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Old 05-14-2003, 03:21 PM   #41
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Capt. Bill I would also like a copy of the document that doesn't exist as I have a 2003 Suncruiser 35U. Please email to

[email protected]

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Old 05-14-2003, 07:00 PM   #42
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Opps..
Sorry about that, hit the wrong key.
Yes Capt. Bill I will be glad to (try to) send a picture. Haven't done that yet. Only problem is, it will be a few weeks before I can do roof or pic. When I ordered the Eternabond they said it was back ordered and would be a couple weeks before they get resupplied. So I don't know when I will get it. Will keep you posted.
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Old 05-15-2003, 01:26 AM   #43
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Capt.Bill, hate to pile on but would appreciate a copy of the nonexistant document. Our 2003 Adventurer 35U arrives today. Please e-mail to [email protected].
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Old 05-16-2003, 04:45 AM   #44
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You know, anyone reading this topic has to wonder, why would a manufacturer design and build a coach with such a flaw? It's beyond me to think, that we spent our hard earned money on a product, that we later find will cause us so much heart ache and stress.

"Roofs flappin in the wind", is the last thing we ever would think about when we bought our coach, and if the manufacturer is worthy- period, we really shouldn't have to think about it at all.

How did we ever get to this point?

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Old 05-16-2003, 04:29 PM   #45
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Tomcat,

If everything we read, including that heading about roof's a flappin, were a common occurance, I think we would all be in trouble. And so would Winnebago. They have chosen a design which they use on their motorhomes, right up to their top models. Yes, I believe there are some failures that could have been prevented, and even fewer that could not have been. That's unfortunate, especially to the one it happens to.

Winnebago's design must work, because there are more Winnies on the road than any other motorhome. That's a fact. It's also true that by far, the majority of them DON'T have roofs "a'flappin in the wind". How could such a bad design remain in use year after year after year, on the nation's number #1 selling motorhome?

Routine maintenance has a lot to do with it. OK, if you buy another brand, with another roof design, you don't have that particular maintenance item. Maybe you have another issue to reckon with. LIke slide seal or slide electric motor and gear strip problems.

Tire manufacturers won't give you a new tire or repair the damage to your motorhome when you get a blowout, if you run on under-inflated tires. So we check our tire pressure regularly. Everything requires attention , so we need to follow our manufacturer's maintenance procedures, whatever they are.

I am not saying Winneebago's design is the best or the worse. I have one too, so I am as concerned as anyone else. But if they are all falling apart, how did they attain their position in the market? And why don't we see these "roofs a'flappin" on all those Winnebagos we see out there every day?

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Old 05-31-2007, 07:38 PM   #46
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I recently lost my fiberglass roof while driving in periodic wind gusts up to 50-70 miles per hour. Insurance company won't cover it, now I'm out a roof. Very dissapointing. Not all of us bought our RV's from a dealer and not all of us were fully informed on what was required. I wasn't fully informed until my insurance company denied my claim.
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Old 06-01-2007, 02:17 AM   #47
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As with any manufactured item there will be weak points. Everyone SHOULD know about the seam inspection on winnies. I have had a 99, 03 and now a 02 and have never had a problem with the seams. I am scheduled for a roof checkup on the 5th and will do it every year thereafter.

I don't like the fact that the seam is a weak point, but as it has been pointed out other roofs have their flaws too. I think if Winnie could find a better way they would and they can I am sure but what would the cost be?

I am not bashing, but check out the Newmar owners forum, they have their share of problems too.

When you buy a Winnie you know they have this problem..Maintainance is the key
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Old 06-01-2007, 03:05 AM   #48
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Please people...the SEAM/CAULK is not what holds down the overlapping sides of the fiberglass....it is the GUTTER RAIL that is screwed over the overlapping fiberglass........
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Old 06-01-2007, 03:07 AM   #49
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by mich702:
I recently lost my fiberglass roof while driving in periodic wind gusts up to 50-70 miles per hour. Insurance company won't cover it, now I'm out a roof. Very dissapointing. Not all of us bought our RV's from a dealer and not all of us were fully informed on what was required. I wasn't fully informed until my insurance company denied my claim. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Any way you could give us more than your roof came off? The Fiberglass portion? The overlapping edges? The whole roof and ceiling structure? What model Winnebago?
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Old 06-01-2007, 04:23 AM   #50
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Since this thread started in April 2003, I am pleased to report that I still have a water tight roof after close to 60,000 miles. I just washed it over the weekend and after using Gel-Gloss about 4 months ago, it still looks practically brand new.

