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Deep Water D · 01-23-2016, 09:34 AM

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

pagosajoe · 01-23-2016, 09:55 AM

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.

wayno347 · 01-23-2016, 10:03 AM

During very heavy rainfall here in Tucson, AZ., saw three leaks in our 2016 Bounder 35K with just 1,920 miles on the odometer. Fleetwood says to take it back to dealer where someone with a caulking gun will spread sealant in places as a band-aid fix. Also, the kitchen sink pipe leaked flooding the front of the coach. Water dripped down to basement compartment, flowed under the inverter and our lights flicked for the next 9 days.
If you buy a Bounder, go buy some swim trunks 'cause you'll going to need them.

Tha_Rooster · 01-23-2016, 12:04 PM

How lucky you are someone will buy those soon to mildew MH.

malexander · 01-25-2016, 04:13 AM

When I was looking for a DP, I was at PPL in Houston during a rainstorm. We looked at a BUNCH of MH's. I saw leaks in so many MH's, from "entry level" to High-end ones, it was unbelievable.
The 2007 38N Bounder I wound up buying, had no leaks, or any sign of leaks in the past.

edatlanta · 01-25-2016, 06:41 AM

I think the rubber roofs being used in most new RV's today are the problem. Poor roof membrane quality, poor installation, etc. I think this is simply a roof product that is destined for failure.

**CLIFFTALL** · 01-25-2016, 06:47 AM

Welcome to the forum. I had a 35E that never leaked and we have a lot of Bounder owners here at irv2 and I don't recall a lot of these issues with them. Fleetwood uses a TPM covering on the roof and I thought it to be a great one. Cleaned up easy and stayed nice. The tech caulking the ones you looked at must have had a bad day. It happens. There's a high end coach mfg. that had to send a tech out in the field to repair a slew of them.

pcurt23 · 01-25-2016, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayno347

During very heavy rainfall here in Tucson, AZ., saw three leaks in our 2016 Bounder 35K with just 1,920 miles on the odometer. Fleetwood says to take it back to dealer where someone with a caulking gun will spread sealant in places as a band-aid fix. Also, the kitchen sink pipe leaked flooding the front of the coach. Water dripped down to basement compartment, flowed under the inverter and our lights flicked for the next 9 days.
If you buy a Bounder, go buy some swim trunks 'cause you'll going to need them.

The only time my Bounder leaks is when I leave the window open. Now, I do have to go on the roof occasional and check out the status of the sealant and reapply as required.

Sometimes it is easier to do the minor repairs yourself than have the hassle of going back to the dealer for minor repairs. The coach builders are unwilling to give the same attention to building rv's that the automakers do. Of course Honda could have done a little better to control exploding air bags with buck shot in them. Toyoda could have done a little better with cars that do not stop all the time. Hmm, maybe they are all the same.

rapid rick · 01-25-2016, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edatlanta

I think the rubber roofs being used in most new RV's today are the problem. Poor roof membrane quality, poor installation, etc. I think this is simply a roof product that is destined for failure.

ED,

I disagree,as our unit,35k terra has a tpo roof that has never leaked.I actually like the tpo,over the fiberglass roof we had on our previous winni. IMO the problem with the new bounder is the fact that it is the leading selling coach, in the whole fleetwood lineup,and they are just pumping them out to meet demand.Everyone is so preoccupied with the anniversary edition and the six speed trans,and overlooking all of it's shortcomings in the quality dept, that fleetwood is watching sales,and nothing else.Name recognition is carrying the sales to this level and QC is not going to change until the sales drop. When we purchased our terra 35k, which is midway in the gas coach lineup we were told by the dealer that our terra 35k was the last one they were going to stock because it affected their bounder sales.They have not carried one since,as I check all the time.Now I see on fleetwoods website that the terra 35k is only listed as a 2015 model,also the bounder classic is only a 2015 model, on rv trader the only terra close to the 35k is a 2016 34b,which appears to be a leftover bounder classic,rebadged as a terra. All this says to me is that fleetwood is maneuvering to broaden the gap of any other coach that could effect the sales of their money making bounder. The storm is also a strong seller as of late and now they have moved the bath and a half to it the 35sk.Soooo I guess what I'm saying is...... follow the money, the demand to pump out the hot selling units,is ultimately having a large effect on quality. Do not misunderstand,I am not bounder bashing but merely making an observation of what is happening in the fleetwood arena. There must be some huge profits on the bounder,that's all I have to say about that.

