Dust Problem

[Cor]

We bought ourselves a 2008 Damon Challenger Platinum Edition 348 this year and we love it and are truly enjoying it. We ordered it with the Workhorse. It has been great on gas and a few minor problems that are normal in new motorhomes but the one problem we are having is excessive dust in the back drawers.

We have now had to venture down a gravel road on two occasions. The first time we were on the road for only about 15 minutes and had our front passenger and drivers windows open. I guess because we didn't close them, turn the fan on and pressurize the interior we had excessive dust everywhere. Took me 3 hours to clean my brand new unit. The worst of the dust was in the back bedroom drawers and it was not just a little bit of dust.

On our second trip down a gravel road (about 20 minutes)we shut ALL the windows, turned on the air conditioning and pressurized the interior. We had very little dust to speak of until I opened the back drawers again. What a mess.

Also the storage compartments underneath have a fair bit of dust too but nothing compared to the amount in my drawers.

We have had the foam undercoating put on and the service department claims they can't do anything about the dust getting into these drawers. I have talked to several people now that have everything from motorhomes to fifth wheels and haven't found anyone that has the same problem. Anyone have any info for me.

[Cor]

We bought ourselves a 2008 Damon Challenger Platinum Edition 348 this year and we love it and are truly enjoying it. We ordered it with the Workhorse. It has been great on gas and a few minor problems that are normal in new motorhomes but the one problem we are having is excessive dust in the back drawers.

We have now had to venture down a gravel road on two occasions. The first time we were on the road for only about 15 minutes and had our front passenger and drivers windows open. I guess because we didn't close them, turn the fan on and pressurize the interior we had excessive dust everywhere. Took me 3 hours to clean my brand new unit. The worst of the dust was in the back bedroom drawers and it was not just a little bit of dust.

On our second trip down a gravel road (about 20 minutes)we shut ALL the windows, turned on the air conditioning and pressurized the interior. We had very little dust to speak of until I opened the back drawers again. What a mess.

Also the storage compartments underneath have a fair bit of dust too but nothing compared to the amount in my drawers.

We have had the foam undercoating put on and the service department claims they can't do anything about the dust getting into these drawers. I have talked to several people now that have everything from motorhomes to fifth wheels and haven't found anyone that has the same problem. Anyone have any info for me.

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cor:
We bought ourselves a 2008 Damon Challenger Platinum Edition 348 this year and we love it and are truly enjoying it. We ordered it with the Workhorse. It has been great on gas and a few minor problems that are normal in new motorhomes but the one problem we are having is excessive dust in the back drawers.

We have now had to venture down a gravel road on two occasions. The first time we were on the road for only about 15 minutes and had our front passenger and drivers windows open. I guess because we didn't close them, turn the fan on and pressurize the interior we had excessive dust everywhere. Took me 3 hours to clean my brand new unit. The worst of the dust was in the back bedroom drawers and it was not just a little bit of dust.

On our second trip down a gravel road (about 20 minutes)we shut ALL the windows, turned on the air conditioning and pressurized the interior. We had very little dust to speak of until I opened the back drawers again. What a mess.

Also the storage compartments underneath have a fair bit of dust too but nothing compared to the amount in my drawers.

We have had the foam undercoating put on and the service department claims they can't do anything about the dust getting into these drawers. I have talked to several people now that have everything from motorhomes to fifth wheels and haven't found anyone that has the same problem. Anyone have any info for me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are the back drawers located near the wheel wells? Something is still not well sealed back there and allowing the dust to get in. Oull the drawers and examine the dist trail to see if you can follow it to its point of origin. You may have a few beads of caulking to put on or you may find a vent or wire run that is open to the outside that needs tp be closed up.

[PineKap]

If you can't see any place the dust is coming in. You might try to buy a can of Smoke. I work in the Hvac industry and we use them to test them for air leaks.

Just have one person spray the smoke inside the drawers or under the coach, Then have a second person on the opposite side watch for where they see the smoke.

Good Luck.

Kevin

[AFChap]

Cor

In my rig, when I remove the drawers in some cabinets I can see wiring & plumbing running along the wall and into/out of holes in the floor. Your's likely is similar.

I would remove all the drawers. You should find dust on that wiring/plumbing. If you can get your head or a mirror into the area, look for light coming from holes below. OR, at night put a light into that area then go outside and look up at the underside of the rig and inside the dusty compartments for light from above. Foam would be a poor fix for any gaps. They need to be heavily caulked, and then watched at least annually to re-caulk as necessary.

