Community Forums

psrujak · 02-14-2015, 06:38 AM

We have a 2014 Rockwood travel trailer. Last fall we found the caulking between the front cap and rubber roof split. I had been up there a month earlier and did not see this.

I called the dealer and they told me to bring it in and they would re-caulk it. But it would be sixty days before they could get to it. I asked about a service call and they said Forrest River would not pay for it. They would send me a tube of caulking and I could do it myself. I am a handy guy.

Folks have told me that I should have hauled it to the dealer a trip of sixty miles one way, leave it there for sixty days. Now I have to travel 120 miles up and back and than when it is finished another 120 mile trip.

I was told Forest River would pay the bill. WHAT?

WHAT BILL? What about the 240 miles I had to drive. Are they paying for that? NO!

What would you do? calking or haul it back

pcurt23 · 02-14-2015, 06:52 AM

Keeping up with the caulking on a rig is regular maintenance. A tube of self leveling Dicor is 11 bucks and it is a half hour job. If you are getting the tube for free then you are out a half hour of time.

Pepper2 · 02-14-2015, 06:59 AM

I would never knowingly leave my roof compromised for 60 days. I would caulk it.

Lanny1763 · 02-14-2015, 07:03 AM

This is just my opinion, but if it's something that I can do, I prefer to do it myself. Sometimes other folks don't work on your stuff with the same enthusiasm as you would.

jesilvas · 02-14-2015, 07:33 AM

It is regular maintenance. NO dealer or manufacturer will pay for your trip. You decided to purchase an RV. You are not owed anything because you decided to drive a rig that sucks fuel.

psrujak · 02-14-2015, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesilvas

It is regular maintenance. NO dealer or manufacturer will pay for your trip. You decided to purchase an RV. You are not owed anything because you decided to drive a rig that sucks fuel.

That is not regular maintenance when I owned it only 6 months.

All vehicles suck full or they would not run. What does that have to do with having a roof repaired.

timetogo · 02-14-2015, 07:52 AM

I don't think my dealer would even offer a tube of chalk. I'd take the free tube and do it myself.

Bumps · 02-14-2015, 07:59 AM

We had a ForestRiver Rockwood TT with a roof problem a few years back. While, in the end, they did repair it under warranty, it took more than six (6) months to complete. Ugh! Great people caught in a rigorous bureaucracy, I think. We missed almost half of the camping season ... NOT!

Wife and I got tired of waiting for the next, "...The roof is not repaired yet..." phone call and decided to use our RVing time to look at new trailers. We figured we would just sell the [other new] one with the roof problem if/when we ever got it back. We were hoping to get some camping in before the snow started falling.

Well ... as things turned out, that is when we bought our first Class A (a bit bigger upgrade than we anticipated!) motorhome. So the silver lining for us was that we fell in love with a new kind of RVing because of the ForestRiver bureaucracy.

Funny Story: When we finally sold the ForestRiver, I had to tow it to the buyer's location. I used the motorhome as the tow vehicle. It was an unusual-looking RV. One of the comments that I heard was, "Are you towing your mother-in-law apartment?!?" Thought that was a pretty funny interpretation of what we were doing! LOL! Wish now that I had taken a picture of the setup.

Good luck getting your roof sealed QUICKLY!

\ken

JohnT · 02-14-2015, 07:59 AM

I would take the tube of caulk and schedule the appointment. Drive to the dealer with the rig on day 60 and wait for it.

vsheetz · 02-14-2015, 08:10 AM

Wondering if there is a problem that caused the caulking to split, is there a bigger problem that needs to be addressed?

jesilvas · 02-14-2015, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psrujak

That is not regular maintenance when I owned it only 6 months.

All vehicles suck full or they would not run. What does that have to do with having a roof repaired.

I think FR says check and reseal as needed every 90 days, if I'm not mistaken?

I'm saying you mentioned that FR wouldn't pay the bill for you to transport it. Why did you mention that?

psrujak · 02-15-2015, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesilvas

I think FR says check and reseal as needed every 90 days, if I'm not mistaken?

I'm saying you mentioned that FR wouldn't pay the bill for you to transport it. Why did you mention that?

Someone said I should take it back to the dealer for them to make the repairs. 120 mile round trip for a simple caulking job.

My point is FR should of paid for a service call. Only had the camper 6 months.

lynnmor · 02-15-2015, 09:24 AM

First thing, find another dealer. If they can't do a simple caulking job while you wait, they don't deserve any business.

You can't leave a trailer outdoors, leaking water, for any amount of time. Fix it now!

There may be hidden problems that caused the cracks, but that can be addressed later. For now, the cracks need to be sealed. As you are learning, an RV is just a pile of raw materials that needs further assembly.

jesilvas · 02-15-2015, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psrujak

My point is FR should of paid for a service call. Only had the camper 6 months.

That's what I was wondering about. I don't see why they should. You bought an RV that is portable. It is your prerogative to move it wherever you want, and to buy it in the first place.
Because caulking is routine maintenance, it is not a warrantied item. Every 90 days it is to be inspected and sealed as needed by the owner, not by the manufacturer.