refers to the bell shape that is created when a line is plotted using the data points for an item that meets the criteria of normal distribution.
In a bell curve, the center contains the greatest number of a value and, therefore, it is the highest point on the arc of the line. This point is referred to the mean, but in simple terms, it is the highest number of occurrences of an element (in statistical terms, the mode). "
A company sets certain QA goals and standards that the samples must pass which represent the upper and lower allowable limits. Anything that falls between the upper and lower limits pass. Anything falls outside upper and lower limits fails.. Data is gathered and a chart is assembled of that data..
The data will now show a representation that starts to look like a "bell".. The goal is to have everything inside that bell.. Too many units fall outside of that bell and the production line may be stopped and reworked to improve the outcome as rework cost the company time and money..
Worked 22 yrs in manufacturing high tech devices and lived by the QA departments bell curve data sets..
One of our statistics classes everyone had to take at the plant we sampled measured 100 out a box of 1000 coffee stirrers.. Interestingly enough very few of the samples were the exact same length even though those are manufactured with automated machines, there were many stirrers had deviations in length in mms and only a few that were the same length in mm..
RV manufacturers do tend to get a bad rap but consider that they build thousands of RVs off each assembly line every yr there are going to be many that slip through with no QA done at all..
OPs issue is more about building a RV faster, it was designed and built that way to save the builder a lot of time.. Tucking the sheet metal behind the trailer wall would most likely require a redesign of the production line to allow the side wall to terminate a bit lower and the wheel well metal depth would have to be altered..