The side caulking seams do appear a bit wrinkly but not cracked so I'm going to probably have the roof resealed this fall. Strategy not yet decided upon.

If you goto Forest City, IA for factory service one of the complimentary services that everyone gets is a roof inspection.
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Old 06-01-2007, 12:23 PM   #51
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Everyone has a valid point concerning the roof capture desing. My rig has continually been inspected by me, once by my dealer and the factory. After each inspection by the experts I had leakage. The factory even ran their pressure leak test. All was well.
Let's face it, it's a flawed concept.
I now have Eternabond along both sides and across the front cap. It goes into paint in the middle of this month. After the application I gave it a though heavy duty wash. Bingo, no leaks.
There is no way in hells half acre that I'm going to be satisfied inspecting and sealing my roof every six months after spending nearly $250k.
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Old 06-01-2007, 02:43 PM   #52
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can you show us a picture of the eternabond on your vectra. I am getting ready to put it on and want to see how you flapped it on the sides...did you put the sides on then the front and rear cap? or vice versa? thanks for any help
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Old 06-01-2007, 06:23 PM   #53
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peter g: I'll take a couple of pictures tomorrow and forward to your e-mail. I'm still stupid when it comes to posting pictures on this site so please provide me with your e-mail.

I first applied the Eternabond across the front cap just to figure out what I was doing. That proved useful as I wasn't on a ladder. I didn't apply it to the rear cap as that was gooped up real good and appeared to be rugged.
The strip across the cap went down to cover the corner to lock it in place. In retrospect it's probably better to do the side first and then overlap it with the cap strip.
Since I have a painted rig I had to use the grey web that becomes fuzzy when painted. I therefore had to use a primer with a hardening agent to coat the web. The web material must be painted as it isn't UV protected on it's own. The primer became hard so I was able to sand it prior to painting. Without the primer and sanding it looks terrible. You can order Eternabond in white or black and does not require painting, it is UV protected. That's the easiest approach but I didn't want my rig to look like it was being held together with tape (which it is).
The rig will go to the paint shop in a couple of weeks.
If you have any other questions e-mail me at [email protected]
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Old 06-01-2007, 08:05 PM   #54
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Hi, I'm new, and this is only my second post. I hope that you won't mind me interrupting your discussion in hopes that some of you can post pictures of your roof work. I just happened to be checking out the "RVing with Pets" forum and saw instructions for posting pictures. Since I'm so new, I had no idea either, so I have to give credit to Monacomama. All I'm doing is copying/pasting. I hope that this will be helpful to some of you.
--------------

"Pull up your picture... right click on it...go down to "Properties" that show up when you right click... click on that. It will give you the "URL Address". Copy the URL address.
Now...go to where you want to post the message and start a "reply" or "new message"
When you start a message you will see the little blue boxes at the top that give you the choice of your "Smileys", color, URL ...etc. The next to the last one is a green box symbol of a picture.
Click on that. In the window that comes up is where you will "paste" your picture URL.
Hit the OK button and then hit the "Post Now" button."
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Good luck!
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Old 06-03-2007, 01:32 PM   #55
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my winnebago is a 1993 adventurer my thin fiberglas roof came off in the wind and proggresive denied my claim for poor matinence i didnt know about the roof seam problem but now i do i think its rediculios that im required to re caulk my roof every 3 to 6 months im in the process of removing the entire roof and reinforceing it and installing a rubber roof i know that the tpo rubber is much better but is three times the cost of a rubber roof and my coach is already 15 years old so ill go with the cheaper rubber roof i dont see having this rv much longer the rubber roof system is warentied for 10 years, the tpo rubber roof carries a 12 year warrenty the rubber roof doesnt require nearly as much matinence and will never be flappin in the wind unless its torn by a branch witch would be coverd by insurance. this is my only problem with my rv everything else has been great i think the roof is very porrly designed and can be greatly improved
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Old 06-17-2019, 09:16 AM   #56
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Wow sorry I totally forgot about this thread I had started. My brand new winne has been sold, and I have moved on through a shorter class A and now a diesel sprinter based Class B.



