new roof

Contact a mobile RV Tech and get a second opinion.

a/c leaking.

This is what I would do first before spending +-$7000.00. Have them do a pressure check on the trailer to pinpoint where the leak is before replacing the whole roof. The soft wood tells me that there is or has been a leak but quite possibly it is so minute that it does not leak into the trailer but is absorbed in the roof materials.

I see posts like this and it disturbs me.

I know what is involved to fix that roof, I have done lots of major and minor RV repairs. I designed and built an entire new roof for one I fixed years ago.

The rubber roof is one piece from end to end, therefore if you need to work on a spot near the AC you have to take a sizable portion of it off, but need it all off to replace it. Stripping the rubber back and then re-using it is not a good idea.

OK, yeah, it's a lot of work, I know. But to see the money that these places charge severely annoys me. I could do it for half of that and still make a wage after paying for material. 7 grand? Wow, just wow!

Unfortunately, the shop rate is high and most of us are at the mercy of the repair facilities. They do have a lot of overhead, the shop to pay for and all the rest of it, but gee whiz, 7K?

Sadly, most shops will likely be similar in price. Kinda makes me want to open up my own shop and offer reasonable priced repairs.

Anyhow, good luck to you, definitely shop around for a better price, and make sure you do your homework on the credibility of the shop and technicians you choose.

X2 on a second opinion.

If youre going to spend that kind of money, i'd consider one of these: https://rvroof.com/what-is-flexarmor/

Soft spot and not leaking?
How many years can you “ not” step there for 7 grand?
Seriously, find where it did leak, make sure that doesn’t happen again before spending a dime on the roof replacement and then I’d personally try to see how long it lasts before digging in.

poorboy wrote:
the dealer said i needed a new roof. there is a soft area between the a/c and by the antenna. this trailer is only 6 years old and mostly sits in my driveway, very few miles. this is my 3rd trailer and have never replace a roof. no signs of any leaks inside at all. the dealer said they can not spot repair roof but would remove the rubber roof, replace the plywood decking as needed, and install new rubber roof. my question to the veteran rv'ers, is this correct? the ballpark number is around $7,000.00 has anybody been through this, is this for real. i love my trailers floorplan and since it is paid for, i would like to keep it. the dealer is a quality dealer, i've not heard anything bad about them, but the voices of experience carries alot of weight not to mention wisdom. thanks in advance for your thoughts.

While it might be the dealers policy not to do spot repairs, that doesn't mean it can't be done at probably a very tiny fraction of what they quoted you. That ridiculous $7k cost probably includes replacing the entire wood since it's not good to try and remove the rubber and putting new rubber on wood that has had prior rubber membrane glued to it so you are paying to replace probably 75%+ of perfectly good roof to fix the 25% that is bad and the percentages of good are probably much higher than my 75% guesstimate. If it's the A/C that has leaked and damaged the roof the damage probably is less than 2 to 3' around the A/C and you wouldn't even have to go all the way to the roof edges to fix thus avoiding messing with the edge trim and roof overlayment to the sides on the sides of the trailer. Of course there is no way to know until one actual tears into the roof and assesses the actual damage. You can also get a ballpark idea of the damage by removing the inside A/C coverings and looking at the roof support for the A/C from the inside. IMO there is nothing wrong with removing the roof over the bad wood, replacing the wood and then putting new roof on that area and sealing the seams between the old and new roof material with Eternabond. While it will show a patch, IMO for a used trailer that fact should not effect the resale value that much as long as you document and take before and after pictures of the repair to show any new buyers what was done. I definitely think finding and using a good Mobil Tech to do this would be the best option to at least explore before paying $7K for a entire new roof.

Larry

Is that a firm price or a worst case estimate.

It's not uncommon that they go with the worst case estimate. If they tell you $7k and in the end it's $4k, you walk away happy that they got it done cheaper.

If they tell you $4k (their real best estimate) and once they open it up, it's worse, either they eat the cost difference or you get ticked off that it suddenly went up to $7k.

Getting a 2nd opinion is a good idea.

Without seeing the damage myself, hard to say if they are taking advantage of you or not.

I can tell you that I wouldn't pay for a new rubber roof, ever. If you have to strip the roof to fix the damage, I would get a far superior roofing system like the flexarmor system.

Option B is to cut the rubber where the roof is soft (go 6 inches into solid wood to make your rubber cut). Repair the damaged wood substrate and cover it with Liquid EPDM material. https://www.epdmcoatings.com/liquid-rubber.php I did this on my old camper that had a soft spot in the back corner. The Liquid EPDM literally goes on like paint and bonds to the existing roof so you don't have any seams.

Option B would be far cheaper, and you might be able to do it yourself. I cut out the rotted plywood on the roof and cut the rotted sections of the 2x2 cross members out of the roof. I used Gorilla glue and screws to sister new 2x2's to the damaged 2x2's. Put some new fiberglass insulation in, put a new section of plywood down, "painted" on the EPDM and the leak was fixed.