Community Forums

f4kev · 04-24-2017, 08:34 PM

So I was driving out of a campground in West Virginia. While going down the exit road we heard a loud boom! and the passenger side dash broke from all of its mounts. The dealer fixed the immediate problem(reattaching the dash back to it's mounts) but not the root cause. The root cause is the fact that all of the screws that hold the front cap of the RV sheared off! The front cap of the RV dropped about 2 inches. I told my dealer, but now they are dragging their feet. Does anyone know how I can move the front cap up to where it should be so I can replace the broken screws?

rapid rick · 04-25-2017, 07:33 AM

If I am seeing pic 3 correctly,it appears that the the screws sheared at the flange that holds the front firewall framing to the side wall.It appears that the front most part of the side wall has dropped,and not just the cap. There should be an angle iron brace in the front fenderwell,above the tire, where the floor meets the side wall, has the same type of screws, is it still there?Do you also see a white area in the wheel well that looks like that area has dropped also? Any sheared screws in that area? Let me know,if any of those conditions exist, it will take a short phone conversation or an extremely long post to walk you thru the fix.
You can do it in your driveway in about 3 hours+ $10.00.
I can assure you the/any dealer won't know how to fix it properly or even try to.

f4kev · 04-25-2017, 12:27 PM

Thanks so much for the response Rick! I don't recall seeing anything in the wheelwell but I will double check again and get back to you!

Northviewinn · 05-15-2017, 06:41 AM

Rapid Rick,

I'm reading this post knowing that a Terra we're in the process of buying has what appears to be this exact same issue on the drivers side. The dealer is supposed to fix this before we take ownership. I'll crawl under the unit to see if they actually do it right.

I'll play back to everyone on the outcome. If they can't make the fix, I'll have to decide whether this is a deal breaker or not..... any thoughts?

Thanks for the info!

f4kev · 05-15-2017, 05:16 PM

Hello everyone! So I just picked up my RV from the dealership. Looks like they fixed it correctly this time. According to the work order they jacked up the side wall and replaced the sheared off screws. They also took apart the dash and replaced all of the screws and brackets. The 2 hour drive home was creak and squeek free! Best part is I didn't pay a dime! The dealership covered It under my extended warranty!

rapid rick · 05-15-2017, 06:38 PM

Word to the wise... add as many more tec screws (same size) as you can to the area that screws sheared. also angle in wheel well where floor meets side wall needs many more tec screws so it doesn't happen again. Both sides by the way,need to be done and it should be fine after that. I added at least 15-20 to each side of mine before it sheared any screws ( after fixing a friends terra) that had the same issue, so I was alerted to the issue a couple years ago.

rapid rick · 05-16-2017, 06:13 PM

NORTHVIEWINN,
The driver side is much, much easier to fix than the passenger side as all the tec screws can be reached thru the hood area that attach the firewall to outside wall. That flange will need at least 10 more screws than it had(3),pretty easy fix definitely not a deal breaker. The pass side is much more involved, ie busted knuckles,achy back etc. still not a deal breaker in my opinion. It is just a shame in my opinion,a whole lot of work because of a couple of bucks worth of screws that was scrimped on at the factory.

f4kev · 05-16-2017, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapid rick

NORTHVIEWINN,
The driver side is much, much easier to fix than the passenger side as all the tec screws can be reached thru the hood area that attach the firewall to outside wall. That flange will need at least 10 more screws than it had(3),pretty easy fix definitely not a deal breaker. The pass side is much more involved, ie busted knuckles,achy back etc. still not a deal breaker in my opinion. It is just a shame in my opinion,a whole lot of work because of a couple of bucks worth of screws that was scrimped on at the factory.

Thanks so much for the advice Rick! Yeah it sucks that companies are so fixated on squeezing every penny of profit out of product. Before the 80's most products were over engineered... now they engineer products to fail as soon as the warranty is up. I still have my Toro snow blower that was built in 1972! I don't get it. I will not by a Fleetwood again.

mojoracing · 05-17-2017, 05:51 AM

Can you give us an idea of how these tech screws work? Do they go through the steel framing and then into the sidewall? If so, I am picturing them going into a foam core side wall. How do you make sure you are not drilling through the outer sidewall of the coach or am I thinking of this all wrong?

rapid rick · 05-17-2017, 06:02 PM

MOJO,

There is steel framing built into the sidewalls anywhere that requires connecting joints, the screws screw into the steel framing , not the foam core. Fleetwood just used 3 screws where there should have been 20.

f4kev · 06-22-2017, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapid rick

Word to the wise... add as many more tec screws (same size) as you can to the area that screws sheared. also angle in wheel well where floor meets side wall needs many more tec screws so it doesn't happen again. Both sides by the way,need to be done and it should be fine after that. I added at least 15-20 to each side of mine before it sheared any screws ( after fixing a friends terra) that had the same issue, so I was alerted to the issue a couple years ago.

You were sooo right! The drivers side went the other day. ��. Now I have to figure out how to lift the driver side. Any clue on a good jack point? It only needs to go up a half an inch.

rapid rick · 06-22-2017, 07:01 PM

I used a 2x3 block under the forward most part of the side wall, not the front cap, forward of the fender flare. Use a bottle jack, make sure it's level, and make sure all four levelers are down and coach is resting on them before jacking. I added a total of 14 screws on the driver side in the engine bay and several more in the wheel well angle iron.

Waiter21 · 06-23-2017, 05:08 AM

I had something similar to this on my 2001 Coachman Mirada. I used a jack and some 2x4 s under the front bumper (not really a bumper) to jack the side of the MH up about 1/2 inch so the original screw holes lined up. I then drilled the holes all the way through to the exterior then installed stainless carriage bolts through the wall and into the frame.

Emergency Exterior Wall Repair – 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

Additional repair to drivers side wall – 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

..

rapid rick · 06-23-2017, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waiter21

I had something similar to this on my 2001 Coachman Mirada. I used a jack and some 2x4 s under the front bumper (not really a bumper) to jack the side of the MH up about 1/2 inch so the original screw holes lined up. I then drilled the holes all the way through to the exterior then installed stainless carriage bolts through the wall and into the frame.

Emergency Exterior Wall Repair – 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

Additional repair to drivers side wall – 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

..

Waiter21,
Interesting read as to the issues you had on a coach much older and here we are having similar problems on 12+ year newer units.
The finished pic in your drivers side repair caught my eye as the vertical repair that I did on my terra is just forward of where you did yours,right at the vertical strip that connects the front cap onto the wall,and I considered putting thru bolts like you did, but decided to watch and see if the proper amount of screws were sufficient. If it starts showing signs of strain, bolts it will get, I should be able to remove the vertical cover that hides the front cap bolts, drill thru,add bolts and put cover back on, theoretically that is, realistically, well, you know how that goes....