Winnebago fiberglass roof yes its not structural, its a thin sheet that is spread out over the roof and bonded then the edges are tucked into the side rail and caulked. when the edges are tucked in there is an are at the edge of your roof about 4 inches or so that is unsupported underneath, the curve itself is sorta supposed to be supported by the Styrofoam placed under there loosely. I bought a brand new 99 diesel Winnebago and yes it had issues from when it arrived at the dealer onward. I had sought the fiberglass sheet instead of the membrane roof as those I have seen can be damaged easily by branches etc. Finally after 4 tries it was fixed the 4th try is on my own as the warranty is pointless. Eternabond was the cure at the time along with some spray in foam for supporting the ripped part after it was patched. My side seam came undone multiple times. The foam curve pieces broke from windshear and flew off. Yes I collected them to show the dealer.


After being sensitized by own issues, I watched every bago I saw and yes saw side seam issues and even rear edge issue where the sheet had come out of the back cap and would rise up. I ended up at the same fuel stop as that person, when I told him about it he went up the ladder and sure enough a portion of the sheet at come up as the roof had two rips about a foot in from both sides. He told me that they had just sealed the roof and perhaps stepped close to the end while doing that and installing the roof vent covers.


In my opinion the radius corners should be well supported for the roof as 1. some one may step close to the edge for various reasons, 2. a branch may rub against the edge and the well supported and bonded top would help prevent or minimize damage. Its amazing how much we RV folks bear in the form of risk when purchasing the rigs. The assembler (brander) just puts it together and then washes their hands of it, within a year ? All else is warrantied by each maker, can you imagine how much the auto makers would be loving this type of customer! Oh yes go visit the air bag maker for the warranty, the same for the seat maker and the belt maker ..... Any way sooner than later a RV company will step into the void and provide quality product and take ownership of the design, implementation and parts they selected. Reminds me of the morass the auto industry was in during the 70's how they all shaped up thanks to new competition and a huge culture change. All the best keep the sunny side up and the wheels on the ground and yes check into any flapping going on (roof, awnings or even panels). Is De-lamination always the users fault? How much maintenance should be expected on a unit how many hours per week, month, year contrast that with the hours the unit was actually used? Clearly we value our RVs differently than we value our cars, houses etc.
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Old 06-17-2019, 09:51 AM   #57
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Thanks for the update on this perennial issue. I, too, am puzzled as to why Winnebago has designed the roof edge so the radius corners are relatively unsupported. I agree that Eternabond is the best solution.
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Old 06-25-2019, 02:03 AM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FrontRangeRVer View Post
Please people...the SEAM/CAULK is not what holds down the overlapping sides of the fiberglass....it is the GUTTER RAIL that is screwed over the overlapping fiberglass........
Sorry, but I have no idea where you are getting this "screw" info. Click image for larger version

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There are no screws where the roof meets the gutter. The roof is tucked into the J channel and caulked as the only way it is attached. This has been true for many, many years on the Winnie all-fiberglass roof.

Some customers a few years ago got roofs where the fiberglass sheet was cut slightly short, not enough material to tuck in and secure with the specified caulk. Most customers, the joint works well until the caulk dries out - then you HAVE TO recaulk or your roof could be flapping!

See the roof skin above meeting the sealant above...
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Old 06-25-2019, 04:11 PM   #59
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Here's a color picture of the roof to wall connection design from a dealer display stand. The Filon top sheet is glued to the roof plywood but it is not fastened anywhere in the curved section. It is formed and tucked into a slot in the top of the roof to wall aluminum full length extrusion that physically connects the wall and roof structure with numerous screws. As was stated the end of the curve is adhered to the slot with adhesive caulk, the specific kind is specified in the Winnebago sealants guide.

Also note that certain newer Winnebago models no longer use this design. Outlook and Intent use membrane roofs that are wrapped around the roof to wall connection and set into the top of the side walls similar to how most Elkhart built RVs with membrane roofs are made.

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Old 06-25-2019, 04:51 PM   #60
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danhannah and powercat_ras are absolutely right. One of the POs of my 35U misguidedly added some screws into the fiberglass above the gutter. If you have screws they aren't stock and probably aren't doing any good. I removed some that were loose but will be covering all of them when I add Eternabond tape after the weather cools down.
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