z3406 · 01-25-2016, 08:05 AM

I have a 16 Bounder and it had 2 leaks. One was where the Satellite dish wiring came thru the roof, It was only caulked on the top no caulk under the wires. Second leak was the seam on top of the outside entertainment center. There was about a 3 inch section with no caulk. The entertainment center componets (TV, Speakers, DVD Player) got soaked, they are scheduled to be replaced next week.
Actually I was pretty impressed with the roof when I did my pre delivery inspection, the caulking job was the best looking of any motor home I've owned.
BTW the Roof of a Bounder is TPO not rubber.
Rick
One of the reasons I bought this Bounder was my experience with the Fleetwood Service Center in Decatur IN. My prior Bounder was a 2014 leftover that had sat on the lot for a year and a half before I bought it. The selling dealer was pathetic in correcting issues. The Fleetwood service center was the opposite, very proactive in wanting my coach to be perfect. Any issue I showed them they aggressively took care of and corrected, no quibbeling, no second guessing, if I showed them an issue they fixed it. I'll be going past the service center in July and will have an appointment to drop the new coach off to have any issues addressed.
How may bath and a half coaches should Fleetwood build? They have the Storm, Bounder, Excursion, Pace Arrow and Expedition all with essentially the same floor plan. If you don't think redundancy in your product line is a problem try to buy a new Pontiac or Oldsmobile today.

The Bounder 35K floorplan seems to be the most popular floorplan around. It seems every brand has their own version of it now, Georgetown, Tiffin, even Newmar. Imitation is the finest form of flattery I guess.

PbdBlue · 01-25-2016, 08:19 AM

Same here. I have a Southwind which is a cousin to the Bounder. Absolutely no leaks even in some really hard rain. Also agree with the previous post regarding TPO vs fiberglass. As a previous Winnebago fiberglass roof owner I much prefer the TPO. The Winne has some big issues with the fiberglass J channel junction.

mojoracing · 01-25-2016, 04:36 PM

The tpo roof used on these units is possibly one of the finest roofing materials on the market. Do not confuse it with the rubber roofing of days past. TPO can be found on most walmarts in this country and has a 30 year lifespan. It wont leave streaks like the old rubber stuff and cleans up easily like brand new. If there are leaks it is due to improper sealing around roof penetrations.

rapid rick · 01-25-2016, 05:34 PM

Al,

I agree that the 35k is one of the most popular floor plans,I own one,and love it.What I was getting at was it seems fleetwood is seperating the 35k plan further apart, the bounder 35k to the storm 35sk,nothing in between. Almost forcing buyers to choose between 2 vastly different 35k coaches. The fact that the bounder,or any model is selling like hot cakes does not mean that they should hastily pound out units with leaks or half the other problems that they depart the factory with,and then make the owner travel to the factory to get things repaired correctly.IMHO if fleetwood cannot keep up with the demand of having a hot selling motorhome,they should not pump out sub-par units,but instead keep production at a pace that can produce good quality coaches,and take back orders for new coaches.I personally would rather wait 9 months with anxious anticipation for my new coach to arrive than be livid because my new coach is in the shop,any shop, being repaired for who knows how long,while I now have to make payments on a coach that's sub-par from the get go. Well I guess if they did that we would not have anything to complain about. why can the factory do excellent work on any ones coach when you bring it back,but can't seem to do the same excellent work before the coach leaves the factory,
That is what baffles me......I repair almost everything myself,and I feel bad for those that do not,as the frustration and stress must surely take away the excitement of the purchase, a purchase that many have planned and saved their whole lives for.

MOJOx2

z3406 · 01-25-2016, 06:37 PM

I guess our opinions of what sub par means is different. I think there are way too many systems on a motorhome to expect perfection. Sure I was disappointed by the water leaks on a new coach but when I did my pre delivery inspection of the coach I was very plesantly surprised, This new Bounder was the first coach I'b bought where I didn't have to send the dealers crew up to fix visible problem spots. All the caulking up there looked very good. I've been to the factory and watched them build the coaches and went away impressed by the process. I think any motorhome is going to have initial problems what separates Fleetwood is the level of customer service you can get after the sale. I also appreciate that not everyone that buys a coach is going to live close enough to a service center to get things taken care of, I'm fortunate in that regard.
Also there is a big difference between an assembly line worker and a skilled repair technician. I don't mean to insult any of the assembly workers but the ability to do one job as part of an assembly is a lot different that what it takes to diagnois and fix problems. The caliber of the techs at the repair line is impressive.