This problem should be resolved by Damon under warranty at no cost to you. If a Damon dealer service dept "can't do anything" about the problem, I would be talking seriously with the Damon factory. They need to be involved. Winnebago Owner Relations has been very helpful to me on several occasions when a dealer "could not" resolve a problem. Document every attempt to repair the problem wherever it is done, keeping detailed records of date and exactly what was done and the result.

You need to push Damon very hard to get this fixed, as it could be a very serious problem. Dust is just the visible thing that is getting in. If dust can get in, moisture can get in. And you likely have exhaust fumes getting into the passenger compartment EVERYTIME YOU DRIVE IT! That is a serious issue. Don't put off dealing with this prolem.

[Jackm]

Like AFChap, I would have some concerns regarding the possibility of exaust fumes. In all probability, the intrusion (of road dust) is occurring in the rear of your rig. AS you drive down the road, you are essentially creating a vacuum that will draw dust and air into your RV. All RVs experience this but in your case, you have a significant pathway for the material to enter your vehicle.

The dust in your storage compartments is also a clue. Examine the interior of these areas very carefully. AFChap is also correct about pushing Damon. It's the old squeaky wheel rule. Tell them that you don't want to contact corporate but you will, if necessary. Best of luck and let us know how things go.

Jack.

[Chandler]

Cor, something was not sealed when the coach was built. My best guess is the rear wall is either not fastened to the floor or not sealed properly. I looked at mine. I pulled all the drawers out under the closet and the rear wall is sitting on the floor. Looking underneath I tried to see somewhere where the dust could enter the compartments. The metal floor covering goes to the end of the "box" and everything is sealed to that. That leaves the seal at the rear wall. Picture the motorhome with the rear cap removed. There would be the back wall, resting on the flooring. It goes right to the sidewall. The rear most compartments are right there. What I would do is wait until it's dark, remove all the drawers from under the closet. Get a bright light and shine it under the back bumper up towards the floor. With the lights off inside, see if you can see any light. The same for the compartments. It sounds like this is not a small gap and should be fairly easy to find. Once you know where it is (If possible) then you can push the dealer to do something. Knowledge is power. It's not right and needs to be corrected by Damon. Right now, Damon needs every single customer it can get and it needs to make sure the feedback on the company is good. I would make sure they know that.

Let us know how you make out.

Chandler

[Cor]

Oh my gosh, you have all been so helpful. We are letting our kids use the unit for the weekend and we are taking it back to the dealer next week to have a few little things done before we head out on holidays. I will definately be printing off these suggestions. They almost had me convinced that this was just an normal happening in motorhomes but I can clearly see that it not the case. Thank you to all of you that responded. It is greatly appreciated.

[Cor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NeilV:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cor:
We bought ourselves a 2008 Damon Challenger Platinum Edition 348 this year and we love it and are truly enjoying it. We ordered it with the Workhorse. It has been great on gas and a few minor problems that are normal in new motorhomes but the one problem we are having is excessive dust in the back drawers.

We have now had to venture down a gravel road on two occasions. The first time we were on the road for only about 15 minutes and had our front passenger and drivers windows open. I guess because we didn't close them, turn the fan on and pressurize the interior we had excessive dust everywhere. Took me 3 hours to clean my brand new unit. The worst of the dust was in the back bedroom drawers and it was not just a little bit of dust.

On our second trip down a gravel road (about 20 minutes)we shut ALL the windows, turned on the air conditioning and pressurized the interior. We had very little dust to speak of until I opened the back drawers again. What a mess.

Also the storage compartments underneath have a fair bit of dust too but nothing compared to the amount in my drawers.

We have had the foam undercoating put on and the service department claims they can't do anything about the dust getting into these drawers. I have talked to several people now that have everything from motorhomes to fifth wheels and haven't found anyone that has the same problem. Anyone have any info for me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are the back drawers located near the wheel wells? Something is still not well sealed back there and allowing the dust to get in. Oull the drawers and examine the dist trail to see if you can follow it to its point of origin. You may have a few beads of caulking to put on or you may find a vent or wire run that is open to the outside that needs tp be closed up. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Neil I can't believe the incredible response I am getting. This site is great...
The rear wheel well is quite far from where the worst of the dust is. Someone here suggested the pulling out the drawers and then putting tting a bright light under the motorhome when it is dark so we will be doing that test for sure. The can of smoke idea is a pretty good one too so another option we can try.

