Roof coming apart

[ifd22]

Pictures aren't the greatest, however on our 2016 Shadow cruiser 280qbs the roof sheeting appears to be lifting where the roof meets the wall. It is doing this in several spots. When pushing on the roof it springs back into place. This is putting great stress on the roofing material, and I'm sure eventually will cause tears and roof leaking issues. Luckily the camper will be under warranty until December. I plan on using it through November, I'll just have to keep an eye on it.
Has anybody ever had an issue like this? Was it an issue getting it fixed properly? Should properly fixing it mean removing the roof entirely?
I'm a little upset with this, we bought a brand new camper and pay for covered storage so we could have a nice camper for a long time, having roof issues is very frustrating to say the least.

[rbpru]

The was mention of "roof bubbles" being common issue in the August 2017 edition of Trailer life Magazine this month.

They suggested getting a written assurance from the dealer that they would not be an issue; incase they grew large enough to be of concern.

[westend]

Yup, lots of ways to trim felines! Also, lots of different takes on what should be done, depending on level of concern and skills available.

[gmw_photos]

pickjare wrote:
Eaaaazzzzy, gmw photos...if I had to choose to either take it to the dealer and have a high school kid work on it as you stated, or your "repair" idea, I think I'd take it to the dealer. Reason is because I like things fixed, not patched up. Eternabond is good, but op should at least try and get it done right first. There is a problem with roof panels creating too much stress on the membrane as op stated. The dealer has a repair procedure to adhere to. The membrane needs to be pulled off, then resecure roof panels, then reinstall membrane. Op, I think you should take it in right away.

To do this repair and make "as it should have come from the factory" would require removing moulding at edges, and possibly one or more items like roof vents, plumbing vent stacks, etc. Then pull back the roofing material, re-affix the plywood sheeting, then reassemble it all.

No thanks. I'd rather, to use your words "patch it up"....because a correctly done patch job using eternabond etc is as good or better than original.

In this case, no matter, this is an old thread and the OP got it fixed already. I post to these kinds of threads also because there are often new folks looking for advice or doing research, and I believe it to be helpful for them to consider there are alternative methods.

But then my shop is likely pretty much like Grandpa Kip's.... I have a full woodworking shop, plus metal working ( I'm retired machinist ) and over 50 years of tinkering, restoring and working on things. I prefer doing my own repairs. I bought my travel trailer new and never even considered taking it back to the dealer for any of the little repairs or mods I've done to it.

To each their own, there's plenty of ways to skin these cats.

[GrandpaKip]

I agree with George. I would prefer to do it myself. But then, I can do most of any repair needed. Not everybody has the skill or tools to do this kind of repair or is interested in doing it. Sorta like my truck; I have no interest in doing oil changes or anything else. I'm happy to pay for those things.

[pickjare]

Eaaaazzzzy, gmw photos...if I had to choose to either take it to the dealer and have a high school kid work on it as you stated, or your "repair" idea, I think I'd take it to the dealer. Reason is because I like things fixed, not patched up. Eternabond is good, but op should at least try and get it done right first. There is a problem with roof panels creating too much stress on the membrane as op stated. The dealer has a repair procedure to adhere to. The membrane needs to be pulled off, then resecure roof panels, then reinstall membrane. Op, I think you should take it in right away.

[Vulcanmars]

Kayli's Papa wrote:
I have a question that is related to this topic. The sheeting is not lifting up but appeares to have a slight seperation between ends (approximately 1/8") is this normal? The EDPM is not stressed or under tension from this seperation. I have made inquries to RV repair shops and they really can't/won't say any thing except bring it in or it is perfectly normal. I would appreciate some advice fellow RV's on this subject

My Wildwood is like this. The sheeting is not lifting but the roof material was not pulled tight and gives the illusion of the wood lifting. Roof sheeting is also short of the edges by about 1/8 inch. I saw several new campers like this on the lot.

[BadgerMcAdams]

ifd22 wrote:
It was repaired shortly after the post under warranty. Repair has appeared to hold up well.

It was not repaired immediately because i didnt want the camper in the shop for a month during peak camping season. The camper is stored indoors, so the exsposure to weather is limited to camping trips.

Glad to hear it!! Hope you get more enjoyable adventures out of it this year.

[ifd22]

It was repaired shortly after the post under warranty. Repair has appeared to hold up well.

It was not repaired immediately because i didnt want the camper in the shop for a month during peak camping season. The camper is stored indoors, so the exsposure to weather is limited to camping trips.

[gmw_photos]

As usual I'm going to be the odd man out here.
I'd fix it myself rather than have the high school dropout idiot apprentice at the dealership mess it up.

Some screws, some dicor, some eternabond tape and about half hour would effect a repair that will last the life of the rest of the roof and be leak free.

Flame suit on here..... in about 30 minutes ten people are gonna jump all over my post. So be it.

"some assembly required"

[BadgerMcAdams]

Honestly, I would take it in now (or as others have said, get the ball rolling with the dealer/service dept) and have it looked at. My reasoning...You have now posted on a public forum pictures of what appears to be the roof boards lifting from the joists and putting stress on the roof covering. You therefore know that there may be a problem with your roof. Do not think that we are the only people who read these forums.

While it is a remote possibility, by you knowing about the problem and not scheduling to have it repaired immediately and posting your knowledge on this forum, you could be setting yourself up for a denial of claim.

The reason, your waiting to have the problem fixed when it was first noticed could or did (and if it is a warranty thing, it "DID") lead to the problem escalating which created more damage to the trailer. Either by the roofing material ripping, water damage from leaks caused by the problem, etc. They could say that had you brought it in when you first noticed the problem, and not waiting until November, the problem could have been easily fixed (and hindsight in their mind means it would ALWAYS be an easy fix). But since you waited, the damage is due to you waiting, and the claim for repair is denied or partially denied.

I say this as yesterday I was bored and read the warranty contract for Dutchman travel trailers,(the wife and I are looking at a trailer purchase in the future). In that warranty, the way it is written, pretty much anything can be your fault if it breaks, and they can pick and choose what they want to cover. The one thing was that basically, you have a one year warranty. There is a 6 month grace period after the warranty expires, but ONLY if you get the item in within the original time frame. And then at the end of the grace period, too bad...If you are still having problems it now Your Problem.

[goducks10]

ScottG wrote:
Totally normal and nothing to worry about.

:E

[Kayli_s_Papa]

I have a question that is related to this topic. The sheeting is not lifting up but appeares to have a slight seperation between ends (approximately 1/8") is this normal? The EDPM is not stressed or under tension from this seperation. I have made inquries to RV repair shops and they really can't/won't say any thing except bring it in or it is perfectly normal. I would appreciate some advice fellow RV's on this subject

[ScottG]

Totally normal and nothing to worry about.

[deltabravo]

dyb wrote:
Dito Dutchman's post

x3