Bounder: Fleetwood Bounder fiberglass stress crack

[rapid rick]

Originally Posted by Alan_Hepburn

That stress crack is not limited to Bounders, or Fleetwoods - it's an industry-wide issue. The panel is a single sheet of fiberglass, and holes are cut into it for doors, windows, vents, and slides. In the case of doors and windows the corners are usually rounded for the radius corners of the frames. But in the case of slides the corners are generally left square. As the rig is driven the sides flex from movement, air pressure, etc. and the corners of those cutouts are weak points where stress cracks form.

The solution is to radius the corners when they're cut, or to otherwise eliminate the corner. The solution our service shop chooses is to cut a vertical seam from the corner down to the edge of the panel and cover the cut with a piece of molding that matches the rest of the molding on the unit. That removes the stress point at the corner and you can't tell that it wasn't done at the factory. It's a lot easier and less expensive fix than replacing the entire wall, which will still have that sharp corner built in to it.

From what I can see of the picture,and comparing it to the body on my terra 35k,
the side wall on the bounder ends at the beltline of the coach(floorline).Fleetwood uses that interlocking channel to hold the wall to the floor,and that the bottom of the slide out opening is too close to the bottom edge thus making it weak.On the terra the sidewall ends at the bottom,below the cargo holds,with radiused edge cargo doors cut out of side wall,which ultimately leaves about 2 ft from bottom of slide opening to bottom of side wall,we have a 2013 ,no cracks at that spot.IMHO,design flaw,Alan's fix makes sense to me ,controlled expansion joint,with sealant and trim. I'm not thinking it has anything to do with rounded vs squared corners, just the proximity to the bottom edge of sidewall.

[Clayobx]

Tiffin has experienced the same issue with multiple models. There fix is as described, cut the seam to relieve the pressure. Add molding with matching color and move on down the road. FW will repair the issue or authorize a qualified dealership or body shop to effect a repair. Personally I would add matching molding to maintain appearance. However, I'm very OCD. I know your frustration over what I call "new coach blues". Been there, relax go with the flow. FW was excellent in handling my issues and I used the "blues" as a learning experience for my new systems.

[BnB]

I have the same coach also purchased March of 15. I had a list for the factory to repair (I never go to a dealership it's always a waste of time/money) and one of the items was a 3-4 inch stress crack at the top left corner where the bedroom slide comes in. They did a great job of fixing and finishing about 4 months ago now still looks perfect after another 3500 miles of road travel.

[kg6vvo]

Hi if could please post a picture of the repair you did on your 2015 Bounder
I'm starting the prosses of getting mine fixed so I would like to see the the fix they did for you.
Thank you much Steve St. Martin

[BnB]

Here you go Steve - ignore the AZ dust.

[Clayobx]

You'll notice the emphasis on "qualified" dealership. They do exist.

[mchero]

I have seen quite a few people driving around with improperly adjusted anti-billow arms on their slide toppers! Jammed right up against the outer wall, OUCH! I'll have to remember to take a picture next time.