Issue with paint, caulk or roof separation?

[RH_RVer]

Hi. I have a deal on a 2018 Phaeton in another state. I asked the owner to do a careful walk around the exterior for any anomalies. He sent the attached picture of the roof line. He doesn’t see any swelling or deformation of the trim or other parts in the area and believes it’s paint peeling over caulk.

Can someone with an experienced eye tell if this is a paint, caulking or a seam separation issue?

[Roger G]

Tiffin paints over the caulk at this point of the roof caps. As the caulk shrinks over time the paint cracks plus the paint doesn’t really adhere to the caulk. Every Tiffin (3) that I’ve owned did this same thing. I wish they would paint and then caulk but there may be a reason for this. It’s not a leak most likely.

[momdoc]

We had the same problem with our 37PA. It is a caulk problem and not a leak. Very common on these coaches. This past fall when in Red Bay they trimmed it off and repainted the area. Can't see it any more.

[RH_RVer]

Many thanks to each of you for sharing your experience. It’s consistent with the owner’s diagnosis and I feel much better about it. Thanks again.

[DRM901]

Our 2014 Allegro Bus 37AP has this issue as well - in some areas, not all areas they did it. Not sure why.

[jlturner]

Originally Posted by RH_RVer

Hi. I have a deal on a 2018 Phaeton in another state. I asked the owner to do a careful walk around the exterior for any anomalies. He sent the attached picture of the roof line. He doesn’t see any swelling or deformation of the trim or other parts in the area and believes it’s paint peeling over caulk.



Can someone with an experienced eye tell if this is a paint, caulking or a seam separation issue?

I had the same issue on our 2019 Bus. Trouble was the SIKI 221 caulk was not sealed properly where the roof met the side wall. Had an awful water leak above the drivers side window. Tiffin sent a couple tubes of black SIKA 221 and resealed. So far that eliminated the water leak. Mine looked worst than yours.

[Jabber Jaw]

Am curious as to why Tiffin would do this?

It certainly detracts from an otherwise beautiful coach!

And yes, I'm a Newmar owner, but Tiffin is a great coach as well!

[RVNuthouse]

I just found this on my 2019 Phaeton while doing my end of year roof cleaning and inspection. There are two small areas 3-4" long each that have this same issue. The paint on mine is black. If I remove the flaking paint can I just put black RTV silicone over the existing sealant or should I use a different sealant?

[DRM901]

I would never use silicone as a sealant. It fails too fast.

This is what is in our manual:

[jkroboth]

My 2019 Phaeton is having the same issue with the paint/caulk bubbling at the roof- drip rail seam. Does anyone know if Tiffin warranties this as part of their construction warranty?