Community Forums

rlavender · 03-06-2021, 06:22 AM

Checking to see if this is common, I went to uncover my 2016 Open Road 36LA and found a crack in the side wall from the outside TV cabinet down to the rail above the compartment door. About 3” in length. Red Bay claims it’s a stress crack and is common. Last year, the front cap separated from the side wall in the V10 emblem area. Just doesn’t seem right. Any one else?

Thewellz · 03-06-2021, 03:08 PM

Those cracks are common, even on higher end RV's like country coach. They usually start on a corner piece at the bottom and crack diagonally down to the belt band where the fiberglass wall ends. Once the crack has made it to the belt trim at least it doesn't have anywhere else to go. You could fill the crack with sealant, and then cover it with a band similar to the middle belt band. I think if you tried to repair it with fiberglass it would probably just crack again.

Outbound · 03-06-2021, 04:34 PM

I would call the manufacturer, might still be under warranty, not sure I agree with common on hi end coaches, my coach is 18 years old and no signs of cracks as mentioned.

Thewellz · 03-06-2021, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbound

I would call the manufacturer, might still be under warranty, not sure I agree with common on hi end coaches, my coach is 18 years old and no signs of cracks as mentioned.

sorry Outbound ...I should have been more clear in my statement ...those cracks are very common, and they can even occur on higher end coaches. Do a quick google search of this issue and its surprising how many manufactures deal with it.

rlavender · 03-07-2021, 07:37 AM

Thanks for the inputs, I have contacted Tiffin, they will warranty the repair. I still don’t believe this should ever happen. Boats are made of fiberglass, and under a lot of stress bouncing around. Guess my 2001 Winnebago Brave wasn’t high end, 19 yrs, NO CRACKS!

Outbound · 03-07-2021, 02:57 PM

I thought that would be covered under warranty, that should not happen to Hi or Low end coaches, with the cost of motor homes today not sure what is considered lo end, they are all very expensive. Good luck with repairs.

dssl · 03-07-2021, 08:37 PM

Check the welds on the support between the house and the chassis. The support in question is maybe 8 square tubes on each side. Almost all Open Road coaches of that vintage have had problems with these welds. Ours were broken where the square tubes connect to the house (upper weld) on the passenger side. The issue is they were only welding one side and that was not strong enough.

Having these welds break can cause all kinds of problems and if you have this problems get it fixed ASAP to avoid more resulting problems.

rlavender · 03-08-2021, 05:05 AM

Dssl- how do I get them to check the weld? I am not able to get it back to Red Bay. I will bring it up to the repair center. Thanks for the advice.

dssl · 03-08-2021, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlavender

Dssl- how do I get them to check the weld? I am not able to get it back to Red Bay. I will bring it up to the repair center. Thanks for the advice.

Just find someone who can crawl under the coach and check the welds on the square tubes paying special attention to the top welds. If you know to look for and look for it it is fairly obvious.

MO Fred · 03-08-2021, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbound

I would call the manufacturer, might still be under warranty, not sure I agree with common on hi end coaches, my coach is 18 years old and no signs of cracks as mentioned.

Yep, my coach is 19 years old with no cracks. Also has 80k miles.