Motor Home Coming Unglued

[jk_and_dog]

My 07 Journey is starting to come apart at the seams. I had to use Gorilla Glue to reset the driver rear engine panel last fall and now the rear engine grill just fell off in my hands when I lifted the rear engine door. What's up with Winnie quality??. The front driver's lower compartment still leaks and fills with water. Local servive center has repeatly tried to stop leak but to no avail.

Now I bought the Journey due to what I thought was high quality and durability. Maybe I need a second opinion....

Not a happy camper at the moment!

[GENECOP]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, it a real shame that quality like that is allowed to leave the factory....

[smlranger]

I just recently had my generator access door reglued when my rig was in the shop for a windshield replacement. The same shop reglued the entire rear bumper? 3 yrs ago. They used some special automotive epoxy and it seems to be holding well.

The problem seems to be poor prep of the metal before it is glued to the fiberglass. My shop said the metal tabs appeared to be painted so they ground the surface to remove the paint before re-gluing.

All coach manufacturers seem to have their weaknesses. Agree that these are frustrating issues but overall, our '02 Journey is holding up well.

[RickO]

It really does stink. It would be nice to think more pride went into the construction of such expensive machines but instead the mantra with so many mfgrs seems to be "we're no worse than anybody else". Doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

If your summer plans take you anywhere near Forrest City, Iowa a trip to the factory to have them fix things would be good but I'm sure you can't wait to fix this stuff so.....

Best of luck...

Rick

[ga traveler]

Most of the factories do try to design a decent motorhome. One of the major problems is the factory worker. (And yes I say this as a mechanic myself) If you have ever visited a factory, you know how saw dust is everywhere. Too many times the guys just slap things together without cleaning them first. Glue will stick to the dust and of course you have a bad joint.

[Wayne M]

It depends if it was manufactured on a Monday, or a Friday, and best is manufactured Tuesday through Thursday.

Olde Craftsmen, Don't You Know!

[DrDaveCA]

If you are having the same weather in VA that we are in NC it maybe related to the temperature. On our coach WRV used a lot of what they called "Gorilla Snot" for glue . That stuff tends to migrate with temperature, the higher the temp the faster it the slide .

[jk_and_dog]

The previous and this time the problem seems to be the actual hold points are breaking free, ie where the glue fits through the "screw" hole. Adhesive is holding on both pieces but breaking at the small hole.

And o by the way, Journey goes back to CAT service center to refix the overheating issue I had at this same time last year.

Still not a happy camper......

[ditto]

My engine grill fell and cut my head! Smlranger is right ...poor prep before glueing...I understand wb is aware of this problem...at least mine was under warranty...

[Don G]

My rear engine grill also came loose. I used windshield adhesive to reattach it, but glued along the entire metal frame not just a few corners like the original. I also glued the front cover before it had a chance to loosen up.
My front compartment was also getting wet and I found that I had to keep after the rubber seal and make sure that it was clean and free of dirt.
I have not had overheating problem, but often clean the rear radiator of oil and dirt deposits, a common problem from the engine vent or slobber tube. There is much discussion on this topic.

[AFChap]

The glue problem has been going on for several years ...some have added carriage bolts or something similar to hold the generator access/engine access doors.

I finally fixed my leaky compartment problem (both sides immediately adjacent to the front wheels) by going over ALL seams I could reach on the outside of the box with silicone caulk. After the caulk dried, I applied a couple of coats of spray undercoat to all exposed areas, and tried to get it to those places I could not reach with the caulk. That pretty much cured my leaky compartment problems.