Slide floor

[Walker]

We had to have the drivers wheel well side metal work removed and replaced due to hail damage. When the shop took the panel off they found this. This is on a 2017 Memphis that we purchased July 31 2017. 16 months ago. We've had it caulked/recaulked at Kansas RV center in April, as well as monthly touch ups. DRV has little to no comment on this.

[Walker]

More Pics

[rynosback]

Sorry to hear this. I won’t get started bout the caulk issues. I will just say that we had a meeting with DRV and the caulk manufacture.

[Walker]

The caulk they use does need help, but the applicator- ie. person that applies it needs to seal more areas. When we bought ours, there were gaps and the caulking touched the slide seals but didn't extend past the outer seal. Any water that got past the seal was able to seep into the end grain.
Considering how many of these rigs sit outside uncaulked and wait for weeks to be taken to paint is a large issue. Plus the lack of sealant/butyl tape under the beltline molding. All there is a foam tape that is thin and twists and tears when a screw is pushed thru it.
In the last pic, where you see the rust spots, those are the brad nails that DRV uses to attach the wall to the floor. Brad nails that rust. No tape or sealant along the end grain of the floor plywood.

[wingnut60]

Walker,
Very sad for you to see this damage--have you yet had any feedback from DRV?
Ryan,
Anything more you can say about your meeting?

Still cannot believe that DRV sells 150k units with these subsequent problems....I have begun removing old caulk from the frame trim on the BR slides and replacing it. Also, on all the slide fronts/rears where the angle brace is screwed in.

[Walker]

I know Geocell is not a good caulk. It may be a stop gap, but it's not a long-term sealant. On my old Carrilite, I used Lexel. It was a PAIN IN THE BUTT to apply, but I never recaulked after using it. On an even older 5th wheel I used Sikaflex white colored caulking and never had to redo because of cracking or peeling. After 30 years building custom yachts and offshore race boats, I know how to keep water out.

[rynosback]

Originally Posted by wingnut60

Walker,
Very sad for you to see this damage--have you yet had any feedback from DRV?
Ryan,
Anything more you can say about your meeting?

Still cannot believe that DRV sells 150k units with these subsequent problems....I have begun removing old caulk from the frame trim on the BR slides and replacing it. Also, on all the slide fronts/rears where the angle brace is screwed in.

Joe, we posted up a lot of information from that meeting on Facebook. We are going to strip out every bit of the caulk and replace it with Lexel.
Guess who’s stock this is?
It is DOWN 61% since January.

[Porthole]

Originally Posted by rynosback

Guess who’s stock this is?
It is DOWN 61% since January.

Quite the drop in only 6 months

[The Gritz Carlton]

Time to buy!!!

[dapperdan]

In a word......... WOW!!!

That IS sad, I can't believe that's a 2017 model! And DRV had no comment huh?

I'm sorry to see you're going through this, I hope it gets corrected to your liking. Who's doing the work on your unit?

Dan

[dapperdan]

Ryan, what FB group was the "meeting" posted on? My wife is on FB (I'm not), she joined DOG, is there another group? Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not a FB user.

Dan

[rynosback]

Originally Posted by dapperdan

Ryan, what FB group was the "meeting" posted on? My wife is on FB (I'm not), she joined DOG, is there another group? Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not a FB user.

Dan

I am like you, my wife is on FB and I am not. Yes she is on the DOG group. The main thing that came out of it was that you could not layer the product. If it cracked Geocell stated to strip it down and reapply. Also that the product only has a one year shelf life. We are now going to try Lexel. It is hard to work with but it has not cracked so far on a slide that I applied it on about a year ago.

[MS60ocb]

I'm a little confused. What is the original caulk DRV used? Is it the Geocell memtioned? How long has the Brand of caulk used on this 2017 model been used or is it just the applicator . In other words who is the problem, purchaser (Thor/Hearthland) or application, quality control (DRV)?
I remember being told/read several times (which I didn't like) the RV may need to be re-caulked after a year or so.
But Walker's problem didn't happen after a year.
Thor'ed again???
Clay 2016 MS 38PS3 #8120

[dapperdan]

Thanks Ryan, I look for that posting on FB.

I remember two years ago after our unit was re-painted we were at Twin Lakes RV repair for other service work. Jay noticed the crappy job DRV did caulking our trailer and suggested it be redone, we decided to have Jay and his crew do it. So far the job is holding up well. He was very thorough, checked the roof and did our slide outs too.

Dan

[Walker]

Originally Posted by dapperdan

In a word......... WOW!!!

That IS sad, I can't believe that's a 2017 model! And DRV had no comment huh?