Thanks again!!

[Cor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chandler:
Cor, something was not sealed when the coach was built. My best guess is the rear wall is either not fastened to the floor or not sealed properly. I looked at mine. I pulled all the drawers out under the closet and the rear wall is sitting on the floor. Looking underneath I tried to see somewhere where the dust could enter the compartments. The metal floor covering goes to the end of the "box" and everything is sealed to that. That leaves the seal at the rear wall. Picture the motorhome with the rear cap removed. There would be the back wall, resting on the flooring. It goes right to the sidewall. The rear most compartments are right there. What I would do is wait until it's dark, remove all the drawers from under the closet. Get a bright light and shine it under the back bumper up towards the floor. With the lights off inside, see if you can see any light. The same for the compartments. It sounds like this is not a small gap and should be fairly easy to find. Once you know where it is (If possible) then you can push the dealer to do something. Knowledge is power. It's not right and needs to be corrected by Damon. Right now, Damon needs every single customer it can get and it needs to make sure the feedback on the company is good. I would make sure they know that.

Let us know how you make out.

Chandler </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you so much, brilliant idea. The kids have the motorhome this weekend but we will be doing the light in the dark test for sure!!!

Thanks!!!!

[Cor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AFChap:
Cor

In my rig, when I remove the drawers in some cabinets I can see wiring & plumbing running along the wall and into/out of holes in the floor. Your's likely is similar.

I would remove all the drawers. You should find dust on that wiring/plumbing. If you can get your head or a mirror into the area, look for light coming from holes below. OR, at night put a light into that area then go outside and look up at the underside of the rig and inside the dusty compartments for light from above. Foam would be a poor fix for any gaps. They need to be heavily caulked, and then watched at least annually to re-caulk as necessary.

This problem should be resolved by Damon under warranty at no cost to you. If a Damon dealer service dept "can't do anything" about the problem, I would be talking seriously with the Damon factory. They need to be involved. Winnebago Owner Relations has been very helpful to me on several occasions when a dealer "could not" resolve a problem. Document every attempt to repair the problem wherever it is done, keeping detailed records of date and exactly what was done and the result.

You need to push Damon very hard to get this fixed, as it could be a very serious problem. Dust is just the visible thing that is getting in. If dust can get in, moisture can get in. And you likely have exhaust fumes getting into the passenger compartment EVERYTIME YOU DRIVE IT! That is a serious issue. Don't put off dealing with this prolem. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you so much, you are already right. We had a small cardboard box of wood in the back for kindling and sure enough the whole box is soaking wet. I guess I am going to have to go in to our dealer and have a serious conversation about this problem.

Thanks again!!!

[Cor]

Thanks to everyone's brilliant ideas I have sourced out where the dust is coming from. We shone a trouble light outside under the rear fender and had all the drawers out and there is about a three foot gap of light coming through the back wall on the corner. I have it booked in now for repair so hope all goes well.

Thanks again to all.

[AFChap]

Cor

Glad you have identified at least the most visible part of the problem. Be sure that YOU talk to Damon factory reps about the problem to be sure they are aware of it, and to get their response to what they will do to totally fix the problem. You need to know for sure that Damon is aware and actively involved -- don't just take a dealer's word for it that they called Damon and Damon said thus and so. For instance, just caulking the gap is not fixing the problem of sidewall or rear cap separation from the body. Watch the process like a hawk, and be sure you totally understand and are totally satisfied with whatever they say the fix will be. This problem is too significant to take any chances that something might slip past you.

[Cor]

Thanks AFChap

According to the Damon rep from Indiana, he gave me his card and told me to contact him at anytime if there were any problems. You said exactly what my husband said, they better just not fill the gap with caulking and call it a fix. The Damon rep also assured us that as we are Canadians living in Canada we would have no problems buying a U.S. built product and that their dealers here are really reliable and that if we should run into any problems, to call him. So, when we do take it in for service we will be watching closely, but the insight from experienced motorhome owners like yourself has definately been very helpful. Kind of thinking now we should have spent the extra dough and bought the Winnebago as they seem to have the top ratings overall but hopefully we won't regret our decision. Thanks again, I will keep you posted on the fix.