94 Holiday Rampler Endeaver Side Wall

[Catch14me]

I am looking at an RV to buy, currently saw an 04 Holiday Rambler Endeavor that my wife liked the floor plan a lot. I drove 300 miles to check it but discovered on one side the fiberglass walls had waves that could easily be pressed in I would guess 3/8 inch or more. The other side with slides was OK. The crown on the top where it meets the side had the same issue, mainly on one side. The inside of the RV showed no indication of leaks other than a couple of spots one by the large slide at the floor with minor wall softness at the bottom and one by the entrance door. It had a few other issues but the one I am most concerned with is the side wall. Anyone had this experience with Holiday Rambler? I am not familiar with the construction of the walls to know how serious this is. On the roof it appeared that a type of eternabond or similar product was used down the center of the roof, along the roof edges, and other places. I don't know if it was added or came that way. Any comments are appreciated. We like th RV but don't want a big expense after the purchase or drastic decrease in value one bought. One other item, the full body paint had some spider cracks but not noticeable until close up.

[jergeod]

Sounds like some sort of delamination.

[slowmachine]

Originally Posted by Catch14me

I am looking at an RV to buy, currently saw an 04 Holiday Rambler Endeavor that my wife liked the floor plan a lot. I drove 300 miles to check it but discovered on one side the fiberglass walls had waves that could easily be pressed in I would guess 3/8 inch or more. The other side with slides was OK. The crown on the top where it meets the side had the same issue, mainly on one side. The inside of the RV showed no indication of leaks other than a couple of spots one by the large slide at the floor with minor wall softness at the bottom and one by the entrance door. It had a few other issues but the one I am most concerned with is the side wall. Anyone had this experience with Holiday Rambler? I am not familiar with the construction of the walls to know how serious this is. On the roof it appeared that a type of eternabond or similar product was used down the center of the roof, along the roof edges, and other places. I don't know if it was added or came that way. Any comments are appreciated. We like th RV but don't want a big expense after the purchase or drastic decrease in value one bought. One other item, the full body paint had some spider cracks but not noticeable until close up.

As already suggested this is typical for delaminated wall panels. The outer wall skin is either an aluminum or fiberglass composite sheet glued to 1/8" lauan plywood. Water leaks damage the plywood and/or the adhesive, and they separate (delaminate) leaving an air gap between the layers. This is very expensive to repair, and most people would recommend that you just live with it if it's not too bad. If you're paying for a professional pre-purchase inspection, a repair estimate could be useful for negotiating the purchase price. If you don't want the headache, move on and continue your search. The internet makes it easy to find the floorplan that you want, though it may be farther away.



Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B

[Catch14me]

It does look that way but I have seen a number of others with some degree of what appears to be separation or delamination and others with none. Underneath or behind the fiberglass does not feel soft. I understand that the wall is attached to the RV aluminum frame via glue (hung), and there is no wood involved in the exterior wall but have read conflicting accounts. The crown that curves over the roof to the side wall may have let in water. It would help to see a good picture of the side wall construction. The picture on the Holiday Rambler site is too small and not detailed enough to tell.

[slowmachine]

This is what mine looks like.





Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B

[Catch14me]

Thanks for the picture and I am sorry you have that to deal with. Definitely looks like wood the fiberglass shell is attached to. It may be that the one I am looking at could be the same if the interior wall was removed to see. I guess the best case scenario would be that the glue attaching the side to the aluminum is gone. Was your side wall delaminated when you examined or the interior damaged as well? Any idea where the leak came from.

[slowmachine]

I removed the wall panel to repair floor damage from a leak in the bedroom slideout and discovered this. The leak is from the seam between the roof and the side wall, and also at the t-shaped joint between the rear cap, roof, and wall. This is old damage and had probably occurred over a long time. The dark stain is mostly just discoloration. The real damage is confined to the top 12" or so. From the outside, it is barely visible. It is also fairly rigid because of the large rectangle of aluminum in the upper corner where the curved corner seam between the wall and rear cap are riveted to the wall framing. If you push on it from the outside, there is really no movement. From the inside, though, the lauan plywood is very soft and easy to push outward. Not sure exactly how I'm going to fix it, but a reinforcing layer of lauan and some epoxy seem like a good idea. I've never tried vacuum bagging before, and this might be a good spot to give it a go. The full repair may be quite a task, because the awning rail is part of the seam. I'm a sucker for projects, but this is a bit worse than I thought when I purchased it.



Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B