Tear in brand new TT fiberglass, thoughts ?

[yillb]

I have a brand new TT, not even two weeks old. We took a single 4 day trip the day we purchased it. I wen't out today to check on something, and my son noticed two holes at the top of the door area ( pics attached ).

I can't for the life of me figure out what would have caused the holes to protrude OUTWARDS, their is nothing from the inside of the unit to give an indication of what could possibly have caused this.

Dealer said I caused it, thus, won't pay for it. anyone have any ideas, or seen anything like it ?

Thanks!

Tearing
Zoomed out image of both holes
implosion hole

[ggardne2]

Looking at how high up these are on the wall, if I had to hazard a guess I suspect that the screws that are used to secure the roof joists were driven they "missed" and went into the wall (i.e. most manufacturers use a lag screw that they run down through the roof joists into the wall. If the operator on the line noticed the issue he or she may have backed the screws out and re-seated them, but the damage would still be present. I had this issue on a trailer I purchased once, one screw missed the rafter and cracked the wall. The dealer had to lift the roofing membrane in that area to remove the screw, and then their fiberglass repair technician repaired the crack. Done right at a good dealer the repair will never be noticeable. I agree with others who have posted, you should go to a different dealer or escalate to the manufacturers representative. I would not take no for an answer, they are obligated to stand by their warranty.

[Lantley]

Contact the manufacturer directly. Escalate the problem up the ladder.
There are whole host of possible causes, but the bottom line is none were caused by you. With that in mind I would not let them get away with passing their defect, mistake,mishap,accident on to you.
I imagine someone at the factory has seen this type of damage before and knows what caused it. Let's face it stuff happens! The difference between a good manufacturer/dealer is how well they respond when stuff happens.

[ScottG]

I would not do anything more than put some tape on it to keep weather out - if that's even needed. It probably stays dry there. If you do anything at all they will be even harder to deal with.

[Camper_G]

Total, complete BS. I'd be livid. No way i can see you caused that.

To keep using for now, I'd fill the holes with dicor non self leveling calk.

This needs escalated. The dealer and oem should be standing behind their product.

[301TBS]

I have an aluminum sided trailer that had a similar problem when new. There was a dimple protruding from the inside of the trailer on the front cap. It was not there when I did the pdi. It got worse over time, so I phoned Crossroads ( Manufacturer) and the said it was probably a screw from the inside.
I decided to look myself to save the trip to the dealer. Inside the bedroom closet, I removed the panel and found one of the screws holding the framing in place was an inch longer than the others. It did not pierce the siding and is still ok today.
If there is a cupboard there or some other structure, you could have the same situation. Unfortunately with the damage to the fiberglass, yours will be an expensive repair.
Good luck and keep us posted!

[goducks10]

I'd take it to the dealer and ask them to show you how you did it. Make them get in the trailer and point to where you caused it.

[wrgrs50s]

Looks like a factory defect. Contact the Manufacturer and see if they can send you to another dealer for a warranty repair.

[LarryJM]

downtheroad wrote:
Can't really tell from the pics....is there anything behind those tares that is starting to poke through....like a screw, bolt, some kind of fastner?

That was my thought and almost looks like staples backing out and tearing the fiberglass.

Larry

[ksbowman]

Push it back flush and put some duct tape over it for your trip so no water can get in. Then take your trip and fix it afterwards.

[budwich]

my guess is that the trailer isn't as "new" as you think it is... 😞
I suspect some form of lighting / cabling holders were pulled out for whatever reason. Its probably "unlucky" that you didn't notice them before you took it away from the dealer... probably because the roller hid things a bit. Nice dealer to not handle this properly.

[MSchu]

So can you give the rest of us Texans the name of the dealer and the trailer so we know who to avoid? I would expect them to cover a small repair like that just to keep you as a customer.

[ScottG]

The awning isn't connected at all there.
Maybe you can escalate this with the manufacturer or even send an email to Trailer Life magazine.
What ever the cause, the shop that fixes it will find out whats pushing on it and the truth will come out.

[yillb]

downtheroad wrote:
Can't really tell from the pics....is there anything behind those tares that is starting to poke through....like a screw, bolt, some kind of fastener?

there is nothing behind them. I know it looks strange because they are coming from the inside out, but I looked, and looked, there is nothing behind them that I can see, or feel. I can't tell from the inside of the TT because there is a wall there, and one of those pics is just a raised surface, not really a hole, so I can't look inside, the one that's " tore ", I can peel it back some, nothing is touching it, or could have poked it.

[downtheroad]

Can't really tell from the pics....is there anything behind those tares that is starting to poke through....like a screw, bolt, some kind of fastner?

[yillb]

Bucky Badger wrote:
If there are no screws or nails on the inside that you put on, how can he say it's your fault? Sounds like you have a crappy dealer

Well, he tried that, they said i hung something up ( apparently i moved the microwave hung up a picture, took it down, then re put up the microwave ).

After i argued that, they said it was because I left my awning out during heavy winds.

Granted, I have used the awning, but... i'd think if the winds were heavy enough to tear the fiberglass of the body of the trailer, I think id notice.

Alas, my main question is moving forward. I'll pay whatever it costs to fix it, or insurance will, depends on the cost. do you think normal driving ( have a trip with the kids on the 5th ), will cause additional tearing? I'm honestly not sure just how strong the fiberglass in these things are ( though, doesn't appear very ). Won't be taking it off road or anything, but i would like to give the kids the trip we've been promising for some time.

Thanks for the input!