I'm sorry to see you're going through this, I hope it gets corrected to your liking. Who's doing the work on your unit?

Dan

Kellogg RV in Andover KS is doing the repairs. We were originally slated for them to repair some cosmetic hail damage... And yea, DRV at this point has denied responsibility and refused to offer any compensation.

[Walker]

Originally Posted by MS60ocb

I'm a little confused. What is the original caulk DRV used? Is it the Geocell memtioned? How long has the Brand of caulk used on this 2017 model been used or is it just the applicator . In other words who is the problem, purchaser (Thor/Hearthland) or application, quality control (DRV)?
I remember being told/read several times (which I didn't like) the RV may need to be re-caulked after a year or so.
But Walker's problem didn't happen after a year.
Thor'ed again???
Clay 2016 MS 38PS3 #8120

There are several items that I have found while watching them talk the slide apart. 1- The caulking job from the factory is lousy at best.
2- The beltline molding has a thin foam gasket that screws tear as they push thru and are tightened.
3- The end grain on the flooring has nothing on it to protect it. No sealant, tape, nada.
4- Geocell may be a good caulk for its intended use, but why use a product and to continue to use that product when you know it breaks down quickly. 5- The units are not caulked on the exterior before going to paint. How long do the units sit outside in rain before going to the paint booth? Are the units put in a hot booth and allowed to completely dry before caulking is applied? Or do they bring in a wet unit, dry the skin and seal it up trapping whatever moisture is inside....
6- Only the top edge of the molding is caulked.... So when traveling in a rainstorm, no water can travel up and under the molding? Evidently not according to DRV. Even the molding around the top is only sealed on the upper edge.
7- DRV said its the owner's responsibility to caulk and check for broken screws. DRV claims that their RV building crew do NOT break or strip out screws on assembly. BUT NOWHERE in the owner's information or dealer information, does it say that you need to check all the screws to make sure they are not broken on a regular basis.
8- DRV did mention that they monitor the FaceBook DOG group and were less than pleased with me posting there.

I was in the marine industry for many years. I was in R&D and engineering for my career. I was the manager for 7 years of a custom builder that I had a part of. I have used many different sealants and adhesives to deter water from entering a structure. It's not rocket science to achieve a watertight structure but care has to be used along with common sense. Water will travel uphill, water will permeate gelcoat... gelcoat is porous.... and will allow water to pass thru... That's why so many boats are painted. Paint will seal the surface against long-term exposure to moisture. In the marine world you put caulk in every hole you drill before inserting the fastener. You caulk all sides of a molding.

[MnP]

I just got done paying Paul Cross at Interstate RV about $7500 to replace both OD slide floors due to moisture penetration around the trim. The big kitchen/entertainment slide had over half of the screws broken but not obvious to me. It's a known problem but some of us didn't know it until it was too late.

[Walker]

Originally Posted by MnP

I just got done paying Paul Cross at Interstate RV about $7500 to replace both OD slide floors due to moisture penetration around the trim. The big kitchen/entertainment slide had over half of the screws broken but not obvious to me. It's a known problem but some of us didn't know it until it was too late.

I feel your pain.

[rynosback]

The problem also could be from the underside of the slide. Look under your slide and look at the edge of the floor to the outside wall. Mine had some gaps and I sealed it with Geocell. I will more then likely clean it up and use Lexel and or eternabond tape. I used eterabond tape on my roof on the skylight, two fans, front and rear cap top seam and vent pipe and dummy pipe. This way I NEVER will have to look at sealing anything up on the roof.

[MS60ocb]

Originally Posted by Walker

There are several items that I have found while watching them
7- DRV said its the owner's responsibility to caulk and check for broken screws. DRV claims that their RV building crew do NOT break or strip out screws on assembly. BUT NOWHERE in the owner's information or dealer information, does it say that you need to check all the screws to make sure they are not broken on a regular basis.

Thanks for the detailed account of the finding. I have been to the factory twice but never paid much attention to the last three stops on the assembly which the next is out the door. I guess I must look up Howe IN weather for OCT 2015.
On my first busted screws I noticed one screw lacking about 1/2 turn head making contact with the metal it was to hold. I tightened about 1/2 the amount needed to seat the head with the metal when it twisted off. This was on ODS bedroom side lower front edge. I checked some adjacent screws and and one was already twisted off (held in place by caulking) another twisted off immediately on putting torque to screw.
A little investigation later I found the pilot hole in the 1/16 or 3/32 angle metal was less than the Major thread diameter of the screw thus much smaller than the shoulder of the screw. That problem seems to only one that slide but still thousands of miles later I have found twisted off screws when recaulking. Think the factory uses worn out drill bits.
Clay