Coach Side wall delamination

[vrodderd]

Hello all, new to the forum and only been RV'ing for a few years.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way about Camping World and their practices. I can't blame them entirely as I did hand them the money for the camper.

I bought a class C a couple of years ago and just recently noticed that the outside side wall seems to be coming away from the frame. Someone said it was delamination. Called Good Sam as I bought the extended warranty from the dealer ($6995) and they say its cosmetic and isn't covered. So I asks the lady if the wall falls off, do they consider that cosmetic? She said yes. I could'nt believe my ears.

Anyway, now I am on the search for a body shop in North Carolina (Charlotte metro) that can fix the problem. Does anyone happen to know of a reputable dealer or can I take this to any body shop for repair?

Extremely frustrated and upset with CW so I hope I have communicated this effectively. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[bamaboy473]

Can't help with a suggestion for body shops, but I sure feel your pain. Sorry to hear it.


have you inspected the roof and above where it's delaminating to find the cause of the water intrusion?

[Lloyd in S.C.]

So sorry to hear that. Seems there is a lot of that going on. My brother in-law had the same problem on a real nice 5th wheel, once started, new spots kept poping up. My son is has it also on his toy hauler.

Before you spend money on the fix, how big is the area? Do you see any signs of more area's? They usualy start small, like 6", then grow over time once the separation starts. I am no expert, but those I have observed, have it in numerous places, not just one area. Sorry for that really bad news, but that is my experience.

I am in the Charlotte area, not aware of a repair shop for this work. However I just purchased a RV from Lazy Days in Florida. They have a extensive RV body shop, might be worth a trip to Tampa. I do think this is one of those areas where a experienced RV specialist repair is needed rather then any old paint shop.

Good luck! Sorry if I made it worse, but sticking with what i have seen.

L.

[vrodderd]

Thank you both for your responses!

I found a shop in Denver called Complete RV. Its a family owned business and has been around for 30 years. So far, great people to deal with which is refreshing after my CW experience.
The initial inspection seems to be from a leak at the window. Haven't done the work yet but they said they see a lot of Coachmen coach's with this problem due to the fact that they use a foam gasket for the windows that compress over time and allow water leaks.
That being said, the delam repair will probably be in the $2k range to repair.

Will update when we get further along.

Tim

[Mich F]

Sorry to hear of your delamination problem, although I fail to see how Camping World can be blamed for this problem in a MH you bought a couple of years ago. The problem could have developed since you bought it.

[vrodderd]

Thanks for your note, Mich. We will to agree to disagree about CW.

CW and Good Sam are one in the same, as far as I can tell, and my dealings with them have me thinking they are shady. I guess I am old fashioned in thinking that folks deal honestly with each other and honor what they sell, but I know in today's world, Customer Service is a dying art.
Lying by omission is still lying in my opinion. But, they didn't hold a gun to my head when I signed the bill of sale, so I will eat this and continue looking for dealerships which appreciate my hard earned dollar and respect. This is just my experience with a dealership near me, so I can't speak to them all.

[HoneyBadger]

You can DYI this, if your're so inclined.

There are kits to fix small areas of delamination (just google it) and removing and resealing the window is not difficult.

[Aguyfromcalg]

What year and make is your Coachmen?
What are your walls made out of?



2010 Coachmen Freelander 30qb
Ford E450 V10

[Mr. A]

Just did some on my class C. I used West Systems 2 part epoxy and a spray can injector. Press the wall with some plywood and it is hard as a rock.

[Mr. A]

Robot Check

Just remove the hose and install a 3' brake line and it worked like a charm. Pulled tail lamps, trim and shot it in. Make sure you use the slow setting hardener and clean up after you are done.

[Mr. A]

I also used a wood roller to push the glue around.

[fredtoo]

Originally Posted by Mr. A

Just did some on my class C. I used West Systems 2 part epoxy and a spray can injector. Press the wall with some plywood and it is hard as a rock.

Would you explain the "spray can injector" and how do you determine how much epoxy to use?

[Mr. A]

The use a NAPA A/C flushing gun, http://www.amazon.com/FJC-2710-Syste...s=ac+flush+gun

I remove the hose and get a fitting to run a standard brake line, the smaller the better. The gun uses air pressure from an air line to push the epoxy out the can out the line. I push the brake line into the wall at the nearest edge, window, tail lamp, or anything that seems to be delaminated. You can spry the epoxy like a blow gun and reach all the edges without pulling more of the wall off. I use as much as I can, stuff is expensive. You also need to have a gal of paint thinner for cleaning the gun, just fill it with a little paint thinner and spray it into a trash can. Works great. The syringes were way too messy and would not shoot deep enough. the work time on the slow drying epoxy is excellent, I do a 4x6 max spot at a time. Have lots of wood and a wall to wedge to plywood tight. I will see if I can upload some pics. Also if you do not have an edge to get into you may have to drill a small hole and shoot it in. Hope this helps.

[Mr. A]

You can also bend the brake line to get in just the right spot.