Is this a problem?

I bet the cap overlaps the sides, and the cap it likely sealed under that overlap. I would still remove if possible and caulk it, but I doubt it alone is the seal for that.

HMS Beagle wrote:
requires attention to detail absent in the RV business.

Yeah...

At least you got a spare pair of pliers now....

Like one of the mechanics at the shop I retired from. Was talking on his cell phone and forgot to tighten the drain plug on the semi tractor he was doing a fluid change on. That was a 10 grand mistake, the dealership had to replace the engine.

Freep wrote:

bighatnohorse wrote:
My 2014 Lance was the same way. When I took the camper to the Lance factory repair center in Lancaster (for other problems) their repair technician pointed out the missing caulk and caulked it for me.

What you're seeing is definitely wrong and a good example of the decline in Lance quality.

I'm curious what other problems you encountered. . . .

The shower pan was "soft" and flexible on our Lance. Support for the shower pan used "shims" and the shims had fallen out - thus leaving NO support for the shower pan. This would eventually lead to a leak around the shower drain pipe. I caught it early before any damage.

The slide out geometry is skewed - gear track not install correctly at factory level.

Air gap allowing burnt gas fumes into living area from refrigerator when using gas.

Solar pre-wire not installed properly.

Awnings installed improperly - do not retract with enough tension.

Awning bracket screws penetrate exterior through water gutter at roof level with no sealant.

Rear door latch mis-aligned.

Support for Microwave-Convection oven missing support leg.

Drawer not attached properly at back, screws falling out.

Cabinet attachment screws (3) not fastened.

Battery tie down strap not installed - resulted in exploded battery.

I did an inch-by-inch inspection of the camper, pulled drawers out and looked in back. Pulled the oven/microwave and looked in back.

My inspection was more of a criminal inspection looking for defects. There was a lot of evidence of sloppy work. I removed ALL the drawers to inspect behind them. I removed every cover plate and vent cover. I checked all the exterior screws.
And I probably still missed something.

Last week, I removed a tail light and found a pair of needle nose pliers left behind during construction.

As good an argument as there is for Bigfoot style construction. That has its own set of issues, but leaking from 100' or poorly caulked seam is generally not one of them. Constructed with seams all around the corners can work, but requires attention to detail absent in the RV business.

It's my contention that TC builder are going going to i piece front caps to eliminate or at least mitigate water intrusion from the pounding the front end gets when driving in a driving rain storm. The less seams there are in the nose area, the less intrusion there is. You see that on 5'ers today, one piece nose caps.

The new Palomino hard sides are all one piece and they come with a front facing automotive style window (made by Guardian Industries) that is hermetically sealed to the nose cap so leaks are (should be) completely eliminated. That was always an issue with with a TC that had a conventional front bunk window (my old Lance included). I spent a lot of time insuring the window and the trim was sealed against water intrusion.

I believe I'd pull of the garnish and have a look underneath. If it's caulked and sealed on the underside (on one side) you could assume the other side is also sealed. A little careful application of a heat gun will soften the caulking and allow the garnish to be removed easier.

I know my next TC (if I get another one) will be aluminum skinned versus the laminate. I realize the laminate looks nicer but it has it's issues (delam from various issues underneath) and it takes more upkeep to keep it looking nice, whereas pre-paint baked on aluminum skins are easier to maintain.

The other nice thing about an aluminum skin is, if, at some point in the future, you do need to get under it, it can be removed and replaced fairly easy. A smooth side laminated wall cannot be removed and replaced.

Just my 2 cents, your mileage may vary.

bighatnohorse wrote:
My 2014 Lance was the same way. When I took the camper to the Lance factory repair center in Lancaster (for other problems) their repair technician pointed out the missing caulk and caulked it for me.

What you're seeing is definitely wrong and a good example of the decline in Lance quality.

I'm curious what other problems you encountered. Our first problem was a water leak .. basement flooded. The techs at camping world couldn't find it and didn't really listen to us when we told them it only happened when the gray tank was full and we went up and down steep hills. Finally they located it and the shower drain was not completely connected to the grey tank, causing water to drain out on hills.The laminated panel on the bottom had to be replaced.

But because they couldn't find it at first after we told them several times how to make it happen they comped the bill which was nice. I still have to go back and do some rework on their fix though. :(

My 2014 Lance was the same way. When I took the camper to the Lance factory repair center in Lancaster (for other problems) their repair technician pointed out the missing caulk and caulked it for me.

What you're seeing is definitely wrong and a good example of the decline in Lance quality.

Exactly. The penchant to caulk around the outside of trim, so prevalent in the RV industry, probably does more harm than good. It can channel water into the joint, without letting it out. If they must do it, caulk the top but not the bottom. Better still, caulk in between the seam, where it might do some good.

If it were me I would take the trim off and have a look,it doesn't look to difficult to do. But if you choose not to do that you need to clean ALL the caulk off the bottom to let any moisture out. That is the last place you would need caulk if you decide to nothing else.