Routine Trailer Maintenance?

[azwildcat99]

We have a travel trailer that just hit the year mark and is in for some warranty items. While there I had the dealer repack the bearings and do a preventative check of the entire TT.

The dealer has come back saying some seals and gaps on the roof and around the slide that should be resealed. My question back was "Isn't that covered under warranty?" The answer was no as it was considered normal wear and tear.

My question to the forum is what routine maintenance do you perform (monthly or yearly) and have you had a dealer reseal your roof or slide areas under the 1 yr warranty or was it considered normal wear and tear?

Thanks in advance!

[thib2722]

Besides keeping everything up, the biggest concern is water damage. It is extremely important to go over the trailer, roof and sidewalls, with a fine tooth comb at least once every year. Check every caulk seam and touch up as needed. Water is the most harmful thing to travel trailers.

[azwildcat99]

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it. We put about 6k miles on it over the past year. We did get an extended warranty as well so I'll have to check it and see if it covers those items.

Tom

[spike99]

.

Yearly maintenance tasks for my RV/TT?

- Climb on roof and inspect every fall (before winter season). Where needed, I apply new Dicor self leveling caulking in the cracks. And for deep cracks, I apply eternabond tape over the dicor (applied in the deeper cracks). Both items available at RV Parts store.
- Climb on roof and wash with Protect-All Rubber Roof Cleaner. I tried Spic & Span a few times and notice Rubber Roof Cleaner works much better.
- I apply Protect-All Roof Treatment 1 x per year (in the spring). Some folks don't believe in roof treatment. I do. Especially no black streaks for 6 months after applying the stuff.
- Each spring, I remove each wheel hub, inspect brakes (replace worn out parts) and re-pack with fresh wheel bearing grease. I do this in May (before towing) to remove any natural inner moisture as well.
- Manually wax its sides each year. Will often use NuFinish - which is a wax on / wax off product.
- Winterize and de-winterize tasks. Before winterizing, its black tank gets flushed out as well.

Note: Learn to do maintenance tasks yourself (lots of You-Tube clips) and save hundreds and hundreds of dollars each year. Saved dollars means dollars available for mods / upgrades - that RV builders don't do at factory (but should).

This works for my setup...

[BarneyS]

Unless you purchased "seal and gasket" insurance, then no the seals are not covered. The caulking on the roof seams, which the dealer is probably talking about, is a normal maintenance item and is also not covered. You should check and re-caulk where necessary at least once a year.

I, and many others on the forum, covered all of my roof seams with Eternabond tape which you can put on right over the existing caulk after cleaning it. It makes the seam impossible to leak and should last for many years. Mine has been on since 2005 or so and still looks like the day it was installed. No more worries about leaks! :B
Barney

[dbbls]

No manufacture covers resealing. It is considered maintenance.

[cpaharley2008]

Warranty will cover defects, recaulking a crack is considered maintenance. Similar to wear and tear on an auto vs something that stops working. Your wipers and brake linings are wear and tear, your wiper motors or brake cylinder are warranty items. Get used to resealing and caulking your joints, they are made to be flexible as you town and will open.

[Mr_Bojangles]

Hello AZwildcat:

How many miles have you traveled with trailer? Seals.... some people do re-seal yearly, but generaly do them themselves, otherwise becomes expensive. Miles traveled an indicator.

I would think items described (resealing on roof) fall under warranty.

Today..., dealers get you for whatever they can... talk nice to service manager and "maybe" he will give you a break.

I get "ripped" everytime I go near a dealer.