Bounder: 2016 Fleetwood Bounder Leaks. Lots of 'em.

[pointrow]

When I picked up my coach at General RV in Florida I watched a tech hook up a blower to several units and spray soapy water all over. I ask what they were doing and the service manager explained they do every unit they sell. Said it eliminates warranty claims for leakage.
Maybe other dealers need to try that.
Or maybe the units at the show came straight from the factory and hadn't been serviced yet.

pointrow

[rapid rick]

Originally Posted by Bryanmsi

Was it a difficult fix?

No,just a very time consuming fix. I used a 6" mirror that has it's own stand that I borrowed from the wife,put a droplite up on top of slideout. After playing around for a half hour to get old sealant tape off, I discovered that a hair dryer to warm the tape worked well. After removing all sealant tape,I cleaned area with denatured alcohol,then applied etern-a-bond in one long piece across. The problem originated on the outboard edge of the sealant tape getting rolled back when slide was deployed,so I put a small bead of dicor on that edge,so now the edge is protected and does not roll back.It's been 2 years, no issue.

The worst part of the job was working between the ceiling and top of the slideout,looking over the top,like your picture,and working in the mirror.
Oh, and I allowed the dicor to dry several days before putting slide out.
Hope this was helpful.

[BnB]

We have been FT in our 2015 35K more then 1 year. Had one leak over the dash, which was an easy fix, I checked the marker roof lights and one was poorly sealed - removed, cleaned and re-caulk. No more leak. The other leak I had was one that came thru the front A/C when it was on during a rain - that A/C needed to be tightened down. We have been in El Niño rains in Pacifica, CA for 10+ day - happy to report we are water tight!

[marvsi12]

I bought a 2015 Bounder 34T at 8 months old it leaked so much I was told it needed a new roof. The good news is its not covered by warranty. There is a clause in the warranty that says your roof is supposed to be inspected every 6 months. The wife and I are in over our heads just keeping up with items needing repaired we wished we would never of bought a Bounder.

[BnB]

Forget whatever dealer you bought your rig from (that would be a waste of time), contact FW customer service and make an appointment w/ the repair facility in Decatur, IN - it has been my experience that they like to keep their customers happy. That said, I don't know why that philosophy isn't alive and well at the factory where these things are built!!

[wayno347]

Was at the Decatur Technical Center in May 2017 with a punch list of warranty repairs on my 2016 35K, including the kitchen window that leaked during heavy rains. They replaced the seal and took it to the rain bay for a test. There they noted both windows on the large slide out also leaked and needed new seals. All fixed with no charge.

Originally Posted by pagosajoe

Welcome to IRV2! Spent nearly 20 years in Alaska, from Fairbanks to Anchorage to Homer. Welcome from another sourdough!

You've found a great place to share ideas/problems with other RVers. Our Fleetwood Discovery has been a great rig, although it had some problems, as do all motor homes. Fleetwood stood behind their product and corrected every deficiency. I think most Fleetwood owners will agree that their customer service is very good.

Can't address the water leak issues on the Bounder 35K, but other folks who stop by your post will undoubtedly do so. Tiffin is an excellent company as well with a great reputation for customer service.

[Dennis V]

Originally Posted by Deep Water D

So, the wife and I are planning to jump into full-timing within the next two years after I retire. To that end, we flew from Alaska down to the Tampa RV Supershow to see some rigs in person. We had done pretty extensive online research, but that ain't like seeing them in person. To shorten the story up, we had pretty much penciled in a Fleetwood Bounder 35K before we got there but we checked out many other RVs as well, along with visiting all the Tampa area dealers. So last Friday after a good rain we decided to go take one more look at the Bounders that were sitting on a dealer's lot there in Tampa. We went into the first one and there was water all over the floor from the 1/2 bath through the living area. Checked for obvious things like open roof vents but found none. Went to the next Bounder in line, water pouring onto the dash. Went to the next. Water all over the 1/2 bath, living area, AND dash. So the story goes. We looked at 6 Bounders on the lot, four of them had water all over the floor or all over the dash, and two of them were leaking in both places.

Needless to say, that dropped the Bounders pretty well down my list although I still like the layout, features, and price.

I did a fair bit of research and can't seem to find any kind of trends, especially recently, regarding Bounder roof leaks. With what I saw at the dealer last Friday, it's hard to believe that other folks aren't experiencing leaks when most of the ones I looked at were leaking. Could be just coincidence. Or maybe the problems are limited to a certain production period. Who knows?

Anyway, I wanted to check with you folks to see if anyone else has experienced roof leaks in late-model Bounders or knows of anyone who has.

I plan on writing to the Fleetwood rep today to see what he has to say also.

But the Tiffin 36LA jumped way up on my list after wading through four flooded Bounders.

Thanks

Dan

We have had our 2016 Fleetwood Bounder 35K Anniversary edition since 2016 and "Knock on wood" have never experienced ANY leaks. Not sure what's going on with yours, must be either where it was manufactured or a certain time frame maybe. Maybe built on a Monday or a Friday . As a matter of fact it has been extremely reliable. We did have a problem with the "Pleather" on the Furniture but Fleetwood sent us all new material even after the warranty was up.

[meebarb]

Originally Posted by computerguy

No leaks here.
That rain at the Tampa show was with heavy wind. So if a coach was going to leak you would see it then. I was there too.
The 35K is a great unit. I am a convert from a 2005 Monaco DP. I am even reconsidering all the suspension upgrades as the handling has been prety good. I was in the Keys this week and had 3-40- mph winds with rain hitting be broadside for 50+ miles and it made it through it. I do have the 5 star tune and that makes a big difference.
I think it is prudent to expect problems on a new RV from any manufacturer. QC in the industry is lacking. Fleetwood does rectify any problems found and that does not always happen with other manufacturers

No leaks for me either (fingers crossed). Just came out of that cold front that went across Louisiana and man did it rain. Heavy rain. No leaks.
2018 Fleetwood Bounder. Just hit 15k miles yesterday.

[Flyer 516NG]

This thread caught my eye.
When I bought my Bounder, of ALL the class A DPs on PPLs lot, this one was the only one that WASN'T dripping water from the ceiling somewhere. Even the HIGH end ones were leaking. This was during the monsoon in Houston 5 or 6 years ago......maybe 7, I can't remember for sure. But, so far I haven't had any leaks at all.

[Twistedwire]

Perhaps the dealer wasn't on the ball when it came to prepping, or staging the RV's. My 2005 is still holding back the H2O, with only regular maintenance on the roof. Good hunting !

[Fiesta48]

Had a 11 Boulder, leak onto dash. Seam between front cap and roof holes.