Paint Bubbling

[wendyjeff]

I am new to this forum and getting ready to buy a used 2002 Winnebago Adventure 35U. There are spots on the enterance door and a few around the left front headlight area wher the paint is bubbling and peeling off. The spots are about 1/4 inch in diameter. Has anyone else had this problem and if so was it an easy fix. Should this be a concern about buying or is it just cosmetic. Thanks in advance for any input.

[Dave and Jaime]

Yes, this is a potentially serious problem that may be difficult and costly to repair. What you describe sounds like osmotic blistering, a form of delamination. It will only get worse, and be more than a cosmetic issue. The integrity of the sidewalls will be impaired and you will have a very hard time reselling the unit. It will require professional repairs that are much more than simply sanding and repainting. As the problem worsens, individuals have been known to spend tens of thousands of dollars for repairs. This problem was unusually common with the Alfa motorhomes and likely played a significant role in that manufacturer going out of business. Lots of lawsuits were filed about that.

Unless you are buying this MH very, very cheap and you intend to keep it until you can't use it any more, this might be a very good time to walk away and look for another unit. There are lots of good values out there. Some folks try to do superficial repairs to hide the problem but this is like painting over rust on a car. It will quickly return. If you still have your heart set on this purchase, please have a professional examine it and give you a estimate of repairs and make sure you pay a low price, commensurate with the risk you are taking.

[AFChap]

As I asked in another post of this issue, is it PAINT that is bubbling OR is it the surface layer of unpainted white gelcoat FIBERGLASS -- huge diference in cause and fix. It does sound like a fiberglass problem (and I don't think Adventurer had painted models in '02), but the door (driver or main entry?) and especially the front cap are not where that normally happens -- it is normally a sidewall problem. Sidewall and front cap construction processes are very different.