Roof question

[ellbaker]

I looked an 08 Sightseer 35J that I am thinking about buying. I climbed on the roof to take a look. The seam on the passengers side where it joins the sidewall was separated in a few spots. It obviously needs a caulk job. The drivers side caulk was fine. The dealer said they would recaulk that side but I am concerned if any damage is in the wall. I am curious of the internal workings because it seems fairly easy to lose the caulk in that joint. Is there any internal protection at this seam or does water freely flow into the wall when the seam is broached? There are no signs on the internal walls of any leaks.

[AFChap]

Welcome to the list!

From cut-away views I have seen of that seam (both demo piece of roof and pictures), it seems to me that water is extremely unlikely to be able to get inside the coach from there. The roof fiberglass sheet goes down into the "J-channel" behind the drip rail, and the caulk helps to keep it in place there. There are drains in the bottom of the channel. If water were to get inside the coach roof it would have to go around the bottom edge of the roof fiberglass sheet and then wick upwards ...as I say, it doesn't seem at all likely to me that would happen. The primary concern I am aware of with that seam being checked/recaulked at least once a year (to maintain the Winnebago 15 yr warranty on the roof) is that if the caulking is neglected for a long period and deteriorates enough, the roof sheet can be pulled out of the seam by high winds (either a storm or while driving). The result for some owners has been losing chunks of the roof, or most/all of the roof being peeled back like a sardine can. I'll see if I can insert an illustration of the roof side cross section below.

On an '08 model coach, I wouldn't worry about it. I have my side seams checked at least once a year. Sometimes they need minor repairs, and sometimes most/or all of the caulk needs to be replaced.

BTW ...there is lots of info available for "previous year" models on Winnebago's website. You can download a 2008 Sightseer brochure at http://www.winnebagoind.com/products/previous-models/2008/pdfs/winnebago/08-Sightseer-Brochure.pdf. They also have wiring & plumbing diagrams, which can come in real handy for trouble-shooting problems later.

[Clay L]

One thing to note; you might want to make sure the dealer uses the Winnebago approved caulk.
I needed to caulk a small area on my roof last summer, went to a Winnebago dealer and asked for the caulk. They wanted to sell me a standard caulk and were not aware that to maintain the warranty you are supposed to use the approved caulk. They had to call Winnebago to get the number and order it.

I think I might be concerned that a 2008 model already needs caulking.
I first needed some last summer and I have a 2004. I would wonder about the original installation.
You could call Winnebago customer service and see what they think.

[AFChap]

Quote:

I might be concerned that a 2008 model already needs caulking

I wouldn't ...mine has needed at least some minor attention almost every year I have checked it, and more than minor every two years or so. Guess it depends on how much exposure it gets to weather/sun. As a fulltimer, mine is outside all the time, just as a rig on a dealer's lot has been.