To fix or live with it.

[eend]

Last year our 2010 shadow cruiser sprung a roof leak. I removed the front cap and resealed it,and let everything dry out, so of course you can never get it put back perfectly. So the front cap looks very humpy bumpy, as well the sides are starting to delaminates.

What’s one to do , get it repaired or live with it, the trailer is 8 years old and we love the layout, but the delaminating and bumpy front cap looks terrible.
Would it b3 worth it.

[CavemanCharlie]

And, I would not consider a 8 year old TT a older one. My TT is 25 years old and I know a lot of people using ones much older.

[CavemanCharlie]

Is there some way to fix the problem to your satisfaction without it getting back to being perfect?

My brother has a 5th wheel that started to de-lam on the back wall. The local guy pulled the inside off to find the studs and then added screws to the back wall to hold it together. The screws have little plastic caps that match perfectly to the color of the wall. Because they are in a perfectly straight line they look like they belong there and it was made that way by the factory.

Wonderful idea actually.

[eend]

Thanks for all the replies, I think I will live with it even though it bothers me. I got the leak fixed so don't have to worry about more water penetration.

We like our trailer and the layout and I just cant justify spending 25-30 k on a new trailer that only gets used maybe 6 weeks a year.

[Draggo]

I had a 2008 KZ that had a water leak a few years ago. I sealed up the leak, cleaned up what I could but ended up with delamination on both sides in the front and the front cap was bumpy. Got a couple of prices to fix it and determined that I would never get that money back out of it. Trailer was about 7 years old at the time. Decided to live with it and just take the hit when we did finally get rid of it (which was just a couple of months ago). I'd rather take a hit on what I have coming in (trade in value) rather then sending money out (paying for a repair).

[Lwiddis]

No rusted cars in SoCal, boos.

[boosTT]

People drive rusted cars... do you?

[Lwiddis]

You are not happy with your current RV. Buy a new one and do more maintenance.

[colliehauler]

SoundGuy wrote:

eend wrote:
What’s one to do , get it repaired or live with it, the trailer is 8 years old and we love the layout, but the delaminating and bumpy front cap looks terrible.

Live with it, your camping experience won't be any different either way ... fix it and you'll never recoup the costs, especially on a trailer of this age. I see plenty of trailers in campgrounds with exactly the same issue, in fact my own 2008 K-Z Spree suffered the same delamination problem on the curb side wall. I'm positive it wasn't a water leak issue but rather adhesive failure but that nevertheless didn't make it look any better. I simply lived with it until we later traded it in because we no longer needed a trailer of that size. Interestingly, the dealer resold it within weeks.

I had a small Sidekick TT that was in covered storage. The front cap was exposed to full morning sun. It was less then a year old when the glue let go on the front cap, rest of the trailer was fine. I discounted the TT the cost of repairs and sold it in less than a hour of posting it on Craigslist. The company had been sold so there was no warranty.

[Bobbo]

If the sides are starting to delaminate, you still have leak problems.

[sgfrye]

SoundGuy wrote:

eend wrote:
What’s one to do , get it repaired or live with it, the trailer is 8 years old and we love the layout, but the delaminating and bumpy front cap looks terrible.

Live with it, your camping experience won't be any different either way ... fix it and you'll never recoup the costs, especially on a trailer of this age. I see plenty of trailers in campgrounds with exactly the same issue, in fact my own 2008 K-Z Spree suffered the same delamination problem on the curb side wall. I'm positive it wasn't a water leak issue but rather adhesive failure but that nevertheless didn't make it look any better. I simply lived with it until we later traded it in because we no longer needed a trailer of that size. Interestingly, the dealer resold it within weeks.

X2 because of the age, 3 months from now another issue may show up

Go camping and enjoy it

[SoundGuy]

eend wrote:
What’s one to do , get it repaired or live with it, the trailer is 8 years old and we love the layout, but the delaminating and bumpy front cap looks terrible.

Live with it, your camping experience won't be any different either way ... fix it and you'll never recoup the costs, especially on a trailer of this age. I see plenty of trailers in campgrounds with exactly the same issue, in fact my own 2008 K-Z Spree suffered the same delamination problem on the curb side wall. I'm positive it wasn't a water leak issue but rather adhesive failure but that nevertheless didn't make it look any better. I simply lived with it until we later traded it in because we no longer needed a trailer of that size. Interestingly, the dealer resold it within weeks.

[kerrlakeRoo]

I'll give a vote to replacing it.

Since it already bothers you enough to post here asking the question, every time you are near it you will be looking for any increase or spread, checking to see if its worse, and likely worrying that it looks bad.
All this time spent paying attention to the front of the camper, and studying it in minute detail, is time you should be doing what the camper was bought for, looking at the beach, mountains, sunrises, gathering the family and friends, etc. Instead you will likely be inspecting the damage to the front cap.

[garyemunson]

Roof maintenance is so important on an RV. At least once a year get up there on your hands and knees and 'put your eyeball' on every square inch. Dicor is your friend. "A job well done need not be done again" does not apply to RV water sealing. Any seam or penetration of the roof WILL eventually leak. Side windows need to be tightened every year and the butyl tape replaced once it dries out...it usually lasts 10 years. Stay on top of leaks and your RV will last a long time.

[Camper_G]

RVs depreciate so quickly so as it is. Honestly if i were you, I'd just live with it at this point.


Have you maintained your calk joints? If so and this was a one time event and you have full insurance coverage, maybe file a claim and see if your insurance carrier will pay for the repairs? Might be worth a shot? If it was a long term leak or due to lack of maintenance there would probably be no coverage. Good luck.